No Dial Tone - Can't Dial Out - Can't Receive Calls (AGAIN)

[qswi014]

No Dial Tone - Can't Dial Out - Can't Receive Calls (AGAIN)

At around 18:00 on 08 March 2024 I had no dial tone on my landline yet again.
Auto Test reported as REP-14078856

I am still on an exchange line and have FTTC broadband same line BB is still working.
I have two cable connected phones; one dumb line powered, plus a Siemens DL500A DECT base station both show the same results if used with the other disconnected wherever plugged in.

On Hook my exchange line pair is at a normal 49 volts.
Off hook No Dial tone as I said, just low hiss from line. (Off hook Line at normal 7 volts).
Dialing produces no response.
After 6 minutes off hook I get off hook tone, hang up and can repeat so line to exchange is there.
Calling my landline number from mobile gives:
This person is currently unavailable please try later or send a text.

Oddly this condition has also disrupted the most of the TT broadband tests, but at least I don’t see anyone else’s data on this occasion.

I did use the South Africa Chat on Friday 18:30 to report the issue but as usual their script ignores what I had already checked above and ends up with we will send a chargeable engineer to check your home wiring.
Having already confirmed this as pointless I declined and they closed the chat as they do.

So rather that wasting weeks on the phone to SA this time I am back here with the UK community.

Hopefully on this occasion it will not take four weeks to resolve this time as it did in October 2023 when Talktalk provisioning took my exchange line number and moved it to another customers Talktalk Digital Voice port.
On that occasion they did restore my dial tone after 3 weeks by initializing my exchange card but number retrieval took rather longer.

Regards
Chris

[Arne-TalkTalk]

Happy to help, glad its sorted.

[qswi014]

Arne,

Thank you for passing this to the Auto Comp team.

 Auto Comp team have sent me an apology for not processing as it should have been.

The amount due £29.28 has now been credited to my account.

Regards

Qswi014

[Arne-TalkTalk]

I will pass this to the auto compensation team for them to investigate again.

[qswi014]

Arne, 
I'm well aware of the rules TT have two working days to fix loss of service before auto compensation activates on working day 3.

Below edit based on you published rules:

 8th March (Friday ) logged total loss of phone service due to provisioning moving number again.

9th NA (Weekend )
10 NA (Weekend )
Mon 11, Tue 12 Within SLA No compensation for first two working days.
Wed 13 NOT FIXED Auto Comp due.
Thu 14 NOT FIXED Auto Comp due.
Fri 15 Auto Comp due. (FIXED @ 18:00)

Total Due: 3x £9.76  = £29.28

Regards

Qswi014

Talk Talk Example of Auto Comp Fri-Fri

Once you’ve made us aware of your loss of service, we’ll have two working days to try and fix the problem. After this, we’ll compensate you £9.76  per day starting from the third day until the day we restore your service, providing the fault is within the TalkTalk or Openreach network.

During our investigation, if we determine the cause of the fault is your own equipment or home setup you won’t be eligible for compensation. Additionally, any delays incurred as a result of you not being able to accept our earliest available engineer appointments won’t be eligible for compensation.

Below is TT Web example of Auto compensation, also Friday to Friday.

EXAMPLE

If you’ve reported that your phone and broadband has stopped working on Friday morning and your service is restored the following Friday, you’d be entitled to compensation because we failed to restore the service within the two-working-day limit (the weekend days are excluded) and additionally £19.52 compensation because the total loss of service continued for two further full calendar days. In total you would therefore be entitled to £29.28 compensation. Your compensation will be added to your account automatically within 30 days of the fault being resolved.

Remember if you’re no longer able to keep an appointment, you must notify us before 12 noon on the day before your engineer is due to arrive. You won’t be eligible for compensation if you miss an appointment.

This table shows an example of how automatic compensation is calculated for a  fault.Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

			No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fault reported to TalkTalk	Non-working day	Non-working day	Day one to resolve	Day two to resolve	£9.76	£9.76	£9.76 Resolved

[Arne-TalkTalk]

Hi qswi014

Auto compensation is not applicable 

8th March (Friday ) logged
9th NA (Weekend )
10 NA (Weekend )
12 Within SLA
13 SLA
14 SLA 
15 FIXED 

The fault was fixed within (Service Level Agreement) the agreed 72 hour timescale with Openreach. 

Regards

[qswi014]

Debbie- Talktalk,

Back in March you got me in contact with James at Talktalk SMC to resolve my exchange number having been migrated without my consent for the second time in six months. ( In November 2023 it was 4 weeks due to Provisioning 'mistakes'. )

On 8 March 24 my number was taken and eventually restored on 15 March, so 'just a week this time' !

This was because TT had raised a FF order without my knowledge and migrated my number, "a forced migration" as seems to be TT policy now". 

Because it was a deliberate act on this occasion  and not a fault, I discussed  additional compensation with James (SMC) on top of the automatic payment based on service days lost.

We eventual settled on a payment of 50% of one months bill and this was credited to my account.

However two bills latter there is still no sign of the auto compensation payment on my account.

Can you please get the auto compensation paid please.

Thanks

Qswi014

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Chris

I'm glad to hear that James has been in contact. He has also sent me a message to let me know that he is investigating and he will keep you updated.

Thanks

[qswi014]

Debbie,

TT SMC James H called me at 10:46 today.

Summary was the fix he tried will not stick.

My copper line number has been provisioned off copper very likely due to the FF order somebody illegally decided I was going to have without my knowledge or consent . He sees the provisioning unwanted commands.

James has requested provisioning to unwind their second 'mistake' in six months.

My question to TT management is, this a vendetta, group policy,  or simple incompetence. ?

Next call to me from James is Thursday 16-18:00 by which time provisioning should have restored routing of my copper number to exchange line (again).

Regards

Chris Qswi014

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Chris

Apologies, I will contact James now to let him know.

Thanks

[qswi014]

Debbie,

Forget my last message saying my line was fixed, it was only temporary !

Exchange line is down again same symptoms.

James H at Salford SMC called me to say it was fixed and gave me 0345 172 0088 to call hime back if I needed.

Of course that is useless as goes to South Africa who know nothing about this !

And they just dropped my call after two contacts.

Please help me get a message back to James at SMC.

Thanks

Chris Qswi014

[qswi014]

Debbie,

I just had a call from James at Salford SMC .

The call came in on my copper land line number which was a nice surprise. It is now live again.

He described the issue as database discrepancy between two servers.

I read that as my number was not allocated to my exchange line, rather like provisioning I did while in mobile networks.

No physical issue like I said.

One remaining concern is how TT raised and pursued a FF order that I had no knowledge of.

I will open a ticket with the CEO office for that.

I do not miss emails I support email services and have had no other contacts from TT Sales.

Thanks for your help.

Regards

Chris Qswi014

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Chris

It's a UK based faults escalation team.

[qswi014]

Debbie,

Will this be UK or SA ?

Chris

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Chris

I've escalated this over to the team to investigate and they will make contact with you.

Thanks

[qswi014]

Debbie,

Please do, If a SA staff member can called Nas can initialize my exchange line restore dial tone it would point right back at provisioning again.

Chris TT may have a contact there.

Regards

Chris qswi014

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Chris

I can escalate this to our Faults Team and ask for one of my colleagues to investigate and contact you to discuss further, would you like me to arrange this?

[qswi014]

Debbie,

I would take what you have heard with a pinch of salt.

Has anyone actually asked provisioning as the did this by mistake in October with no pending order at all !

Your operations staff really make your jobs a lot harder, I know how it can be as it was my job also.

Regards

Chris

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Chris

The order was placed but it had not completed and was not due to complete until April. We have asked our order management team if this would affect the landline fault and they have advised no.

[qswi014]

Michelle,

Sorry been out for a while, but this let me process what's been going on.

I now very sure this is caused by provisioning for the following reasons.

Over the weekend the TT home online broadband test suite was unable to show any data for my devices speed etc.

Today they all  look normal, but because my number is no longer in transit.

I think my number was taken Friday and now is assigned to your VOIP service on my non Existent FF service.

Last time provisioning took my number it was obvious as another customer  answered it !

This time its on a service assigned to me but inaccessible hence the  always unavailable message.

That all makes sense now I know TT had instigated a FF transfer I didn't agree too and was not aware of.

Its a real shambles as last time.

Did you ask  provisioning what my number is associated with ?

Chris TT dealt with them last time.

Regards

Chris qswi014

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Hi again,

Thanks for confirming. As all testing has been completed at the test socket then we'll need to book an engineer visit to the property. Could you provide a few days availability please AM (8-1) and PM (1-6) and we'll book the next available visit for you. Could you also confirm that you accept possible time related charged if the engineer is unable to find a fault or locates the fault on your equipment.

Thanks

Michelle