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
