Crackly telephone line, can't answer calls - any ideas?

[Madmog]

When we pick our phone up it just crackles. We can hear people phoning, but can't pick up their calls and apparently it just dials out from the other end. We have a BT hub and telephone connected into our main BT telephone socket. We've tried using a different phone with no success and have checked connections. Although, the broadband is dropping out slightly more than usual it's working which doesn't make sense given that it's coming through the same line. Has anyone any ideas? BT can't come out for eight days and the call out is £99 plus VAT, and over £100 for each hour they are here.

Our bt phone line is also very crackly and when very bad our bb doesn't work. We've had bt out several times to no avail. Keep us posted

Broadband can still work if the fault is just on the phone line. Have BT done a test from their end? They should be able to tell whether it's a line problem without sending someone out. Am also amazed they are charging you!

Thanks for your replies (so far). BT have tested the line from outside, but as soon as a fault is within a property it's our responsibility. Making the most of internet working but will certainly take everything apart later on (up until now have just made sure all the cables are tight and changing phone over).

We had crackling phone line which led to non working broadband. We were told that if the fault is inside the house, we will have to pay for fixing it. If outside, then BT has to fix at their cost. After trying 4 different handsets and testing the line with Sky (Sky is our provider), Sky called BT engineers and they fixed the fault outside our house within 2 hours. They had to climb up the post and change their old BT box or something like that. This fixed the fault perfectly and we did not have to pay.

Thanks for your reply, confusedperson. Unfortunately, BT are also our broadband provider so we haven't go the backup of someone else getting involved, just looks like we will have to sit and wait until they turn up. ISeeSmallPeople, the weather seems to make no different

unplug everything from the phone and BB sockets. Then buy or borrow the simplest, cheapest, most basic plug-in corded phone you can find. Verify that it works in someone else's house. Plug it in to the BT master socket (if there are any extension sockets, disconnect them).

If the basic phone won't work when plugged into the BT master socket, it is almost certain to be their responsibility.

If plugging in any other equipment, or reconnecting any DIY extensions, makes the problem come back, you know what's causing it.

BTW it is best to have a very simple corded phone plugged in to your BT master socket as it is about the only thing you can rely on when the zombies attack there is a power cut and all the sophisticated loudspeaking or cordless phones stop working.

Our neighbour had the same problem, we let them use a plug-in corded phone we keep for emergencies and it proved that it was their phone that was actually the problem not the line.

We have a similar problem but having done all the above and having had BT out (luckily the engineer didn't charge us but helped us isolate the problem) it seems our problem is due to our burglar alarm which is monitored on a separate BT line. It seems the wiring has deteriorated causing us this problem, we are going to get it replaced as the next alarm service.

Have you got a router on your phone otherwise your broadband will interfere with your phone line (I think - parents had a similar problem to this) it was a little white box which was plugged into the telephone socket on the wall and then the phone plugged into that iyswim. Sorry this is a bit vauge starting to wish I'd listened more at the weekend lol

Has anything changed ? did it always work normally ?

When we moved into this house we had a similar problem to you. Despite much telephone help we ended up calling an engineer out, and the charge would have been as you said if the problem was found to be our fault.

if you disconnect your BB does the phone work normally ?

f so check the router (as lizzie describes above) and make sure you are plugged into the right opening of it.

The engineer was a bit meh to be honest. Tried to blame our B&o phones which had worked perfectly well in our old home and told me to get rid of them . He also blamed the birds nest of wiring and chopped away at 75% of it. Anyway, despite DH supposedly knowing what he was doing he had put the wrong connection into the router.

we never got charged for the process

Thanks for your replies. Have disconnected the BT Hub and tried three phones in our two sockets, but without success. Nothing has changed in the house.

Anyway, on further investigation have realized we have two separate cables and sockets going from the little box which is just inside the house rather than an extension from one socket to the other. Both are the same, so have come to the conclusion the problem must be with the box or the main cable outside.

Will have to wait and see what they say on Monday. Hubby does a second job from home in the evenings so won't be able to work and my daughter has new projects this term that she won't be able to do much research on.