super-fast customer service?

[bob_malcolm]

This afternoon I had a long conversation with a very nice-sounding customer service agent about the unwanted imposition of the 1571 answering 'service' when switching to a digital home phone.

He insisted that there is no way it can be turned off. This is nonsense, of course. It's just a computer system and even BT will do it.

I also pointed out that there had been absolutely no warning that this might happen in all the lead up to the changeover.

And the current ee website did not point out that this would happen or that it could not be turned off. Even on the help pages when you look to see how to turn it off.

I do believe that this nice-sounding gentleman took my complaint seriously and logged it. And shortly after our conversation I received the following text message from ee:

Text message received today, timed 15.15.17

Hi from EE. We're looking into your complaint, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Your reference number is C10003106452.

My word, they're quick workers. 36 seconds later I got this:

Text message received today, timed 15.15.53

Hi from EE. We've now closed your complaint. Your reference is C10003106452. Sorry again about the issues you've had.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[XRaySpeX]

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.

You may insist on a closed complaint to be reopened & dealt with within 28 days.

[JimM11]

@bob_malcolm EE have adopted the stance first reported about a year to 18 months ago, the voicemail system on Digital Voice will NOT be getting turned off no matter what request is made from a customer, if you did not see it's posted somewhere in the Forum in this exact section. Complaint was closed as that is the action to what you requested. If BT does it good on them, that may be the ISP you need to move over too. Few reads from earlier in time. Sept 2024 and still no further forward you will see from the second link!

Petition to allow landline voicemail to be turned off completely - The EE Community

How to Permanently Turn Off or disable EE Digital Voice Answer Phone? - The EE Community

[bob_malcolm]

Thanks, XRaySpeX.

I have done this and, once I realised that my answering machine counts rings at a different rate to 1571 (!?), I dropped its delay to 6 rings and the setup is now performing more or less as before. But why have they done this? And why were we told nothing in advance about it?  It was only after the fibre changeover that I discovered it for myself: the installer said nothing about it.

And, incidentally, I was never asked if we had any extensions here. We have 3 plus the 'main' handset. So I need 4 adaptors. Again, no warning, no advice.

And thanks too for the information about reopening a complaint.

Bob

Preview

[bob_malcolm]

Thank you, Jim. I confess that I hadn't seen this issue being discussed before. Since I didn't anticipate a problem, it never occurred to me to browse the forum in advance.

But I don't get it. Do EE really want to take control of my messages? Much good would it do them. And If they really wanted that then they could easily record all incoming and outgoing calls. So what's in it for EE to alienate their customers?

For now I've done the delay time workaround. Since I'm no longer working (officially) I can afford to lose the occasional message to 1571.

And I'll be signing that petition.

Thanks again,

Bob

[XRaySpeX]

---

@bob_malcolm wrote:

We have 3 plus the 'main' handset. So I need 4 adaptors.

---

That sounds more like a DECT base station + 3 slave cordless handsets. If so, you only need 1 adapter for the base station. Or do you really mean you have 4 corded phones?

[bob_malcolm]

Hello again. This may sound odd but it's just one DECT and 3 corded. The DECT is a Gigaset SIM, so I could easily copy my Outlook address book to the phone. Then with a Gigaset repeater it worked to the far end of the garden. Not that any of that is relevant to the present situation. And I'm happy enough to live with the adaptors.

Thanks again for the interest

Bob

[JimM11]

@bob_malcolm Depending on your exact extension wiring and if FTTC or FTTP connection it is very easy to cable out the EE Hub ATA port to a Master OR Phone socket and have all the extension cables become live again, cost's a few pounds to do so, if you need it is also explained how to do it on the Forum.

[XRaySpeX]

@JimM11 : Doesn't have to be a master socket. It's all 1 continuous conductor.

[JimM11]

@XRaySpeX YOU do not want to Regen on a FTTC copper main line connection. And if the OR Master socket is done wired correctly ALL extension's are not on the Main AB connections, that is why you need NO filters in any ext sockets.