Disable Voicemail on Landline

[mrj_et]

Like many others it seems, I am trying to disable voicemail for my elderly mother.  It causes serious problems when people assume that because they left a message it will be listened too. 

I am guessing that the people who create these systems don't have elderly relatives. If they did then they would get it.

It should be a simple and reasonable request to be able to do this. But remarkably it is not. The best answer I get is that I can increase the number of rings to 10.

Has anyone cracked this and will EE listen to their customers?  

Need the option to turn voicemail off.

[JimM11]

@Alex_H Thanks for jumping in!👍

[strangerover]

Hi
I'm sorry to hear about your mother.

Others have reported similar issues.
Unfortunately somebody will probably die before EE change their mind.

I have been in contact with a watchdog researcher for a while. 
I won't put her email address on this forum.
I suggest you google search watchdog and contact them directly

[JimM11]

@strangerover You can send a PM to @Furiousb1 with the e-mail address, and was her Father inlaw!

[PMTB]

In exactly the the same position & it is causing problems already. My 86YO Mum is totally confused by this - “why is the home phone ringing me? “I pressed (e.g. a number) and nothing happened! Why can’t you turn it off? etc. etc. This feature has taken precedence over our own “answerphone” which my Mum is totally confident in as she has been using it for years. Why can’t we, as customers, choose whether or not to use the Voicemail feature? I do hope EE are monitoring this community to see exactly how many people are unhappy with having no choice about the Voicemail feature. Wonder if they have ever had to try to explain the situation to an already confused & vulnerable person????

[XRaySpeX]

@PMTB : You can't turn landline 1571 VM service OFF but when you dial 1571 under Personal Options (2) > Calling Options (3) > Ring Period (2) there is an option to set the ring period to Short (4 rings), Medium (7 rings) or Long (10 rings) to give time for your own answering machine or yourself to pick it up.

[brucella]

IT IS POSSIBLE TO DISABLE 1571!

Apologies for the capitals, but I know how important this is to many of you.  I too was given the runaround, including customer service agents who were absolutely adamant that it was impossible to disable the service. It was only after registering a complaint and insisting on a supervisor call-back and being polite, but persistent that I have now no longer have the 1571 service on my EE landline.

But note, ask for the service to be disabled, not removed - there is a difference.
If anyone from EE is monitoring this forum, I would really like to hear an explanation why customers are being told something that isn't true.  Is this lack of training, or dare I say it, a commercial reason?

In summary - don't be put off by an agent saying that it can't be done.  Persist, ask to speak to a supervisor, and don't give up until you succeed!

Good luck

[JimM11]

@brucella Why don't you detail the exact procedure to do it from scratch to finish, and anything specific that you were told for a disabled service!

EE have dug there heals in and said NO it's not going to be done, but the policy may have changed as such allowing it now!

[brucella]

Certainly, this was my experience:

1. Ring customer service.  They will say that it is impossible
2. Ask them why it is impossible, if BT are able to do it.  They can't answer.  Register a complaint.
3. Ask to speak to a Team Leader or ask for call back.  They promise within 4 hours
4. Wait six hours and call back in
5. Ask again.  Say that you have seen on the EE forum, reports from other customers who have been successful
6. Insist on speaking to supervisor and ask them to speak to their technical colleagues
7. Wait on hold for one hour.  They say that it has been done
8. Ring 1571.  Voice message: "Sorry, your call can't be connected."
9. Be polite but firm at all times

Good luck

[JimM11]

@brucella Thanks for the detail you have supplied, just a few more if reading will no doubt be having an attempt at this now and hopefully it is just the VM side that get's disabled and all the other potential features stay in place!