"JakeD" <JakeD@jdjdjvvdjdjdj.com> wrote in message
news:dvnoe3lf6471k5b84b3huujc0ulb3nk3vc@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 15 Sep 2007 19:13:45 GMT, "News Reader" <no@email.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>>Equally,
>>the above evaluations may help you better identify the culprit
>
> Yes, I certainly think so. I will print out your comments and use them
> to systematically find the problem by process of elimination. Thanks
> also to Jono for his help. You both have been more helpful than I
> could ever have hoped for. I mean, I have posted awkward problems on
> the usenet before but have never had such a concerted effort at
> helpfulness before, so I'm truely grateful.
>
>>Finally, it is pretty unusual by my understanding, for a master socket to
>>"go bad". They are usually pretty dependable, reliable and don't have a
>>lot
>>to go wrong in / with them - and even if something has gone wrong it would
>>seem unusual or unlikely for it to exhibit by causing this kind of problem
>>(instead you might get loss of ring tone, etc.). Generally the master
>>socket
>>is BT's responsibility. In short, if the fault is from the test socket
>>back,
>>it is BT's problem (essentially no matter what - but in reality so long as
>>it is not caused by something "you" have done; a common example of a
>>normal
>>fault cause not due to the customer would be damage due to lightning). If
>>the fault is with the front part of the master socket; it is probably
>>really
>>BT's issue, but they may or probably will claim it is your fault and
>>something you have done to it and so want to charge you for its
>>replacement
>>or repair. To be fair, unless you have obviously staved it in or plugged
>>something really weird into it or the extension socket and melted it, I
>>expect BT would replace it as faulty due to no fault of your own, etc. I
>>think it is most likely an intermittent line fault; followed by something
>>to
>>do with the bell being bad or dodgy.
>
> That's what I thought (that the master socket and everything else
> going back to the exchange was BT's responsibility. Unfortunately,
> this supposition was blown out of the water when I called BT a couple
> of days ago. They said that any faults must be taken up with TalkTalk,
> as they are the company now supplying the service via theBT line. I
> phoned TalkTalk to report the "faulty face plate" and they informed me
> that the master socket was my responsibility since it was inside my
> house! They said that they only accept responsibility for the wiring
> *outside* the house. I did try to take issue of the fairness of this,
> but the gal was adamant. She advised me to pay a local independent
> telephone engineer to come and change the master socket. I respended
> with: "well, I can wire in a new master socket myself. I've done that
> kind of thing before." Her response: "I wouldn't advise that; it's
> dangerous. I recommend you get a bloke out of the yellow pages." My
> contemplated response: "Dangerous? Yeah, I suppose I could, in theory,
> trip over a discraded banana skin and kill myself by knocking my head
> on the corner of the master socket...." My actual response: Should the
> bloke out of the yellow pages have any particular qualifications or
> certification?" Her response: "No". My response: "Well, I may as well
> do the job myself then. I don't have any qualification or
> certification either, and I have done it before, successfully." Her
> response: "Well, if you're confident, then go ahead..." My
> contemplated response: "Well I might be confident I could live if I
> jumped off the Empire State Building... It doen't mean I will..." (-;
>
> Anyway, after reading your comments, it seems like the master socket
> *may* not be the problem and the mains-powered bell *might* be the
> problem. I will probably wire in the new faceplate acquired from ebay
> and see if that cures the problem. If not, I will disconnect the
> mains-powered bell and see if that cures the problem - and take it
> from there.
>
> Thanks a million for the substantial help. It's not every day one
> receives focused help like that when in trouble. I will post a
> progress report...
>
> Jake D
>


Hi Jake,


Thanks - and you are most welcome.

As for BT and Talk Talk... they are just not really teaching their people
what to say and failing to teach them to say things that are actually
particularly or very useful or helpful! lol...

BT could do with kindly explaining the reality... e.g. (an example of what
their kind of script could / perhaps should be) "your supplier is Talk Talk"
(then... assuming you are LLU or wholesale line rental with Talk Talk...)",
that means when you have a problem you have to tell them about it and then
they will get our division called Open Reach to check and repair any fault".

Talk Talk could similarly do with some improvement - evidently actually the
boundary is drawn at the master socket and I am pretty certain Open Reach
would do a fair bit of screaming and shouting if they knew or suspected some
service providers were telling customers otherwise - and encouraging anyone
but them (Open Reach) to fiddle with, adjust or repair, etc. master socket
side and beyond (off to the exchange), equipment / line, etc. Sadly, as with
many of these organisations, and as above, often the front line staff are
not very well trained, etc. and often worse, are left to or encouraged to,
come up with their own idea, thought or suggestion of a best answer!

In the latter sort of situations, one often has to do a certain amount of
compensatory or corrective creative jiggery pokery (in one's presentation of
a situation or problem) - e.g. in your case for example, saying "the 'line'
just as it goes into the house looks knackered / damaged", to overcome the
nonesense BS about the master socket being your (the customers)
responsibility! Then when the Open Reach guy comes round, you just explain
that Talk Talk told you the master socket was the customers responsibility,
etc. and they will probably sigh and go oh well, thank god you managed to
get us (Open Reach) out as that is the right thing to do and we are the
people that are supposed to deal with the master socket and line side of
things! lol. But... this is only sound reasoning or a sound approach to take
if you are sure (or VERY sure / sure enough [again read certain or VERY
sure]) that the master socket is actually bad or you can end up with a big
unnecessary call out bill from your provider Talk Talk / and / or Open Reach
(i.e. that one is sure any fault is definitely on the Open Reach side not
the consumer premises / consumer premises equipment side of things), etc.

In any event, all good, etc. :)

Keep us posted. Thanks for your kind words and I hope some of the
suggestions are helpful, etc.


Best wishes,



News Reader