Landline switch over 9th May

[Peterpikefisher]

ok so my hub is in my living room landline in my hall ,there's no way am i moving either of them nor am i going to run a cable from one to the other as this would mean drilling a hole in the wall , so i tried a few times to let vm know that i dont want to keep and pay for a service that i cant use but the call centre ejits in india dont seem to understand my accent  i can barely understand them , i have put in a complaint with regards to this situation asking for someone who's native language is english  to please give me a call vm have my mobile number  as my landline is no longer working ,im looking for confirmation that i will not be billed for the landline , the email i received today asks that a call 150 or 03454541111 now i won't be call either of them as i will more then likely be put through to someone in india , im hoping someone on the forum can give me a uk only phone number for the relevant department so i can get this sorted .

[Peterpikefisher]

last tech told me if i dont want to move hub or phone theres not much can be done . so im hoping i can have the phone removed from the package however if the charges go up when renewal is due i will look elsewhere for a package without a landline  

[Peterpikefisher]

thats the point i have tried to tell VM in india when i called them that i dont want to upgrade so could they remove the landline service  on the change over date on 9th may but was told that couldn't be done 

[nodrogd]

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@Peterpikefisher wrote:

thats the point i have tried to tell VM in india when i called them that i dont want to upgrade so could they remove the landline service  on the change over date on 9th may but was told that couldn't be done 

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The landline is an integral part of your package. To remove it you have to renegotiate the remaining parts as there is a large loss of discount resulting.

[goslow]

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@nodrogd wrote:

<snip>

HM Government want all possible connections to be Fibre (which the PSTN system cannot run on). So as a result the plug will be pulled on all PSTN services in 2025. There are backup units available that allow a landline phone to use the mobile network (EBUL) in the case of power or network failures.

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Difference of opinion stated below on the last point. OFCOM seems to think it is industry that is driving the change, not them or the gov't (final para)

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/future-of-landline-calls

[nodrogd]

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@goslow wrote:

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@nodrogd wrote:

<snip>

HM Government want all possible connections to be Fibre (which the PSTN system cannot run on). So as a result the plug will be pulled on all PSTN services in 2025. There are backup units available that allow a landline phone to use the mobile network (EBUL) in the case of power or network failures.

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Difference of opinion stated below on the last point. OFCOM seems to think it is industry that is driving the change, not them or the gov't (final para)

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/future-of-landline-calls

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I love OFCOM's BSE (Blame Somebody Else) attitude when they think it will get people off their backs.

Not Government Policy? Then how can they do this?

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-of-homeowners-and-tenants-to-get-better-access-to-faster... 

[Paul_DN]

Hi Peterpikefisher,

Thank you for joining me in a private chat and for clearing security, as advised I have arranged a Technician to look at your Telephone Via the Router so we can get the phones connected, we appreciate as you have stated you do not want a relocation or holes or extra cables, the technician will advise what is needed, if you decide not to go ahead you can speak to our Customer Relations to discuss your options, as advised disconnection my cause some charges and in some cases cause the monthly charge to increase.

Regards

Paul.

[Butterfly68]

This has caused me stress, my wall plug is in the hall, my hub is in another room many metres away,   cannot face the upheaval of having a wall drilled and cable run to it,    have a plug in wall adapter and three wifi extensions    Last time I had to phone India it nearly made me crazy,    am considering asking them to cancel my contract for phone and tv  am not at all technical so will not be able to get my head round this   their assumption that this is a straightforward process for all, is a misconception.

[goslow]

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@Butterfly68 wrote:

This has caused me stress, my wall plug is in the hall, my hub is in another room many metres away,   cannot face the upheaval of having a wall drilled and cable run to it,    have a plug in wall adapter and three wifi extensions    Last time I had to phone India it nearly made me crazy,    am considering asking them to cancel my contract for phone and tv  am not at all technical so will not be able to get my head round this   their assumption that this is a straightforward process for all, is a misconception.

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All the regular answers and options (such as they are) for this issue have been laid out in the previous pages of this topic.

The only 'no-wires' option is to use a set of cordless phones but that is at a cost to you to purchase if you don't have them already.

Do you have a cordless phone system already or do you use individual corded phones which each plug into a phone socket? Are you referring to cordless phone handsets when you mention 'three wifi extensions'?

Are you familiar with what a cordless phone system is and how it works if that might be an option for you, if you don't own one already?

[Zach_R]

Hi @Butterfly68,

Thank you for your post and welcome to our community forums. We're here to help.

I'm so sorry to hear that the landline switchover has been causing you stress and upset. If the current set up in your home doesn't accommodate this and you need to rearrange/reinstall some sockets then we can help arrange this.

However, if you're not happy to proceed with that option then the other alternative is to instead opt for cordless handsets instead as I can see @goslow has also mentioned.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll help as best as we can.

Thanks,
 

[jem101]

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@nodrogd wrote:

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@goslow wrote:

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@nodrogd wrote:

<snip>

HM Government want all possible connections to be Fibre (which the PSTN system cannot run on). So as a result the plug will be pulled on all PSTN services in 2025. There are backup units available that allow a landline phone to use the mobile network (EBUL) in the case of power or network failures.

---

Difference of opinion stated below on the last point. OFCOM seems to think it is industry that is driving the change, not them or the gov't (final para)

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/future-of-landline-calls

---

I love OFCOM's BSE (Blame Somebody Else) attitude when they think it will get people off their backs.

Not Government Policy? Then how can they do this?

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-of-homeowners-and-tenants-to-get-better-access-to-faster... 

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That link doesn’t actually have nothing to do with the 21CV rollout, but rather a change in the planning laws and the regulations concerning tenants and landlords. Which is, of course, within the Government’s (or more accurately Parliament’s) pervue.

I think that the confusion has arisen by some posts from forum team members on here which implies that the switchover is a Government mandated order which was simply done without any consultation, so if this inconveniences the customer, then, ‘sorry, there’s nothing we can do, the big bad Government is making us do it’!

The truth is that it has been screamingly obvious for some time that the current land line service couldn’t continue forever as is, from the suppliers point of view, making the switch was economically advantageous in the medium to long term, so yes, they did push for it. OFCOM’s role was to codify what the suppliers wanted to do anyway, did fit with the Government’s aims, and set specific dates and timeframes for this to be done and make sure that all the suppliers were on board and working to the same timescale.

Yes, I know that the differences are subtle, and there is a very, very good reason to move to the better system. For some people this is massively inconvenient, but I feel it would be better for VM to come clean and openly say that the switch is important and is absolutely necessary to continue to provide a future-proof service. If it isn’t convenient for you, personally, then we will do what we can to mitigate the issues for you but overall, this has to be done for the benefit of a future service.

Sometimes, though we get a hand-wringing ‘sorry but we are being forced to do this…’ type response. No?