Voicemail Catch-22

[ejsolutions]

I've just renewed my package, switching to the Fibre 35 Plan.

Previously, I had voicemail access (which specific service, heck knows?).

I've received a missed phone call that has diverted to voicemail and is indicated as such on my home phone, as New Voicemail.

Dialling 1571 to retrieve that voicemail doesn't work, as an automated voice now says that the service is inactive. Logging into my TalkTalk account, there is no means anywhere, to activate/deactivate the voicemail feature. As per usual with the site, I've been around in circles trying to sort this out.

"Manage home phone Boosts" takes me to..

"Home Phone Calling Boosts and Privacy Features" which brings up nothing in the table.

"Manage Calling Features" takes me to the same page.

It's irritating to have the phone always display "New Voicemail" and be able to nothing about it. Presumably this will also mask when a new missed call happens, which is more to the point.

Is community support the only way to get Customer Support now? I wish I'd sussed that BEFORE signing up for another 18 months! It's a farce and at least a Live Chat meant action was much quicker and didn't feel like one sending a message into a void. 😞

[Karl-TalkTalk]

Hi

Thanks for confirming.

Regards,

Karl. 

[ejsolutions]

I "bit the bullet" and signed up for Voicemail Plus, accessed the voicemail via phone,  then cancelled it. A restart of the phone later and it seems to have cleared the issue.

Ticket CMP-200454 can be closed: I have no idea where this can be accessed from.

[ejsolutions]

Delayed response due to being four, yes 4 hours on Live Chat!

There is a distinct lack of comprehension here. This is not a local answering machine/phone issue; it is a held TalkTalk voicemail that has got stuck due to the transition from one TalkTalk package to another - Faster Fibre (with free voicemail) to Fibre 35 (no included voicemail).

The proposed solution is for me to purchase Voicemail Plus for £1/month, to access the held voicemail, delete it, cancel the contract, then (spend an inordinate amount of time to) get the fee waived/reimbursed. This is to resolve an issue with the TalkTalk system: it would be laughable, if it wasn't so ludicrous.

Live Chat support wouldn't escalate this further up the management chain nor allow temporary access, in order to clear the problem.

No wonder phone companies get a bad reputation.

[The phone/answering machine displays (for example) "01 NEW MESSAGE" for locally stored voicemail and "NEW VOICEMAIL" for remote voicemail.]

[Chris-TalkTalk]

I've checked on our side and voice mail is disabled. If you are getting a new voicemail notification on your telephone then I can only see this being the voice mail on your handset/answer machine, not our voice mail service.

Chris

[ejsolutions]

@Chris-TalkTalkI know that you must deal with many kinds of users but I really don't enjoy trying to resolve TalkTalk issues just because of some perversion. Yes, I have a phone answering machine and no, it has absolutely nothing to do with the problem.

[ejsolutions]

Thanks for the irrelevant marketing/sales blurb, that I already knew.

You've missed the point entirely.

Let me phrase a different way..

1. Will a second caller be redirected to an inaccessible voicemail or receive an engaged tone?

2. I've just received a missed call (deliberate test); my home phone still displays the inaccessible "New Voicemail", rather than "1 Missed Call". Not good.

3. This is a technical issue only resolvable by TalkTalk, presumably caused by a flag on the line that indicates voicemail in use.

4. I don't need non-free voicemail as I have a home answering machine.

I've found the Live Chat hidden Easter Egg, so let's see if I waste another hour of my life, trying to get this resolved.

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi ejsolutions,

I can see that Gliwmaeden2 has pointed you in the right direction. Just a thought but are you sure that the voice mail isn't being recorded by you telephone rather than our voice mail service? Does your telephone have a built in voice mail feature?

Chris

[Gliwmaeden2]

You can't add the ordinary old Voicemail any more, @ejsolutions.

For all new contracts, it's been Voicemail Plus only, for quite a while.

It is @£1.00 monthly and has a minimum 1 month commitment:

https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/How-much-do-calling-features-cost/ta-p/2204858