Digital Switchover

[lyntats]

We were switched to digital last year and everything was working fine until around the 15th September 23. Since then my very elderly mother has not been able to ring my landline, we got the BT engineer out to her and they have said it's down to VM making some changes. Apparently it is because she is ex-directory and since VM made the changes she can't ring me. Today we contacted VW about this and they confirmed this, it would have been really helpful if I had been told this last week when I was on the phone for over an hour, would have saved my mum a lot of anxiety and my carbon footprint having to keep visiting to try and sort it. Now I have been told my phone is no longer compatible and I have to buy a new phone. A VOIP minimum 1 REN phone, so I Googled that and they cost an absolute fortune, the majority are like office phones and are not portable at all and do not have dual handsets.150 couldn't even say if my mum will still be able to ring in on this type of phone. Not very helpful VM!

[Joseph_B]

Hey @lyntats,

Welcome to the Community Forums and thanks for the post.

Sorry to see you have been having this issue. With your landline are other calls incoming fine or are all calls having this issue? If so it would be on the side of your mothers landline. I also cannot state for sure on why the engineer who visited your mother would mention Ex Directory, this is simply where the number is shown in the phone book or not.

Joe

[lyntats]

Sorry, I was so hacked off I put ex-directory. Her number shows 'withheld' when she was able to call my landline. Hers is the only person that has a withheld number. Everyone else can ring in ok. 

Thanks

Lynn

[Joseph_B]

Hey @lyntats,

Thanks for getting back to me, if hers is the only number which is not ringing through correctly, then we would advise it is an issue with her landline rather than ours. 

Joe

[lyntats]

We have been told that it's because she has the number withheld feature switched on and our phone is no longer compatible since some tweaks were made by VM around 14/15 September. The person we spoke to on 150 today told us this too and said we have to purchase a new phone, namely a VOIP minimum 1 REN phone and no guarantee that withheld numbers will get through on that either. They are really ugly office phones with the old spiral cord between the base and the handset, so not able to take from room to room either. It mum's BT engineer that also confirmed that it's the withheld number issue that the digital VM doesn't like. So both BT and VM have identified the issue. I don't want to force mum to remove the withheld number functionality as she prefers not to give her number when calling someone. Thanks Lynn

[goslow]

Have you got anonymous caller rejection on your VM landline?

Do you have a home phone with any call blocking/screening features?

To test, dial in to your own landline from your mobile but prefix the number with 141 which will temporarily withhold your mobile number. If it is in place, ACR will block the connection from withheld numbers.

[goslow]

You are getting mangled information here from different sources.

You do not need a VOIP phone. The phone socket on the back of the hub is designed to work with an ordinary telephone. Most should do so without issue.

The 'minimum REN=1' explanation is also trotted out regularly by VM CS on the phone once they have reached the end of their scripted decision tree pick list of responses.

The fact that your line/phone works for others OK, but not for your mother's 'withheld' number, suggests it is the 'withheld' feature that is the issue.

Either it is blocked by VM's ACR or some feature on your home phone.

[goslow · Accepted solution]

A further suggestion to try would be for your mother to try calling your VM landline but prefix your number with 1470 when dialling. This should temporarily release her number for that one call. See below

https://www.bt.com/help/landline/calling-features-and-security/how-do-i-withhold-my-telephone-number...

this might work if she has also not had 1470 disabled as well as having permanent number withheld applied.

[lyntats]

We tried that too, her supplier, BT have been great and changed cables in the exchange and all sorts, it's still not working and the VM engineer can't work it out either.

[Arissa_H]

Does this still happen even on an additional handset? 

Is it still just happening with one number?