PSTN fault results in migration to VoIP

[mmelbourne]

My parents raised a PSTN fault on their line a few days ago (both are in their 80s and I would class as 'vulnerable'). Their DECT phone displayed a "line fault" and the number ringing engaged.

Today, the engineer arrived and have converted them (without any discussion) to VoIP. I thought the government had paused activity for migrations for all Communications Providers (CPs). Is it still VM policy to migrate the elderly to VoIP?

It feels like they have migrated them, rather than attempt to fix the original fault, as it was probably the easiest option for them.

This probably needs to happen anyway, but they had had their answerphone, which is their main DECT base station moved upstairs to where the Hub is located and not where they spend most of their time, so they are now unaware of answerphone messages unless they actively check the base unit upstrairs.

There are solutions to these issues, but they need more planning and discussion.

They've also been left, they say, with a 'monstrosity' of a large phone, which I presume (I haven't seen it yet), which is some backup solution (which may contain batteries). Has anyone else seen similar?

This feels like a fix which has been imposed on my elderly parents. The move to VoIP is something which needs to happen, but this is not the way to go about it.

Can someone from VM please contact (DM) me to discuss.

[Lee_R]

Hi @mmelbourne thanks for posting and welcome back to our community.

Sorry to hear of any inconvenience that converting to 21CV (Voip) unexpectedly may have caused your parents. As per your request, I am going to send you a direct message. Please keep an eye on the inbox in the top right of your screen.

Regards

Lee_R 

[Client62]

Consider having the VM phone platform take the voice message, that way one can listen to voice mail from any DECT phone and messages will be recorded during a power cut etc.

[Lee_R]

Thanks to the fantastic @Client62 for their support 🙂

[mmelbourne]

Thanks, yes that option occurred to me. It's just that it's a re-education, and something "new and different" for the them to take on. Definitely an option though.

[Lee_R]

Hi @mmelbourne as per your request, I have reached out to you privately.  We're here if you need us 🙂

Regards

Lee_R

[goslow]

A couple of further options might be ...

Get VM to modify their home phone wiring so that the existing internal telephone sockets within the home are linked to the new phone socket on the back of the hub. This means the phones can be left in their original setup.

VM should offer to do this for free as part of the switchover process although getting the 'right' VM person to turn up with sufficient knowledge to do the task can be a convoluted process. The work may also involve some disruption to modify the phone wires. There are past topics about this on here. If there is an original phone socket next to the hub location it should be a trivial task to do this.

Secondly, most cordless phones do allow full control of the answering machine from a remote handset. Many remote handsets do have a 'message waiting' indication feature (flashing light, beeping sound, icon on the display etc.) but often those features on the remote handset are not on by default and have to be switched on.

It should also be possible to add in more remote satellite handsets if they have 'lost' a handset position in the home when the base station was moved upstairs.

[mmelbourne]

Yes, all good considerations. The problem here is that the current Hub location isn't near a PSTN extension socket which could be "reverse fed" from the Hub. One option may be to move the Hub and there is a possibility of doing this as there's a coax connection from when they had analogue Cable TV in the past (yes, their account is that old!). I just don't know whether it works as it hasn't been used for years as they only have broadband and phone. The answerphone notification on a DECT handset is a good shout (as is the migration to using VM Voicemail).

I can see this turning into a Bank Holiday visit .... 😀

[WhiteRose12]

The ‘monstrosity of a large phone’ will probably be VM’s EBUL (emergency backup line), it’s a phone which connects to the hub and works as a normal phone, except if it detects that tha internet connection has failed, then it reverts to using a built-in SIM (mobile) connection, and, yes, it has a rechargeable battery so will work even in the event of a power failure which takes out the broadband connection - assuming that the mobile service is still working!

If you happen to do a ‘Bank Holiday’ visit, the redundant coax connection may well have been disconnected, it favour of the current working one. Fixing that may well be a fairly trivial job, swopping a connector around in the external ‘omnibox’. Otherwise, then technically VM should do all this for free as part of the migration, but worse case scenario, it’ll cost £25 to get it done by them.

[mmelbourne]

They are already hinting that it could be chargeable to move the Hub. The issue will be that if the EBUL has to be relocated with the Hub, I can't see this option being favoured, as that equipment will need to be moved to the living room - and they're already objecting to it being in a spare bedroom! If the EBUL just needs to be plugged into the phone line, then maybe it could be moved elsewhere.

Actually, if it's an EBULv3, then it looks like it connects to the Hub via the phone line, so maybe it doesn't need to be next to the Hub, if the existing extension wiring can be preserved.