New "phone line"

[Gareth1986]

long story short, I called to cancel my service and they said is there anyway we can keep you as a customer?  I said yes if you install a new phone line into my house as it's old. They said yes no problem. I have an engineer visit for the 20th august. Can I get confirmation that I am indeed getting a new phone line and not just an engineer visit to setup broadband (which I already have with talktalk) the old phone line taken out and a new phone line installed? It all seemed a bit quick thats all. Thank you gareth

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Hi Gareth1986,

Thanks for the update.

Thanks

[Gareth1986]

I can confirm that the old line is indeed being taken out and a new one put in its place. I had it confirmed by a top guy via email. Thanks for your suggestions ideas and input guy's. 

[martswain]

By the sounds of it, you have ordered a completely new line and will possibly end up paying TT for both !

Best of luck....

[ferguson]

Because you are getting a new line, as arranged.

[Gareth1986]

I'm just not certain why the openreach guy is coming around. I have an email saying when my services will go live and a new router will arrive. I have the services already and I have the new router. Not sure what it's all about. I asked for a new line that's all. Think there is a mix up somewhere. I'm getting welcome to talktalk letters through the door whilst having talktalk for months n months. 

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Hi Gareth,

Please let us know how you get on and if you need any assistance.

Thanks

[Gareth1986]

Ok I understand. Thank you

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi Gareth1986,

The engineer will just be to check that everything is OK and working correctly, they wont carry out any repair work unless there is a fault that requires remedial action.

Chris

[Gareth1986]

Not owned a landline phone since 1998, so I'm not sure about that. It could be damp or damp spider webs. That sounds plausible. Thanks for your input 

[martswain]

Is this bit of greenery affecting your telephone service too ?

That's the first thing to ascertain.

If, as you say, your stats are fine then the buffering issues are due to lack of throughput, which would indicate a device, router or network issue.

If you are actually getting intermittent disconnections, that COULD be due to an old line, corrosion in joints or sockets etc.

One member recently had issues due to damp spiders webs in an external connection box on his home.

[Gareth1986]

Naturally I'd like for the line to be replaced,but if it is not I will leave talktalk. I called to leave anyway. I'd much rather have left but they were so diplomatic how could I not accept. I also leave free of charge as my time with talktalk comes to an end.  So new line or not I consider it a win. And yet I feel I am being somewhat loyal in extending my patience for something to be done about it. It's a rocky relationship, one I hope doesn't end in divorce.

[Gareth1986]

Is it really

[ferguson]

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@Sidious wrote:

Yes they changed ours (the whole local area in fact), even though it was quite clear (no crackles or unhealthy noises) and didn't seem to be faulty in anyway (I was 15 years old then, though I'd love to say I hadn't been born at the time!).

Of course, it was a different time then - money and profits seem to be above all else nowadays (worse than some 20-30 years back)

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Well that is quite different from one individual line being changed.

[ferguson]

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@Gareth1986 wrote:

You dont know what I mean by external phone line? I think we would clash if we ever met, to say the least.

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Yes I think I do. And that is sad.

[Sidious]

Yes they changed ours (the whole local area in fact), even though it was quite clear (no crackles or unhealthy noises) and didn't seem to be faulty in anyway (I was 15 years old then, though I'd love to say I hadn't been born at the time!).

Of course, it was a different time then - money and profits seem to be above all else nowadays (worse than some 20-30 years back)

[Gareth1986]

You dont know what I mean by external phone line? I think we would clash if we ever met, to say the least.

[ferguson]

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@Gareth1986 wrote:

My brothers line is from 1991 and he has no issues with buffering or errors accumulating. A 43 year old line should be replaced my default, the fact that it is 43 years old. A 28 year old line should be replaced in my opinion also. Every 10 years if it was up to me. But a line that will be 50 in 7 years is undesirable. There is a green structure growing on it. The type that grows on headstones in graveyards from the 19th century. Where you have to rub it to reveal the date of birth and death. The UK essentially makes a wedding cake and takes a dump on it. The cake being fibre cabinets up and down the country but does not update the line from the cabinet into the home. The structure is their but it's missing that vital last jigsaw piece. Phone lines into people's homes are very old. 

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If your external line is affected by wear and age and is service affecting then yes, it should be replaced. Not by a "new phone line" though.whatever that may be.

[ferguson]

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@Sidious wrote:

"Unless the line is faulty it is highly unlikely that the cable will be REPLACED." <== To be very fair, that's extremely likely to be the case. But they really ought to replace a dropwire from the 70's (esp. if it has moss on it!) even if just to proactively reduce the risk of inferior BB performance.

They replaced ours in 1991, and I'm in the sticks compared to other areas!

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They replaced your line even though it wasn't faulty?

[Gareth1986]

My brothers line is from 1991 and he has no issues with buffering or errors accumulating. A 43 year old line should be replaced my default, the fact that it is 43 years old. A 28 year old line should be replaced in my opinion also. Every 10 years if it was up to me. But a line that will be 50 in 7 years is undesirable. There is a green structure growing on it. The type that grows on headstones in graveyards from the 19th century. Where you have to rub it to reveal the date of birth and death. The UK essentially makes a wedding cake and takes a dump on it. The cake being fibre cabinets up and down the country but does not update the line from the cabinet into the home. The structure is their but it's missing that vital last jigsaw piece. Phone lines into people's homes are very old. 

[Sidious]

"Unless the line is faulty it is highly unlikely that the cable will be REPLACED." <== To be very fair, that's extremely likely to be the case. But they really ought to replace a dropwire from the 70's (esp. if it has moss on it!) even if just to proactively reduce the risk of inferior BB performance.

They replaced ours in 1991, and I'm in the sticks compared to other areas!