How to Troubleshoot and Report a Line Fault

If there's a problem with your telephone service then you'll need to report it to us either by calling us or through the Help Assistant.

1. Before you contact us

Before you do anything else, run through the checks listed below. There's a few things you'll need to look at so to make things easy we've split the checks into two sections:

• Basic Checks - check everything mentioned here, whatever problem you're having
• How to report a telephone fault - if you're still having problems, find out how to report them

Why do I need to do all this?

If we raise a fault to our suppliers and they find that it's caused by your equipment or wiring then you'll be charged for the callout and repair time. Obviously we don't want that to happen! Charges may also apply in cases with of damaged external wiring - e.g. the wire from the telegraph pole to your building, or any underground cabling within your property boundaries.

There'll be no charge if the fault lies with the line outside your property or in the Telephone Exchange.

Callout and repair time charges will apply if the fault lies with your equipment or internal wiring.

Why isn't my broadband working?

Broadband is supplied over your telephone line, so it needs the line to be working properly. Subsequently, it's very common for telephone faults to cause problems with broadband service. You may see slow speeds or you might not be able to connect at all.

In nearly all cases, once the telephone line is fixed the broadband will be too. Connection problems tend to clear up immediately, with slow speeds it'll be a few days before your speed gets back to normal.

If your broadband problems continue after the telephone line is fixed then see our Broadband Faults Guide to find out how to troubleshoot and report a broadband fault.

2. Basic Checks for ALL telephone faults

Are you using a cordless phone?

• Make sure it's fully charged, a low battery can cause more problems than you'd think!
• Do you still get the problem if you connect a standard corded phone? If not you'll need to speak to the manufacturer of your cordless phone

Check your microfilters and broadband setup

• All equipment connected to your line needs to pass through a microfilter - see our Fitting Microfilters Guide for help with this

Check the master socket

The master socket should be installed at the point where the telephone line enters your property.

Unplug everything from your line (including broadband, TV equipment and all microfilters) and connect a working corded telephone to the master socket. Is the problem still apparent?

• If this fixes the problem: Either your extension wiring or something connected to your line is causing the problem. Find out which by checking after plugging each piece of equipment back in. Try replacing your microfilter(s) if you can't find the culprit
• If the problem continues: Go to the next section - How to report a telephone fault

3. How to report a telephone fault

If you're reading this then the basic checks above did not solve your problem - depending on the problem we may need you to check a few other things before you report it. Click on the most appropriate problem description from the list below to continue:

• No dial tone / dead line
• Poor line quality (noisy or faint line)
• Problems making calls
• Problems receiving calls
• Caller Display
• Problems with any other call feature
• My Problem isn't listed here

No dial tone / dead line

• Make sure you've done all the Basic Checks mentioned above
• If you're still having problems, report the fault by calling us or through the following Help Assistant path:
  Technical Support > Phone Calls (Landline & VoIP) > Landline (Home & Business) > Report a Line Fault

Poor line quality (noisy/faint line)

• Does the problem only happen when dialling a certain number? If so, it's more likely to be the other line that has a problem.
• Make sure you've done all the Basic Checks mentioned above
• If you're still having problems, report the fault by calling us or through the following Help Assistant path:
  Technical Support > Phone Calls (Landline & VoIP) > Landline (Home & Business) > Report a Line Fault

Problems making calls

• Try dialling with 1280 as a prefix (e.g. 1280 0845 1400 200), this will force to call to be made over our network. If you're able to make calls using the 1280 prefix then you'll need to speak to your call plan provider.
• Do you have the same problem with all your telephones? If only one of them is affected, it’s probably a fault with that connection or handset.
• Make sure you've done all the Basic Checks mentioned above
• If you're still having problems, report the fault by calling us or through the following Help Assistant path:
  Technical Support > Phone Calls (Landline & VoIP) > Landline (Home & Business) > Report a Line Fault

Problems receiving calls

This includes problems such as your phone not ringing, or only ringing once.

• Check your ringer - make sure it's switched on and test it by calling your number from a mobile
• Make sure you've done all the Basic Checks mentioned above
• If you're still having problems, report the fault by calling us or through the following Help Assistant path:
  Technical Support > Phone Calls (Landline & VoIP) > Landline (Home & Business) > Report a Line Fault

Caller Display

If Caller Display isn't working, dial *#234# to make sure that it's enabled on your line.

• If you're told that the service is disabled: Hang up and dial *234#, this should enable the service and fix the problem
• If you're told that Identities will be displayed: Connect another corded caller display phone and try again
• Make sure you've done all the Basic Checks mentioned above
• If you're still having problems, report the fault by calling us or through the following Help Assistant path:
  Technical Support > Phone Calls (Landline & VoIP) > Landline (Home & Business) > Report a Line Fault

All other Call Features

• Make sure you've done all the Basic Checks mentioned above
• If you're still having problems, report the fault by calling us or through the following Help Assistant path:
  Technical Support > Phone Calls (Landline & VoIP) > Landline (Home & Business) > Report a Line Fault

My Problem isn't listed here

• Make sure you've done all the Basic Checks mentioned above
• If you're still having problems, report the fault by calling us or through the following Help Assistant path:
  Technical Support > Phone Calls (Landline & VoIP) > Landline (Home & Business) > Report a Line Fault

This page last updated 3rd March 2010