Preventing incoming calls - voicemail

[Dabmonger]

I'm fairly new to EE, but I'm sure that, in "Digital Home Phone" in the EE app, there was an option to stop incoming calls. 

I've switched off Voicemail (by contacting EE), and it may well be since that point that I've lost the option to prevent incoming calls (btw it's unfortunate that Voicemail cannot be switched off via the EE app, or by dialing 1571).

However, I was just checking "Call Barring", and I see there that there is an option there: "Prevent all calls being received on your phone", which should do the trick. 

Two questions: 

1.  Does the switching off incoming calls option disappear after Voicemail is switched off, or have EE recently rearranged the app?

2.  When the  "Prevent all calls being received on your phone" option under "Call Barring" is ticked, do calls automatically go to Voicemail when Voicemail is active, and nothing happens when Voicemail has been deactivated?

[JimM11]

@Dabmonger Question that maybe best directed to EE Digital Voice operation specialist to answer, good you managed to get it switched off, there was a huge reluctance to do so from the EE side good few months back so much to say it was a blanket NO NOT HAPPENING so something has changed, but the what works/will not work was never ever laid out so people would know!

[Dabmonger]

Thanks @JimM11 forthat. 

I'm fairly new to EE, as I was saying, so there has been a history of EE not allowing customers to switch off Voicemail?!!

I can imagine BT customers that moved to EE being especially annoyed by this.

[XRaySpeX]

@Dabmonger : What does it say when you dial 1571?

[Dabmonger]

Hi again @XRaySpeX.

I can't remember now what I got on dialling 1571, but it didn't switch off voicemail. Messaging EE did the job, but it took a while, as they had to get somebody from Technical to do it. 

My title for this post is a bit misleading unfortunately, as I'm not trying to switch off voicemail, as that's been done.

Deactivating voicemail may though have removed the incoming call prevention option, or maybe EE have rearranged the app.

In any case, I see that I can apparently prevent incoming calls ringing under Call Barring, and hopefully I won't find that these calls are going to voicemail (despite voicemail having been switched off)!!!

[JimM11]

@Dabmonger It was a ok, fight tooth/nail to get it done to a flat out NO Way, biggest issue is having it thinking i was ok, and getting a call within a call due to the double line now, 2nd going to voicemail, the tone system not working and NO One knowing voicemail was sitting there! So can see why EE said NO WAY to the change!

[XRaySpeX]

I'm asking you what it says now when you dial 1571?

[Dabmonger]

@JimM11 OMG. I was going to write back saying that everything is working fine for me so far, BUT a relative of mine was trying to contact us recently, and was having difficulty calling. I think they even mentioned that a call went to voicemail!!

(I have two DECT phone bases - voicemail switched off on both - but calls do go to voicemail after a lot of dials ... I just hope it was this voicemail that my relative connected to.)

I tried calling the landline with my mobile several times, and everything was working fine, so I can't be sure where the issue was - but my relative tried calling from both their landline and mobile, so that's not a good sign.

Apart from that one episode, everything seems fine. 

I'm going to try activating this incoming call prevention. I'll see what happens using my mobile - unfortunately the landline is busy right now. Not sure if it'll ring out, I'll get a message, or it'll go to voicemail that's switched off!!

[Dabmonger]

@XRaySpeX Got you now!

Just tried it now, and it says that it cannot connect.

So that seems a good sign? 

The EE app no longer shows voicemail, so that's fine. 

All seems fine in general. I just hope that I won't be running into the issues that @JimM11 is dealing with!!

[Dabmonger]

@JimM11 @XRaySpeX 

Perhaps when my relative was calling, we just didn't hear the phone.

1571 - message saying cannot connect (👍)

phoning when incoming calls deactivated - message saying that calls are not being accepted at the moment (👍)