Businesses can't hear the menu options we press

[jbackerdirks]

Hi, we have recently been switched from a copper-connected BT Hub to a fibre-connected EE Hub and, I am told, our landline connection is now fully digital.  We have now found that some businesses that we phone who have a menu to get through (e.g. "Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Billing") don't "hear" the number we press on our handset. Most business menu systems are fine and "hear" the options we press, but a small number don't (five, so far). An example of this is Axa Insurance on **********. 

I spoke to EE Tech Help and they are aware that some customers have this problem (even one of their colleagues had it) and they suggested we upgrade our handsets to the latest fully digital complient BT handset, the Alexa enabled "Home Phone Plus".  So we bought two of these handsets, but that made no difference and we returned them. I have searched the internet and this appears to be a widespread problem with fully digital lines, not just in the UK and not just with EE customers. Has anyone else had similar problems and have any advice?

For the techies among you, I would like to add I have now tried 3 types of handsets: (1) an ancient analogue corded handset plugged into the green phone socket at the back of the EE hub, (2) a 5-year old not fully-digital BT cordless phone handset for which I plugged the base charging station into the Hub's green phone socket, and now lastly (3) BT's Alexa enabled handset which is wirelessly paired with the Hub. All had the same problem and I am 100% certain I had them all correctly connected because in all other respects they worked fine. Various forums suggest various possibilities, but they mostly agree the problem is with people who have a fully digital VOiP connection. There are also some who say you need DTMF-enabled (Dual Tone Multi Frequency) handsets to overcome the problem. When I spoke to EE Tech Help, they weren't 100% certain that the BT Alexa enabled "Home Phone Plus" are DTMF-enabled, but in any case they are BT's most advanced digital handsets. Also, quite encouragingly, two of the businesses we called last year and had the problem (Southern Water and Utility Warehouse) are now OK, i.e. they do hear the menu options we press. So either they had an upgrade to their phone system or something has changed to the infrastructure (we made no changes in that meantime).

Does anyone know of any guaranteed DTMF-enabled handsets?

Is there anyone with a fully digital VOiP fibre connected EE hub who can get through the Axa menu system (*********)?  If so, it would be great to know, and maybe learn what landline handset you have.  Just a warning - Axa's call centre line starts with a full 2 minutes of T&Cs and other blurb 😞

Any help or suggestions on our problem would be most welcome.

Thanks. Jules

[Christopher_G]

Hi @jbackerdirks 

Sorry to hear that you're having this problem. Could you try restarting your router please, just to see if that fixes this?

If it doesn't, I recommend speaking with our technical support team again so they can run through some more tests based on the fact that you've had this issue with multiple devices, including those new ones.

Hopefully they can help get to the bottom of it for you.

Chris

[Mustrum]

@jbackerdirks  Your option 1 to me is the most reliable source of a DTMF signal, so if that is not working it suggests to me the issue is elsewhere.

From a technical point of view, your ears cannot hear/understand digital signals, so needing a fully digital solution does not make sense. Has the router been changed/reset/ever worked?

[JimM11]

@jbackerdirks Did you have any joy from your last posting getting someone to try calling or is this you just back now to carry on, would do but do not have a DV handset voip system, and just so so many in the new digital world as you are finding out. Most of the Digital Home Phone section on the Forum worked out plugged into the EE/BT router zero issues with sending tone options and as you say how do you know that there has NEVER been a EE tweak on the system, they are NOT going to fess up to anything!

[jbackerdirks]

Hello Chris,

Many thanks for your response.  I get confused between a router and a hub.  I've always assumed they are the same thing?  If they are, then I can confirm that I have shut down & restarted the router/hub on several occasions, including when speaking to EE Tech Support Team.  The chap I spoke to in Tech Support (Phil) also disconnected my hub remotely and ran several tests on it, and as far as he could see all was well and no faults were found.  I explained the handsets I had tried in the past and the only suggestion he had was to try BT's new Alexa enabled Home Phone Plus.  Phil left me hanging on the phone for a few minutes while he consulted his colleagues, but no one had any other suggestions.  I suppose I can call Tech Support again and say the Home Phone Plus didn't work any better, but given that no one in Tech Support had any other suggestions, I think I would be wasting my time and theirs. 

Again, as I mentioned in my earlier post, Tech Support had heard of other people with the same problem, but they had not been able to investigate the cause.  Phil said the Government led roll out of copper-free digital broadband connections, which had originally been scheduled for 2025, had been postponed with no new date, I believe partly due to lingering glitches in the technology.  So maybe what I am experiencing is one of those glitches.  I still have no evidence that anyone in the UK with a digital EE hub/router can actually get through the Axa menu system.

I should maybe mention that the broadband connection to my house is FTTC (Fibre To The Cabinet), not the preferable FTTH (Fibre To The Home).  So that might be something to do with it.  But then, most homes in the UK are still FTTC connected.

Again, many thanks for your suggestions.

Jules 

[jbackerdirks]

Hi Mustrum,

Thank you for your response.  I am surprised at your view of my #option 1', as that was to plug an old and fully analogue device into the Hub.  From what I understand, DTMF is a technology that has only been introduced in recent years to give each button on a device two synchronous tones at two different frequencies.  So, if my understanding of DTMF is correct, there is no way that my 20 year old analogue phone could transmit a DTMF signal.

As I have mentioned earlier, my router/hub has always worked fine with 99% of calls we make.  It is only a small number of businesses, such as Axa's call centre on ***********, which cannot hear the keypads we press to navigate their menu.

I have just responded to a post by Christopher_g Investigator, which I believe covers the areas you query.  If it's not too much to ask, maybe you could have a read of my response to Christopher_g and see if that explains my situation a bit more?  I really appreciate all suggestions.  Thank you.

Jules

[jbackerdirks]

Hello JimM11,

Thanks for your post.  I have had a few helpful suggestions, but so far no improvement in my situation.  Also, no one has yet reported that they can get through the Axa menu with a fully digital EE hub.

You mention EE/BT router.  We used to have a BT hub until late last year and we never had any problems getting through call centre menu systems with that hub, including Axa's menu system.  But the BT hub had a copper connection, not fibre. It was only when we switched to the EE hub that this problem began.  Another problem was my son experiencing constant glitches in the broadband signal to his computer, causing lags in his online gaming!  In the end, I had to lay 20 metres of the latest generation Ethernet cable between his PC and the back of the EE hub.  I'd love to go back to my old problem-free BT hub, but I understand that's not possible.

Thanks,

Jules

[JimM11]

@jbackerdirks Correct and the FW updates that are happening quick and rapid where helping to try and sort out the DV side off things with users reporting vastly better operation, not sure if you are managing to look in the Home Services / Digital Home Phone section off the Forum as it is a lot more detailed about what is/has been going on.

Some user's have managed to get EE to (( return/swap out )) the EE Router back to the BT Router. wither it was to test etc but it has basically boiled down to 1. the EE DV service is fine, 2. the EE Smarthub+ was the issue (FW trying to fix this out), 3. phones did not matter what type connected or where connected, 3. the DVA is problematic with getting tones back through SO advice was ALLWAYS use the connection rear off the router (never caused an issue).

But you AXA one is possible just a voip - voip different ilk's of system structure. The EE Smarthub+ is NOT the sharpest tool in the toolbox, and it's taken over a year to get better but it is a slow slow process.....

Gaming as far as i am concerned, wired Ethernet will always be better for a games consul connection, just 2 many variables for wireless unless you 100% KNOW what you are doing.! 

[Mustrum]

@jbackerdirks  DTMF was first introduced in the 1960’s and has been used since.

You seem to prefer throwing money at a solution, but if the service is not working with your simple 20 year old phone, the issue is elsewhere.

[JimM11]

@jbackerdirks FTTC brings full fibre from the exchange to the street level cabinet, then from there ideally last mile your copper cable to the home, that is now also a Digital Signal driven from the cabinet to your home with the implementation of the DV Landline system, and FTTC had it's quirks at times were phones would have line issues prior to OR forcing the system changes. Prior to joining EE i had Sky fttc fibre connection with the standard landline phone, on occasions i would get no signal displayed on the Panasonic phone (Line Dropped) but there was nothing wrong with the Broadband as it was still operating fine, just a pain trying to call Sky as poor mobile area and they always want you to be at home, fixes never involved an engineer visit so no doubt was software glitch or a reset somewhere along the path.