Can't Receive Incoming Calls

[aleaologist]

I'm sorry for posting this on the public customer forum, but TalkTalk seem to be doing their absolute best to make it impossible for me to contact them for help.

My problem is that I can't receive any incoming calls.

When somebody calls my line, it waits a few seconds trying to connect, but then they get the call disconnected sound.  The phone does not ring in my house.

I get a dialling tone, and my internet is working absolutely fine.

I have disconnected all the phones and microfilters from the sockets, with no improvement.

I have also tried a single phone connected to the master socket, and I get exactly the same thing.

My customer experience so far:

After spending a significant amount of time trying to find a way to actually contact TalkTalk technical support, I managed to find a phone number.  I called TalkTalk on 0345 1720088, and went through a few questions with a robot, to tell it that I couldn't receive incoming calls, but that I could make calls, and my internet was working, which the robot recognised and acknowledged.  It said it would do a test, and then it put the phone down.  A few minutes later I got a text to say that they had done a test and that my internet appeared to be working - after they had explicitly acknowledged that that wasn't the problem!

This was unbelievably frustrating, because not only do TalkTalk not let you talk to a person, they send you around endless loops to avoid you getting any help to fix your issue.  It feels like a deliberate strategy to make things as unpleasant as possible for the customer.

Could somebody from TalkTalk please get in touch to resolve the problem because so far the customer service experience has been absolutely disgraceful.

[Karl-TalkTalk]

Hi

No issues flagged for your exchange.  Tests show a loop fault close to your premises.  As you have tested with an alternative phone handset then we can book an engineer.  I'll drop you a PM with some details to confirm.

Thanks  

Karl. 

[aleaologist]

Yes, please, I would like to go ahead with the next steps to resolve the issue.

When I search for similar problems online, a number of people said this was often caused by a fault at the exchange, and not a local problem.

Could you please tell me if the exchange has been checked to make sure everything is working properly?

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Hi aleaologist,

I'm sorry for the delay. If this is still happening at the test socket with 2 different handsets then the next step will be to arrange an engineer visit to the property. Would you like to go ahead with this and we can confirm some details with you to arrange this?

Thanks

[Gliwmaeden2]

@aleaologist, unfortunately the Bank Holiday weekend means that you are unlikely to hear back now before Tuesday. 

Phone and Chat help should be available. 

[aleaologist]

Hello Michelle,

The bottom half of the main socket has a panel to unscrew.  Inside that panel there's a socket offset from the external one - I assume that this is a test socket.

I tried unplugging all devices (phones, answer phone, router, microfilters etc.) and just connected two different basic phones to that socket behind the unscrewed panel, one at a time.

I got exactly the same experience in both cases - dialling tone, but incoming calls were immediately cut off.

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Hi aleaologist,

I'm sorry to hear this. I've run a test on the line now which has detected a loop fault which can sometimes be caused by internal wiring or equipment connected to the line. Does your main socket have a test socket?

Thanks

[Gliwmaeden2]

Chat is available from 9am, @aleaologist:

https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/Our-update-on-Coronavirus/ta-p/2468300

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Phone 03451 720046 after 9am if you wish to speak to someone. 

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