Handset no longer works after fibre switchover

[nclarke80]

My BT Diverse digital base station and handsets no longer work post the fibre switchover.  Virgin are currently contracted to provide me with landline services. Mid contract they have changed their service such that my existing handset equipment that worked perfectly at the start of the contractual period no longer works.  I have changed nothing - it has all been imposed on me by Virgin with no discussion and no options.  I am no left paying for landline services that I cannot use.

When I called Virgin to resolve this they:
> did not offer to provide me with a replacement handset that would work with their updated service
> would not allow me to cancel the landline service, other than to pay a £10 monthly surcharge for the privilege.

Consulting the OFCOM guidance published here (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/future-of-landline-calls) on 11 July 2022, this guidance clearly states (and I quote)

Your provider should arrange to supply the equipment needed to keep you connected

If you need any new equipment to make your landline phone work – for example, a new router, new telephone handset or if you need a new broadband service installed, your provider will arrange this.

Why is Virgin Media so clearly in breach of Ofcom guidance by refusing to provide a replacement handset?

I want to cancel this useless service, but cannot do so without paying a substantial penalty!

How is any of this possible when Virgin are under an existing contract to me, and I haven't made a single change at my end?

Nick

[Tom_W1]

Hi Nick, thanks for your post although I'm sorry to hear of your concerns raised here, regarding the landline switchover.

To confirm here, in our contract to you we must provide a working landline service, but not a working landline device. Obviously, if the device isn't working because our own service is down then that's something else entirely.

Can you firstly clarify why your telephone is not suitable for the 21CV network, as most landline devices are even if they are fairly old?

Can you firstly confirm if you've received the adaptor, with one side going into your Hub and the other side should fit into your landline device? 

Many thanks

[goslow]

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@nclarke80 wrote:

My BT Diverse digital base station and handsets no longer work post the fibre switchover.  <snip>

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What is the model number of the BT Diverse system you are using (the Diverse name covers multiple phone versions manufactured over an extended period of time)?

What specifically is not working about using the phone?

With a bit more info it might be possible to make further suggestions to try.

[nclarke80]

I don't know technically why it doesn't work. All I know is that it will not ring when it receives an incoming call (as confirmed by your engineer during a home visit). The engineer told me it was incompatible, despite being a BT digital cordless phone with multiple handsets.

Yes I have the adapter ang get a ring tone and can call out. It fails to ring on incoming calls.I

What I fail to understand is why it is acceptable midway through a contract to change how you deliver that service such that standard equipment (this is a BT phone) no longer works, but it's my responsibility to fund the remediation, even though you made all the changes mid contract. My quotation from the OFCOM guidance is pretty clear that they don't think the consumer should fund replacement technology!!

[nclarke80]

It's a BT Diverse 3016.

It fails to ring on receipt of an incoming call. I get a dial tone and can call out.

The VM engineer said it was 'incompatible '. I never asked for a change to an incompatible service mid contract and was offered no choice in the matter

[Vikki_M]

Hi @nclarke80

Changing to the phone service via cable is a government objective and this has to be completed by 2025, we are choosing to take the change over now to ensure all of our customers have been migrated prior to the current telephone exchange being closed down in 2025.

To clarify, all phone providers are required to do this by 2025.

I am sorry to hear your current phone isn't compatible. 

I will send you a private message now so we can discuss a resolution.

Please look out for the purple envelope in the top right of the page and pop me a reply when you can. 

[goslow]

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@nclarke80 wrote:

It's a BT Diverse 3016.

It fails to ring on receipt of an incoming call. I get a dial tone and can call out.

The VM engineer said it was 'incompatible '. I never asked for a change to an incompatible service mid contract and was offered no choice in the matter

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Non-ringing is usually the absence of a ringing capacitor. People have reported success on here by replacing the VM adapter with this

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393200143905

It is a generic telecoms part

'RJ11 plug to BT socket adapter with ringing capacitor'

and available elsewhere for a few pounds. No guarantee that will fix your problem but quite likely.

As a test (if you happen to have such a thing lying around in a drawer at home and to see if this is your issue) some have been able to insert an ADSL microfilter (used in the past on broadband via phone lines) in between the VM adapter and the phone.

The ADSL microfilter contains a ringing capacitor to generate the ringing sound. If it works, best replace the ADSL microfilter/VM adapter combo with the adapter which includes the ringing capacitor.

[nclarke80]

Thank you very much for this suggestion. I wonder why the Virgin engineer failed to mention it

I'm very appreciative

Nick

[nclarke80]

Thanks again for your suggestion to try this adapter with a ring capacitor. I have now got one and it makes things even curiouser.

With the ring capacitor, a very old corded standard phone now rings just fine.

My Diverse 3016 however still drops the incoming call after 2 secs without a single ring UNLESS I start with the adapter completely disconnected from the hub, let it ring once (as heard from my mobile) then quickly plug the adapter into the hub whilst its ringing and everything then rings and works just fine!! But start with the adapter in the hub, and it drops the call without ringing.

Go figure that one!?!?!

Nick

[goslow]

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@nclarke80 wrote:

Thanks again for your suggestion to try this adapter with a ring capacitor. I have now got one and it makes things even curiouser.

With the ring capacitor, a very old corded standard phone now rings just fine.

<snip>

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Sorry to hear that the adapter was only partly successful with one of the old phones.

Your symptoms sound very similar (identical?) to those which have been reported several times on here for a Beocom 6000 model phone

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Home-Phone/Has-anyone-got-a-Beocom-6000-or-similar-DECT-phone-t...

As far as I know there has not been any reliable solution/explanation posted for that model that I have come across.

The only other thing you could check might be to look at the phone manual here

https://telephonesuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BT-Diverse-3016-Classic-user-guide.pdf

on RHS of page 44 (page footnote number) and check you are set to 'Tone' dialling and not 'Pulse'. I doubt this is the answer as I would expect the phone would not work at all and would be totally dead if it was on 'Pulse' but you could double check it anyway.

From one of the links in the topic above, the last entry here

https://forum.beoworld.org/forums/topic/beocom-6000-and-virgin-voip/

claimed success with the Beocom phone by deregistering the handsets from the base, unplugging the base for a time, then reconnecting the base and reregistering the handsets. Again, am doubtful this will do much either and, if you try this, you may possibly lose your stored phone contacts/address book so use at your own risk. Most of the claimed fixes I have read for the Beocom phone have turned out only to be short lived and not very reliable.

Unfortunately, I'd be out of further suggestions to try after that. From the date of the manual above it looks as if the Diverse 3016 is around 20 years old(?). If so, it might possibly be time for a replacement system to match a new model phone with the new connection from the VM hub.