A substantial volume of correspondence has been received from BT customers lamenting the disorder and uncertainty surrounding the transition of 29 million British households to digital landlines.
A customer’s fifty-year-old phone number was misplaced following the deactivation of her old copper-wire landline and the installation of a new internet telephone at her residence.
Additional clients say their newly installed digital landlines cease functionality during an internet outage. Those who reside in rural villages may encounter this situation frequently.
Additionally, clients are dissatisfied with the incompatibility of the £20 phone adapters provided by BT with their obsolete devices.
Furthermore, many readers state that the transition is becoming so complicated that they must assist their elderly parents. They claim that the assistance offered by BT needs to be revised.
According to him, a technological issue left one 90-year-old without a landline for over ten days.
Ten million BT customers will transition from traditional copper-wire phone lines to fiber cables employing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology within two years as part of the Digital Voice program.
BT’s Controversial Digital Transition
A total of 29 million residents must undergo the transition by 2025. BT states that phone numbers should remain unaffected by the change.
Contrary to this, retired shepherdess Gillian Allen discovered on October 2 that communications from family and friends ceased abruptly after BT replaced her landline with a digital line.
But instead of dispatching an engineer to resolve the issue, the telecommunications behemoth replaced the number she had used for fifty years with one with a different area code.
It is the firm’s inflexible belief that consumers should not be required to modify their phone number in conjunction with BT’s transition to Digital Voice.
Even worse is BT’s treatment of elderly customers during the digital transition; in the case of their elderly uncle, reader Joss Barnes characterizes the company’s conduct as “absolutely despicable.”
Considering the volume of reader complaints against BT, Gillian’s account is not out of the ordinary, but it is nonetheless distressing.
Gillian, who resides in the village of Nateby, Cumbria, with her 77-year-old sibling Bob, states, “The past few months have been a comedy of errors; despite numerous phone calls, the issue has not been resolved.”
Our phone number change, on the contrary, added to the confusion.
“By virtue of possessing a mobile phone, we were able to maintain communication with the outside world,” she continues.
We had no intention of using the new landline for fear that it would give the impression that we had relocated.
BT’s Digital Transition Woes
Although Gillian had received correspondence and cards from BT notifying them of the modifications, she needed to be aware of the exact date of the transition. According to her, however, communications ceased entirely on October 2.
Family and friends stated that they attempted to dial the number but received no answer. Gillian, however, noted that the phone merely did not ring.
BT suggested she connect her phone connection to the computer gateway instead of the wall socket.
Surprisingly, she reports that calls from acquaintances whose lines had been upgraded to digital services were successful.
Conventional analog connections were obstructed. In November, perplexed by the issue, a BT technician issued the family an additional “temporary number.”
However, Gillian still needs to have her previous phone number restored. She states, “BT informed me that the old phone number had been discontinued when I called to request its return.”
Because of “technical issues,” BT acknowledges that Gillian’s original number did not “port completely.”
It made no mention of the ramifications or the number of additional consumers who have been impacted. A BT representative states, “We sincerely apologise for the difficulties Gillian has encountered.”
Stan Bibby, like numerous other BT customers, has reached out to us regarding comparable technological malfunctions. According to him, the £20 adapters are incompatible with most older handsets, including mine.
After the digital changeover, I could still get a dialling tone and make calls, but inbound calls stopped ringing.
The transition not only disrupts telephonic conversations but also undermines the autonomy of elderly individuals.
BT’s Digital Transition Criticized
Another reader commented on the difficulty her elderly mother has in navigating life independently, adding, “This new technology only adds to the confusion.”
“She hates that despite her abilities, she must rely on a younger generation to handle unwanted change.”
“BT informed me as well that the previous system has reached its end of life.” Absolute nonsense! BT replaced my copper phone connections; they will continue to function for at least the next fifty years.
Another reader, Patrick, aged 87, reached out to us. He composed, “Having been a BT customer for over 67 years, I had hoped that this mandatory transition to digital would not occur.” I will not yield to coercion in my acceptance of this change.
Yet, even BT engineers need help resolving issues for customers who require assistance with the transition.
A retired United Nations secretary from Reigate, Surrey, Marnie Simmans, 85, was compelled to convert to Digital Voice just over a year ago—weeks before BT was forced to halt its rollout due to service deficiencies.
The widow, whose former electronics engineer spouse Albert passed away four years ago, states, “I received a new digital phone along with setup instructions in the mail.”
“I declined because I did not wish to be switched over; therefore, BT scheduled an engineer to complete the task.” Unfortunately, it appeared that he was having difficulty; the phone now turns off in the event of an internet outage.
“It has malfunctioned half a dozen times in the last year.” The reliability of Marnie’s new phone service is considerably lower than it once was.
“I cannot fathom how BT can get away with this,” she further states. Our objective should be to enhance services rather than exacerbate them.
Ofcom expressed concern over the program last year, advising BT that insufficient safeguards were in place to assist vulnerable customers during a power outage, which required dialing 999. This is because digital phones rely on electrical plug-ins and are rendered inoperable during power outages.
Instead of a landline, vulnerable households should have an emergency battery pack or cell phone.
The telecoms behemoth halted the deployment until the previous summer when it implemented supplementary precautions.
BT has started giving ‘free’ £85 battery packs to the most vulnerable to ensure communication during power outages. However, batteries are ineffective during a network outage, as the phone depends on a digital connection.
Concerned users can request a ‘free’ £80 hybrid phone that uses mobile phone signals instead of the Internet. However, it will not assist Marnie or others who reside in areas with weak or nonexistent mobile phone signals.
Sandra Wrench, a retired police officer from Kempston, Bedfordshire, argues that BT’s recommendation is impractical. Vulnerable individuals should seek assistance from family or acquaintances during the transition.
“As a former police officer, I discovered that a substantial number of elderly individuals lack assistance,” she explains. “It makes no difference how frequently BT emails or mails them a letter; a significant number of them will be confused by the switch and fail to realise that they could be cut off from the outside world on a certain date.”
Why can BT not leave landlines in place for vulnerable customers and replace them with a site visit when necessary? This is absurd.
Laurence Walterson, 90, contacted BT as an apprehensive client who resides independently and experiences visual and auditory impairments.
He said his daughter spent hours on her phone trying to reach BT for digital transition help. Despite repeated assurances of a return call, no one materialized.
“I was left without a landline for eleven days.” BT has failed to adhere to its protocol of resolving issues for vulnerable individuals within a 48-hour.
In the event of a power outage or connection disruption with their broadband, the telecommunications behemoth advises customers. They should utilize their mobile devices whenever feasible.
BT responds to a query regarding vulnerable individuals lacking family or friends who can assist, “We encourage customers to contact us with any issues, questions, or concerns.
The implementation of Digital Voice commenced in the capital during the autumn. However, Ron Rensham, a resident of Congleton, Cheshire, cautions that disruptions are to be anticipated if his prior experience is any indication.
“It has been a disarray despite not residing in a remote area and my desire to adopt the technology,” he asserts.
“BT engineers’ inability to install broadband and phone upgrades for over a year has made me question how the hell the company will meet its two-year rollout deadline.”
“It appears to be proceeding with the plans regardless of the potential repercussions for the customer.”
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