17/12/2006 17:36
Dear support
My BT Home hub no longer works – it threw a fit when I tried to use linphone (a linux based SIP softphone) and will now not even boot. Despite trying a hardware reset, the hub now simply broadcasts BOOTP requests over the LAN – so it is obviously completely fritzed. I am not at all impressed.
But that aside, I have a Thomson ST780WL in place in its stead. I know the BT hub is based on a Thomson ST (the 716 I believe) so the 780 should be a doddle as a replacement. Everything works fine apart from VOIP. My setup is below. Note that the ST has a steady green light on the voice LED and the router reports the phone as “registered” (big green tick!). But no VOIP service. I can dial out to a PSTN number but just get number unobtainable and the router diagnostic shows “outgoing failed” under call statistics. When attempting to dial in to the VOIP number the attached phone actually rings (so a signal is getting through) but the call fails and the caller gets the voice message “Sorry, there is a fault. Please try again.” However, the router diagnostic shows the incoming call as successful.
Given that the setup I have used is exactly the same as on the original BT hub, I can only assume that you have customised your VOIP service on the hub in some way which is not obvious. This would not surprise me at all since BT has clearly changed the original Thomson configuration in some detail (removal of Dynamic DNS is a good example).
But, regardless of my choice of router, I am not getting a service I have paid for (and since the supplied hub is useless, I need to use an alternative). Please therefore let me know what else I may need to change on my router to get my VOIP service working. (Note that I am perfectly capable of using the CLI on the Thomson if necessary – though arguably I should not have to.)
My configuration is:
Username: XXXXXXXXXXXX@btsip.bt.com (or yyyyyyy_zzzzzzzzzz@btsip.bt.com
– I have tried both)
Pwd: XXXXXXXXXX
URI: YYYYYYYYYY
Registrar: btsip.bt.com
Regstrar port: 5060
Proxy: sip.btsip.bt.net
Proxy port: 5060
Expire time 3600
I look forward to your reply.
Mick
(oh, and please don’t give me any guff about not suporting Linux. I know you don’t and I am not asking you to. I am simply asking about the configuration of your VOIP service.)
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17/12/2006 17:41
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Response – 12/21/2006 03:18 PM
Dear Mick,
Thank you for your e-mail dated 17th December 2006, your mail has been logged under reference number 061221-001771.
I understand from your e-mail that you are unable to configure the Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP). I also infer that you are facing no issues in accessing any other service.
Please send a reply to this e-mail about the current status, DSL number and alternate contact number with a convenient date and time (09:00 hrs to 21:00 hrs) to arrange for a callback.
Please also provide us with this information:
1. From when did the BT Home Hub stop working?
2. Your BT line number?
3. Your BT primary e-mail address?
In future, if you need any information from BT Total Broadband self help service, please visit the following website:
https://btybb.custhelp.com
Thank you for using BT Total Broadband.
BT Total Broadband Support Team.
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Customer ( mick) – 12/21/2006 03:55 PM
Responses are:
1. BT hub stopped working about a 10 – 14 days ago after I tried to use a Linux softphone. Please refer to my earlier email for a description of the symptoms.
2. My BT line number is 1234-567890
3. BT email address is xxxxxxxxx@btinternet.com
The DSL number is 9999999999. The VOIP service is still not working.
I can be contacted on the BT number at 2. above from today at 18.30 to 21.00 or tomorrow from 17.00 to 21.00
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Response – 12/21/2006 08:06 PM
Dear Mick,
Thank you for your e-mail dated 21st December 2006, your e-mail has been logged under the reference number VOL011-2711184324.
I understand from your e-mail that you are not able to configure your Broadband talk service. I apologise for the inconvenience caused. I am here to assist you in this regard.
Please note that I am arranging for a call back to you on 22nd December 2006 between 1700 hrs and 1800 hrs. One of our call back advisors will call you back and transfer you to our Broadband talk department.
Thank you for using BT Total Broadband.
BT Total Broadband Support Team.
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Customer ( mick) – 12/22/2006 07:55 PM
You said:
Please note that I am arranging for a call back to you on 22nd December 2006 between 1700 hrs and 1800 hrs. One of our call back advisors will call you back and transfer you to our Broadband talk department.
I note:
It is now 19.30 on 22 December and I am still waiting.
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Response – 12/22/2006 11:08 PM
Dear Mick,
Thank you for your e-mail dated 22nd December 2006; your e-mail has been logged under the reference number VOL011-2719024199.
I understand from your correspondence that you were awaiting the assured call back and you have not yet received the call, and you would like to be clarified on this. I note your concern.
Please be informed that I went for an investigation and could confirm that one of our call back advisors had certainly contacted you around 17:15 hrs. Also, the call back advisor had repeatedly received a voice message saying ‘there is a fault… try later…’ Therefore, please check whether there is any problem with the telephone line. Also, please respond with your mobile number and an alternative date and time to reach you.
Thank you for using BT Total Broadband.
BT Total Broadband Support Team.
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Customer ( mick) – 12/23/2006 12:25 PM
If you re-read the emails I have sent so far you will see that I have already said that calling the VOIP number 9999999999 /will/ result in the message “There is a fault. Please try later”. Since this is precisely the reason for logging this support request in the first place, I am more than a little irritated that you should attempt to call me on that number. My last email gave you my BT land-line number (at your request I might add) but I will repeat it here.
The number to call me is 1234-567890 I know this works – I have just confirmed it myself. Please use this number to contact me today between 16.00 and 18.00.
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Response – 12/23/2006 02:30 PM
Dear Mick,
Thank you for your e-mail dated 23rd December 2006, your e-mail has been logged under the reference number VOL011-2722259866.
I understand from your e-mail that you are still unable to access BT Broadband Talk service. You wish to have a callback to be arranged to assist you further with this issue. Thank you for providing the necessary information. I am here to assist you in this regard.
I have arranged a callback on 23rd December 2006 between 16.30 hrs and 17.30 hrs. One of our technicians will contact you to assist you further. If you have not received the promised callback, please write to us with the above reference number to broadbandsupport@btinternet.com.
Thank you for using BT Total Broadband.
BT Total Broadband Support Team.
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Customer ( mick) – 12/23/2006 05:10 PM
Oh dear. Obviously you cannot read. My VOIP number rang at about 16.45. No doubt you will have again received the error message “There is a fault….” The number you have dialled WILL NOT WORK. That is the reason for this support call.
Please try again on 1234-567890
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Response – 12/23/2006 02:30 PM
Dear Mick,
Thank you for your e-mail dated 23rd December 2006, your e-mail has been logged under the reference number VOL011-2722259866.
I understand from your e-mail that you are still unable to access BT Broadband Talk service. You wish to have a callback to be arranged to assist you further with this issue. Thank you for providing the necessary information. I am here to assist you in this regard.
I have arranged a callback on 23rd December 2006 between 16.30 hrs and 17.30 hrs. One of our technicians will contact you to assist you further. If you have not received the promised callback, please write to us with the above reference number to broadbandsupport@btinternet.com.
Thank you for using BT Total Broadband.
BT Total Broadband Support Team.
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Customer ( mick) – 12/24/2006 03:10 PM
Your last reference VOL011-2722259866: (you seem to use a different one for each message, which must make call tracking a tad difficult.)
Given that you failed to call back yesterday on the land-line as requested, I called the support centre myself. I spoke first to a guy in the broadband support centre (0845-600-7030) who determined that he couldn’t help me. He passed me to a lady in the broadband talk support centre (0800-028-3228) who similarly determined that she could not help me. Her given reason was “This is not a technical problem. The ST780 should work, your settings seem fine. This seems to be an account problem.” She then promised to pass the problem back to the broadband support centre (presumably you guys) because that is where the problem is logged and that is where it should be cleared. I understood that I would get a call back that evening on my land-line. Of course that didn’t happen.
However, I note that someone at BT must have been running some diagnostic checks on the line last night because both the land-line and the broadband connection over that line had severe problems for an hour or so. The call quality on the land-line deteriorated to the point of unusability whilst the DSL connection kept dropping out. Diagnostic LEDs on my router showed that the VOIP, then Internet connections would fail, then the DSL connection itself would drop out. Later they would come back up then the cycle would start agin. This continued for some time.
I gave up and went to bed.
Today I notice that the problem on the VOIP line is now even worse. Whilst originally the router VOIP LED was green and the router reported that the number was registered, neither is now the case.
So, after reporting and chasing this fault for some time, BT appears to have managed to make it worse. I suppose I should be grateful that I still have internet connectivity at all.
Please fix this now.
Mick
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Response – 12/25/2006 04:41 AM
Dear Mick,
Thank you for your e-mail dated 24th December 2006, your e-mail has been logged under reference number VOL011-2727081208.
I understand from your e-mail that you still are experiencing problems with your broadband talk service. You have contacted the technical helpdesk and they transferred the call to the talk department. The advisor from the talk department confirmed that the settings are fine and the issue is mainly due to the account. You have not received the call back to resolve the issue and you are not happy with the service offered by BT.
You are experiencing problems in your broadband connection as the telephone and broadband was not working for one hour. The quality of the phone also deteriorated and the broadband connection is intermittent. You want the issue to be resolved as soon as possible.
I apologise for any inconvenience that may have been caused to you and would like to reassure you that problems such as those experienced by yourself are being constantly monitored for continuous and swift improvement. Your valuable feedback will be used to identify problem areas in order to provide future customers with the excellent customer experience they expect from BT.
Please be assured that BT is aware of the high standards each customer expects and deserves and I am sorry that you feel we have not met these on this occasion.
In order to resolve the issue, please get back to us with your convenient date, time and alternate telephone number to arrange a call back (between 9.00 hours to 21.00 hours). Our call back advisors will call you to resolve the issue.
Thank you for using BT Total Broadband.
BT Total Broadband Support Team.
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Customer ( mick) – 12/26/2006 12:10 PM
Today (26/12/06) between 16.00 and 18.00 on 1234-567890 or tomorrow (27/12/06) on 1234-567890 at the same times.
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Response – 12/26/2006 02:43 PM
Dear Mick,
Thank you for your e-mail dated 23rd December 2006, your e-mail has been logged under the reference number VOL011-2730837576.
I understand from your e-mail that you require a callback with regard to the BT Broadband Talk issue. I would be happy to arrange for a callback.
Please note that I have arranged for a callback as per your request. Hence, one of our technicians would contact you on 28th December between 16:00 hours and 17:00 hours with regard to this.
Thank you for using BT Total Broadband.
BT Total Broadband Support Team.
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Customer ( mick) – 12/26/2006 03:25 PM
Maybe it’s me, but I am having difficulty here. The dates and times I offered were 26/12/06 or 27/12/06 between 16.00 and 18.00. You have responded with a date of 28/12/06.
Please confirm that you /do/ actually mean 28/12/06 between 16.00 and 17.00. Please also confirm which telephone number you intend using.
Mick
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Response – 12/26/2006 04:13 PM
Dear Mick,
Thank you for your e-mail dated 26th December 2006, your e-mail has been logged under the reference number VOL011-2731065608.
I understand from your e-mail that you would like to have a clarification regarding the callback date. I would be happy to answer your query.
Please be informed that I have arranged for a callback 27th December between 16:00 hours and 17:00 hours with regard to this. I am sorry that I have not mentioned the correct date in my previous correspondence.
Thank you for using BT Total Broadband.
BT Total Broadband Support Team.
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Response – 12/27/2006 04:42 PM
Dear Mick,
Thank you for your e-mail dated 26th December 2006, your e-mail has been logged under the reference number VOL011-2736017473.
I understand from your e-mail that you require a callback with regard to the BT Broadband Talk issue. I am sorry that you are facing this issue and understand your concern.
I am sending you this e-mail in continuation of our telephonic conversation that we had today with regard to the issue with BT Broadband Talk. The call has been transferred to our BT Broadband Talk department. If the issue remains unresolved, please get back to us; so that we will be happy to assist you further.
Thank you for using BT Total Broadband.
BT Total Broadband Support Team.
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Customer ( mick) – 12/27/2006 05:10 PM
The problem is still unresolved and I am now losing what little patience I had left.
The guy I spoke to on the broadband talk helpdesk tells me that there is nothing wrong with my account. It is active and should be working. He suggested I contact you (technical support) again. I have now been round this loop several times and no-one in BT seems remotely capable of solving my problem. Whoever picks this up this time please, please, please take the time to re-read all the previous threads and fully understand my problem before getting back to me with an answer.
In summary: My Thomson ST780WL is configured exactly the same way as was the home hub (and in case you don’t know, the home hub is made for BT by Thomson. BT do not make the hub despite what some of the support people may believe). The router reports the VOIP connection as registered and ready. BUT IT DOES NOT WORK. Outgoing calls from the VOIP line fail completely, incoming calls to the VOIP line result in a ringing tone on the phone, but the call fails and the caller gets the message “Sorry, there is a fault, please try again.”
Before anyone rings me back or attempts to answer this query, please ensure that they fully understand my problem and have a solution.
And please stop saying “thank you for using BT Total broadband” It is becoming irritating.
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Response – 12/28/2006 04:48 AM
Dear Mick,
Thank you for your e-mail dated 27th December 2006, your e-mail has been logged under the reference number VOL011-2738059461.
I understand from your e-mail that you are experiencing issues using the BT Broadband Talk service. I also infer that you have contacted us a number of times regarding this and as yet the issue remains unresolved. You are having the Thomson ST780WL and have configured it exactly as the Hub. The router reports that the VoIP connection is registered but you are unable to make any VoIP calls. You get the phone ringing on the incoming calls to the VoIP line but the call fails and the caller receives the message ‘Sorry,there is a fault, please try again.’ Further, you are unhappy with the service provided by us and require us to contact you and resolve this issue. I apologise for all the inconvenience caused.
Please let me assure you that the service you had currently experienced from us is not the high standard BT offers to its customers. Also, be informed that BT strives to reach customer requirements and aims at delivering a high level of dependable service.
To confirm, you may be unable to make VoIP calls if there is any issue connecting to the Internet. Please check, if you are able to connect to the Internet and browse all the websites without any issue. If you are able to do this, then the issue must be with the BT Broadband Talk configuration.
In this case, please provide us with a convenient date, time (09:00 hours – 21:00 hours GMT) and alternative contact number so that I can arrange for a call back and transfer you to our BT Broadband Talk department to discuss and resolve the issue.
Please quote the above reference number when replying.
BT Total Broadband Support Team.
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Customer ( mick) – 12/28/2006 10:25 AM
Oh dear – another idiotic reply. If this wasn’t so irritating, it would be almost comical.
I specifically asked in the last email that whoever responded should first read all the previous correspondence and understand the problem before replying. You have clearly not done so. Had you done so, you would know that, of course, my internet connection is working. You would also know that I have already spoken to the BT Broadband Talk department. Thay have referred me to you (a supposedly technical support department) for resolution of the problem. Note the word resolution.
I want this problem solved now. My next email goes to the BT complaints Deparment.
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Response – 12/28/2006 01:49 PM
Dear Mick,
Thank you for your e-mail dated 28th December 2006, your e-mail has been logged under the reference number VOL011-2742482423.
I understand from your e-mail that you have contacted our BT Broadband Talk department and they have transferred you to BT Total Broadband Technical department for further assistance. I also note that you want to address your issue. I wish to inform you that this is not normal service for BT – we pride ourselves on our customer care and apologise that the issue remains unresolved.
In order to address your issue without further delay, please send a reply to this e-mail about the current status, DSL number and the alternative contact number with a convenient date and time (0900hours to 2100hours) to arrange for a callback.
Thank you for using BT Total Broadband.
BT Total Broadband Support Team.
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Customer ( mick) – 12/28/2006 03:25 PM
Current status unchanged. The VOIP service (on 9999999999) does not work.
The DSL number (BT land-line) is 1234-567890. Please use this number tocall me back.
I can be reached at that number today between 16.00 and 18.00.
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Response – 12/28/2006 09:58 PM
Dear Mick,
Thank you for your e-mail dated 28th December 2006, your e-mail has been logged under the reference number VOL011-2745726193.
I understand from your e-mail that your issue with the broadband talk is still not resolved. I apologise for any inconvenience that may have been caused to you and would like to reassure you that problems such as those experienced by yourself are being constantly monitored for continuous and swift improvement. Your valuable feedback will be used to identify problem areas in order to provide future customers with the excellent customer experience they expect from BT.
Please be assured that BT is aware of the high standards each customer expects and deserves and I am sorry that you feel we have not met these on this occasion.
I am sorry to inform you that we are unable to arrange for a callback at your specified time. However, I have arranged for a callback on 29th December 2006 between 9:00 hours and 10:00 hours. One of our technicians will call you and will provide further assistance. If you have any queries in future, please contact us through e-mail at broadbandsupport@btinternet.com.
Thank you for using BT Total Broadband.
BT Total Broadband Support Team.
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Customer ( mick) – 12/29/2006 11:10 AM
Sending me a message at nearly 22.00 saying that you cannot meet my preferred time of 16.00 to 18.00 is not good enough. Last chance. Today between 16.00 and 18.00.
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Response – 12/29/2006 12:10 PM
Dear Mick,
Thank you for your e-mail dated 29th December 2006, your e-mail has been logged under reference number VOL011-2748911118.
I understand from your e-mail that you would like to receive a callback on 29th December 2006 between 16:00 and 18:00 hours regarding the broadband talk service. I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the previous correspondence . I apologise for the inconvenience caused. I will assist you in this regard.
Please be informed that I have arranged a callback on 29th December 2006, between 16:00 and 18:00 hours. One of our callback advisors would call you back and assist you further.
Thank you for using BT Total Broadband.
BT Total Broadband Support Team.
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