landline and broadband query

[#1]

PlusNet community is always helpful, I just hate to bother everyone who are probably much younger than I, or at least more knowledgeable, but there's nothing worse than what I'm going through right now on top of health issues, I never thought I'd say this, but bring back the old days when you could pick up a phone and speak to someone and get it sorted LoL

[#2]

I have a friend who is with TT for everything, she has told me horror stories of trying to get things sorted but I said years ago I would never entertain TT the difference now is I had the choice taken away from me which angers me.   TBH as long as my internet wifi etc is disturbed I would just get rid of my landline all tiogether and just give everyone my mobile number.

[#3]

TBH as long as my internet wifi etc is disturbed

@Miriam i think you mean undisturbed😀

I would just get rid of my landline all tiogether

I suspect TT may have already done that without your knowledge

and just give everyone my mobile number.

That's a very good idea

[#4]

Well most people don't use landlines now.  I kept mine because I think a lot of people have it but they might as  well try my mobile , outgoing calls on my mobile  are free so I never used my landline for outgoing anyway.

So if I get rid of my landline do i need to tell plusnet or does my internet just stay thecsame that's what I'm trying to get my head round.  Also I would need to tell TT I no longer need landline 🤣🤣🤣it is costing me £37 a month

[#5]

@Miriam 

I assume your phone is now working with TalkTalk and your internet is still available with PN.

I would suggest you phone TalkTalk and ask about the following

1) To be put on their Vunerable Persons register

2) Exactly which TalkTalk product you are on.

3) When does your contract expire.

4) Confirm you're still on a copper landline.

5) What compensation are your due to the non availability of your phone service.

Some of the above may be detailed in your TT members page. From what you said before I suspect a call package may well be included in the price even although you don't make outgoing calls from the landline.

DO NOT under any circumstances transfer your service to a VOIP account. This would lead to the closure of your PN account as it is dependant on your phone line being active.

Going forward.

Login to your PN members page and see under My Account exactly which product you're on. Then see if any upgrades are available. If you are on a legacy package I suspect any upgrade may well be cheaper than what you currently pay.

If there are cheaper products available you can upgrade at any time at the cost of a new contract (probably 24 months!!!). However, upgrading would mean moving to an internet only line which would automatically close your phone account and, if done before the end of your phone contract, would probably incurr early termination fees.

If you do move to SOGEA and want to keep your landline number available A&A (mentioned before) would seem to be ideal. It costs £15 to "port" your number in and then £1.44 a month. Calls are charged on a per minute basis but as you use your mobile this doesn't matter. Best of all is you can divert all incoming calls direct to VoiceMail and A&A will then e-mail you with the details and a transcript of the call. This means you don't have to worry about getting your phone to work with VOIP.

Hope this helps.

Brian

[#6]

Hi Brian this whole business has caused me so much distress.  I have no intention if going on to VOIP.

My internet with PN is working normally and no one would talk me into changing that.   I still have not been able to speak to anyone at TT which does not surprise me.   What I thought about doing purely for my own sanity is leaving things as they are meantime until I calm down.  I don't use the landline anyway for outgoing calls those I do from my mobile , so all i have to do now is tell people who  contact me normally via my landline just to call my mobile number instead.   

I do not understand why TT told me two days ago that  my migration was now complete  and I should   not experience any problems, when I cannot use the landline if I wanted to.   I am actually very angry.

I pay £21.46 monthly with PN for unlimited broadband.

One of the chaps I used to work with told me not to bothercwith the landline because the phone line will  already be in my house so I won't lose my broadband anyway which is all I care about.  So I don't physically need to have my landline  phone being used.   Just as well I use my mobile otherwise I would have no way to tell soneone I am ill.

Thanks for all your help I'm sounding like a real pain but it's because I'm on my own and worried.  I wish they would just leave things alone.

[#7]

@Miriam 

I'm sorry to resurrect this but I still see opportunity for this saga to turn sour. Are TT billing you for the landline that is not working? My concern is that because you have split phone and broadband services you will not be on a Plusnet SOGEA service. Consequently, if TT close this non working telephone service for which you may be paying, your Plusnet connection will also be automatically cancelled.

If you no longer want the landline phone then it's probably safest for you to contact Plusnet and transfer your broadband to a SOGEA contract. Hopefully this will close the TT contract but I would check only after you have confirmation that you have a SOGEA contract.

@MisterW do you agree or have I got this wrong?

[#8]

@Baldrick1 I would agree and further to

If you no longer want the landline phone then it's probably safest for you to contact Plusnet  and transfer your broadband to a SOGEA contract

that is the only way to do it!.

Under no circumstances should the landline be cancelled via Talktalk!. That will almost certainly cease the Plusnet broadband as the broadband asset is still associated with the landline phone number.

[#9]

Sorry but this is all too complicated for me, so far I have not noticed any difference with my Pllusnet broadband, it is working the way it always has.   I am now of a mind not to contact TT at all as I fear this might complicate things.   I have a friend who has TT for everything she told me trying to speak to someone is a nightmare so I don't even want to get into it.  I have decided to let sleeping dogs lie for my own  sanity, TT just like Shell .energy have nothing to do with my internet.

On a day to day basis I have sight problems another reasoon I don't want things to be different.  Life is difficult enough.  My shell account was passed to TT on tge same package i.e anytime plus calls weekends etc.  But, even with Shell I never ysed tgese, thank goodness for my mobile.  So when my next bill arrives via email it will probably be the same i.e. £37 then I shall decide what to do, they won't know if I don't bother using it just keep it plugged in as it is now.

At my age you lose a lot of confidence, I was a supervisor in Air Traffic Control on top of everything and never lacking in confidence , just shows how life changes.

I know nothing about SOGEA but is that not for businesses.  Also SOGEA is fibre broadband which in my village no one has so far as I know.   Also, we get an awful lot of power cuts here.

[#10]

@Miriam 

I know nothing about SOGEA but is that not for businesses.

No, it is basically broadband over a telephone line BUT with no associated telephone service or number. It applies equally to residential and business.

To try and explain:-

In the past, broadband has always had to have an associated telephone number. In general it was normal for an ISP to provide both the phone and broadband service, but as in your case, it is possible to have the phone with one supplier and broadband with another. This doesnt remove the need for the broadband to have an associated phone number.

Now SoGEA allows a broadband service to be delivered over the existing phone line but without an associated phone number.

[#11]

Thanks Baldrick, I understand and I think I said previously if the phone just sits on my desk and is still plugged in it doesn't mean I will use it.  

To be honest I have always been against TalkTalk which is why I lectured a friend of mine three years ago not to be daft to go with them, as you recall this was not my choice it was Shell energy who got TT to take over that service and before Shell Energy I had my landline only with the Post Office, companies do this all the time and it seriously [-Censored-]es me off, as we were not given a choice just an email to tell us (not just me) who would be providing out landline in future.

I have no idea what my bill will be because my last bill was £37 with Shell, my next will be in August and will, one assumes be from TT;.l

I think I'll let sleeping dogs lie meantime.

I am going to have a big argument with Direct Line today about my car insurance, they increased it to £1,000 utterly ridiculous you pay more if you are over 70 (I'm 75) someone told me SAGA were good, so I might try them - this is a bigger concern at the moment.

[#12]

@Miriam 

I appreciate you want to take a break from this but there are some things that need looking at sooner rather than later.

PlusNet

Contary to what I said before it appears upgrading with PN to a SOGEA connection will cost a bit more.

Did you manage to register as a vunerbale person - it's important as ISP's are required to look after you during the PSTN switch off. I believe you can do it online to save having to phone. Incidentally, given you talked about frequent power cuts, have you registered with your utility companies?

TalkTalk

If you are paying £37 a month then that's way too much given you don't use the phone. Unfortunately it's probable you can't change before the end of your contract.

You spoke before about logging into TalkTalk - have a good look around your members page to see if you can register  online as a vunerabke person and if it details your current contract. You need to find out when it ends.

The end of the contract will be the prime time to move to a PN SOGEA line and VOIP. While you will pay a bit more for PN you will make significant savings on the phone contract. If you go with A&A it would cost a one off £15 fee to port your number and then £1.44 a month. Using the option to divert calls to Voicemail with you receiving an e-mail with the details would save having to worry about your phone working with VOIP.

I believe all of the above can be done online!!!

Brian

[#13]

Hi Brian

I am registered with SP ENERGY as vulnerable and they text with when outages are planned or when they were not planned, that now up and running.

The problem where I live is that in towns the electricity cables are never seen as they are underground, but a lot of the cables where I am are overland, sometimes there are sudden outages that SP ENERGY did not plan, but they have always been very helpful with me, so no complaints.

On the voicemail thing, I don't want voice mails Brian, so that's not something I would be interested in asking about.

If I phone PN I would want to know if moving to SOGEA is straight forward, because I couldn't handle it if it were not, also the cost does not worry me.  I am all for efficiency, if it costs and won't let me down that's worth paying for.

[#14]

@Miriam you said earlier in thread

I have a guy who is excellent who does  my computer upgrades etc.

Might I suggest that you contact him and get him to read through the suggestions/advice on this thread, rather than try to do anything yourself.

He may or may not be familiar with the options suggested. If he needs further information then I'm sure the people on here will be only too happy to assist him.

This is a public forum so he need not register to see the thread, but to interact further he would need to either register or post via your account.

[#15]

@Miriam 

What really bothers me, apart from the fact that you will be paying TT £444 a year for a service that you do not want, is that if TT wake up and get your phone working by transferring it to VoIP, it will trigger the cancellation of your Plusnet service.

If you are to leave things as they are then keep a very wary eye out for a 'Sorry that you are Leaving' email from Plusnet. If you get one then contact Plusnet Customer Services immediately.