BT's dangerous suggestion.

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

Infinity isnt available in my area.

Its the whole you have to do it thing thats confusing me. Surely it is better for a qualified engineer, who knows exactly what they are looking for, and who I am paying for anyway, to come out to me if it is such a big problem?!?

Also the technical advisor manager told me, even if Alexander Graham Bell came out it wouldnt fix a wireless problem!!

AND she still hasnt addressed the fact that A: I was instructed to remove the entire box
B: I still have no idea of my account number,
and C: no checks have actually been done to check if I am physically capable of doing said job!

[Sapphire]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

Next time you email can you ask why the hell most of their helpline people are based somewhere nine thousand miles away and it would be easier ordering a takeaway than getting them to understand what you want.

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

consider it done!!!

It was ridiculous, I said to Mr R, can you look at the hub (not a router dear.... a HUB! heaven forbid you describe it was a mere router!!) and tell me if its flashing please?
The advisor, obviously following a sheet of paper and incapable of any use of her own mind, said So it is flashing, step 2....

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAH THERE!! I haven't answered your question yet!!

She then said I spoke too quietly, and didn't like it when I suggested she turn up her headset!

I may invite Mr BT to answer our questions on here.. but I cant see it happening TBH!

[miliitant]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

this is covered under health and safety legislation

you are not qualified to be poking about in a live socket

you are in a contract and BT are failing in their duty to abide by the terms of that contract to provide a service

i would be demanding £10 per day for every day the problem is not fixed by letter after say the first 48 hours

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

Do you happen to know where I report it?
HSE have no link about this, im not sure where I go.

[labman]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

I can find no evidence of removing the fascia from a telephone socket can cause danger of electrocution.

This link:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archi...electrical.pdf

states that there is no required maintenance for these sockets.

Given the absence of information about anything from OFCOM, HSE etc.... I suspect it is safe.

Sorry! lol

In terms of the wireless issue, your hub would still have to be receiving a signal from the dreaded socket to send wirelessly to any connected device.

[miliitant]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

the point me thinks is not that it can cause an electric shock, its that you are not qualified to be poking about a live socket

thats why you pay maintanance in your line rental, for a qualified BT engineer to come out and diagnose the fault

[Bill-K]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

I can't say I've ever heard of a fatal shock resulting from tampering with a phone socket, but I used to install phones years ago. There is usually 50v DC across the 2 input wires when the phone is 'hung up.' This is usually OK as it's high impedance and low current, but you can still feel it if you lick your fingers !!

However, if someone rings that number, then there will be a sudden jump to as much as 80v AC without warning. This is low-impedance and high current (because the old phones with real bells in them needed it). You WILL feel this, and the natural reflex/recoil can make you hit yourself in the gob and/or knock yourself over !!! I think such a shock COULD be fatal, but only if you are touching each terminal separately with each hand - therefore sending the current across the heart. With a phone socket, it is very difficult (but not impossible) to do this. But just throwing yourself across the room is dangerous enough IMO !!!

I agree with Militant - it's what you pay them for. What's that line from that old Paul Newman movie 'Cool Hand Luke...'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2f-MZ2HRHQ

"What we have here is a failure to communicate." British Telecommunications at their best, eh ?

[Magrew]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

You guys worry too much. There is nothing dangerous about playing with live electricity you even get it as children's toys. You must have seen those shock machines that people buy for entertainment. A telephone line does not carry enough power to do any damage at all.

Think of a TENS machine, that puts more buzz through you than anything you will get out of a telephone wire and that is used for therapy, promoted by doctors. Ok if you have a sensistive pacemaker or an ICD then you may think twice but any generally healthy human will suffer no harm from a telephone socket.

There are much more dangerous things in the house that we never think of twice as a hazard, it is just a matter of understanding and perspective.

[Sparkie1723]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

You guys worry too much. There is nothing dangerous about playing with live electricity you even get it as children's toys. You must have seen those shock machines that people buy for entertainment. A telephone line does not carry enough power to do any damage at all.

Think of a TENS machine, that puts more buzz through you than anything you will get out of a telephone wire and that is used for therapy, promoted by doctors. Ok if you have a sensistive pacemaker or an ICD then you may think twice but any generally healthy human will suffer no harm from a telephone socket.

There are much more dangerous things in the house that we never think of twice as a hazard, it is just a matter of understanding and perspective.

THe votage that BT use is 12 volts the same votge as your car battery ...............the significant difference is that of amperage ( amps) the amps of BT is measured in milli amps which in fact does not harm flies insects spiders etc etc...........But the point I would make is that it is possible if you mess around with you phone box you can damage ....not only your own handset but the BT line system even back to the exchange............ ...The thing is it does not matter what ....they should not tell someone who has no knowledge of any wiring whatsoever to make an attempt at dismantling tele phone boxes whch can sometime contain 12 wires some the same colours that do not connect colour for colour.........I'm not a BT engineer just an Auto spark but I thought I'd chip in because I'm also nosey.

[dogtired]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

I still "had" to do this, even though I said I was still unhappy as they threatened charges.

It was not easy as its behind the TV the complaint is still" live" as the broadband is still tempremental.
Dont think BT do them selves any favours insisting you do this they even have a drawing in phone book.

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

another good one is the We will call you between 8am and 8pm tomorrow.. please tell us anytimes that are inconvienent.. yes sure.
8am-8pm!! I'm a mum, I cannot physically be in the house or 12 hours, or maybe one of you kind souls will go and collect my kids from school... oh and then theres the shopping, and you can just nip to the council and get a copy of the baby's birth certificate, OH and go to the post office and get me a load of stamps... and dont forget the salt while your out............

[labman]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

I'm glad I've saved hundreds of pounds over the years installing extension sockets in houses I've lived in by myself lol. I agree that nobody should fiddle around with any wiring in a house if they have any doubt as to whether or not it is safe or not.

I can also see the point about we pay line rental to cover engineers visits. While I suppose one could argue we pay line rental to rent a line which doesn't belong to us, hence 'rent,' and there is a pathetic compensation scheme in place if you are without that line, I feel more that rather than trying to kill us, the call centre staff are trying to get us a working line again,and that might require some input from us. If uncomfortable doing what they ask, then don't, but equally don't complain about not having a line.

Just to prove I'm not all bad, as Dogtired pointed out earlier, I played hell with BT over the issue of getting me a line not that long ago. I was lucky in that I e-mailed the CEO's office at 8:55pm one night, and immediately got a reply back from no other than Ian Livingston himself. He promised a resolution, and my God, despite a major, major problem, he delivered a resolution along with a very acceptable compensation package.

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

I'm not annoyed at you labman hun

I just think its ridiculous that on the phone I'm told you don't need to do this test your line is fine, and now its you HAVE to do this test, there are line issuse.. yes there WERE line issues on the day that I was emailled the exchange was being upgraded. By BT!

All the time the upgrade was going on, I had a perfect phone service, and Mr R's broadband is constant as he connects via a cable, I'm on a wireless connection. They have established its not the line that's the problem, it's the wireless part, and as the advisor from BT told me, you could have 600 engineers turn up and nothing would change, your landline is fine!!

My main complaint is the fact that no questions whatsoever were asked, no one asked me if I had a pacemaker, no one asked me if my phone socket had been upgraded, no one asked me if I was pregnant (all conditions that you should no way be going near anything electrical) and no one asked me about the little one that could be heard in the background... all i need is a 2 and a half year old, What's that Mammy!? BANG!!

I think it is a very dangerous suggestion that people who have no idea what they are doing start fiddling with sockets etc, especially as any interference can be seen as a reason to charge you more!! The sooner this contract is over, the happier I will be!

Ever since Jess's boyfriend has contacted me about the firewalls (please someone teach that kid to speak basic english!!! I don't understand 19 year old science boffin/genius speak) things are going swimmingly with the broadband, I'm letting them ring me to see what twaddle they come out with this time, and to see why a "Technical Support Expert" didn't know that I would have errors on my line during an upgrade

[labman]

Re: BT's dangerous suggestion.

I'm not annoyed at you labman hun

I know you're not. Never thought you were!

Just playing Devil's Advocate and pointing a couple of things out.:tinysmile_aha_t:

Here's one piece of extremely useful information I just discovered reading around this subject:

Appliances such as telephones should never, ever be used while sitting in a bathtub.



It made me smile!