• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

POTS telephone not accepting incomming calls?

SomeGuy

SomeGuy

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2013
Messages
4,441
Location
Marietta, GA
So, for the first time ever I am actually having problems with my POTS telephone service. Perhaps someone here has some idea of what is going on.

I can call out just fine. All wiring and equipment inside seems to work fine. I've tried connecting two different telephone sets directly to the master jack inside the house. Audio quality sounds normal (that is to say when I talk to someone on a digital "landline" they sound clear, and people on cell phones still sound like robots trying to rape my ear as usual).

When someone tries to call from a cell phone, they just get an error saying the call can not be completed. When calling from a digital "landline" they hear two rings, some kind of odd beep-beep noise, and then it cuts off. My phone never actually rings.

As far as I know, this POTS line does not have any options for voice mail or call blocking, which some searches suggest could be an issue.

I did call AT&T and they say there is no problem with my account. (There had been a billing issue a couple of months ago, but that should have been fully resolved). (BTW, AT&T haves one of those obnoxious computerized answering things on their 1-800 number that forces you to "say" some keyword before connecting you with anyone. I do NOT talk to computers unless I am yelling at them :p )

I don't know what the blazes is going on. If there has been some change, I did not get the memo, as usual. The entire reason for having a POTS line has been reliability. Never had a single problem until now. crystal clear audio when talking to anyone not on a cell phone. I don't have to worry abut signals dropping out when an airplane flies over, which they do a lot here. Oh, and I can still use it for dial-up if I want to.

It feels like everything is falling apart. I fully expect the ceiling above my head to out-of-the-blue collapse. Or start advertising to me.

Anyone else here have a POTS landline? (not the digital "landline" stuff that requires the phone companies equipment inside your home). Any issues lately?
 
Used to have one, but it went to a fiber-connected terminal near my house. Talked to the tech servicing it and he said the connection to the CO was TCP/IP. Basically a VoIP adapter inside the terminal. I dropped the POTS service and use a VoIP adapter over my internet connection, connected to the wired phones in the house.

Is your connection copper all the way or is it like mine was--a VoIP adapter somewhere down the line?
 
Don't call - drop in at one of their business offices and go face to face with a rep. I dumped my POTS line over to a cell phone about 2 years ago. I have a Panasonic blue tooth master, with 3 remotes, which feeds off of a dedicated cell with the old POTS number . No wire line required and you can setup 2 personal cell phones on the Panasonic master. Doesn't solve your problem but does point to an option. Good Luck.
 
I don't really know what is "up the line", but when I was forced to change my ISP plan last year, I was told there was still no fiber in this neighborhood. There is an AT&T building (does not look like an "office") not to far from here, so it very well could be copper all the way there. Is there an easy way to find out?
 
Despite what AT&T says, there's definitely something wrong with your service. Don't let them tell you otherwise.
 
When calling from a digital "landline" they hear two rings, some kind of odd beep-beep noise, and then it cuts off. My phone never actually rings.
Click to expand...
So they do this in the US as well. I always thought this was something only done here in Germany. The first two ring tones are always fake. It should make the impression that the call is faster connected than it actually is. You can often hear that the third one (which is the first real ring tone) sounds different.
 
Agent Orange said:
Don't call - drop in at one of their business offices and go face to face with a rep.
Click to expand...
Exactly what kind of office are you talking about? I know there are a few cell phone stores around, but I can't imagine they would know how to do anything other than sell cell phones. Given the way things are around here, I doubt I could even get within shouting distance of any corporate office.

Chuck(G) said:
Sure, collar a tech working on equipment and ask him. The guys in the field almost always know more than the people in customer service.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I don't normally just see telephone techs just hanging around. If I knew how to find people like this, I would probably have a meaningful job by now.
 
SomeGuy said:
Exactly what kind of office are you talking about? I know there are a few cell phone stores around, but I can't imagine they would know how to do anything other than sell cell phones. Given the way things are around here, I doubt I could even get within shouting distance of any corporate office.


Unfortunately I don't normally just see telephone techs just hanging around. If I knew how to find people like this, I would probably have a meaningful job by now.
Click to expand...

I'm referring to their business office, not some kiosk that sells phones. There has to be one in your area or maybe Atlanta. If you can drive around and find the CO (central office) usually there will be a few trucks around, you could do a one on one with a tech. Before I retired from the feds, I worked with the telco people as part of my job. You can get things done just by asking. I'm willing to bet that part of your problem emulates from the switch,
 
If I’m remembering correctly, my mother had a similar issue on her phone line years ago. She could call out, but if anyone called here, it would get one ring and then immediately disconnect to a dial tone.

The father of a good friend of mine had worked for Bell South for many year and I asked him if he had any idea. He suggested a short to ground on one of the wires.

Does your box on the outside of your house have a customer accessible section where you can plug in a phone and bypass all of the wiring in your house? I know the box was split on my mom’s house and I could open one section with just a screw driver and there was an RJ11 or RJ14 connection to the inside wiring. If so that might be useful for troubleshooting if it’s your issue or their issues.
 
I'll have to take another look at the box immediately outside. I don't recall if that was user accessible, since this is a condo complex.

It looks like the only AT&T offices that are not cell phone stores, are located in downtown Atlanta, and I don't have time to go in there today. When I called the AT&T number they said they would send a "tech" out tomorrow. I fully expect to get an ear full of BS.

It wouldn't surprise me if some of the local outside equipment got damaged. Although this seemed to start just a couple of days ago, a few weeks back we had some flooding in the area.
 
In the UK, even the original landlines aren't really POTS anymore. All connected to digital switching and ATM backbones.

Just the last bit of copper from the exchange to the home, and that's mandated to be turned off soon.
 
What exactly do you mean "engaged"? If I dial my own number, I just get a busy signal. (And a stupid automated message that for an "extra charge of two dollars it will continue to retry the number").

Also, if someone tries to call me while I am calling out, they get a busy signal.
 
So is the moral of this story that even if you pay for a pots line you may not really get one.. in other words.. "they dont really exist anymore"?
 
SomeGuy said:
What exactly do you mean "engaged"? If I dial my own number, I just get a busy signal. (And a stupid automated message that for an "extra charge of two dollars it will continue to retry the number").

Also, if someone tries to call me while I am calling out, they get a busy signal.
Click to expand...

Sorry, as usual we are two countries separated by a common language.

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/di...h/engaged-tone

so yes the same thing! US "Busy" == "UK Engaged". Really weird... So the system must be trying to "ring" your phone and failing. One for AT&T
 
g4ugm said:
Just a thought, but what happens if you dial your own number? Do you get engaged? If you do it must be a line fault.
Click to expand...

I'm sure you mean to dial your pots number from your cellphone - that would make more sense.


The other thing that would be totally stupid is they changed your phone number. If you ring your cellphone from your POTS phone, does it show the correct phone number?
 
*WHEW* I think they got me fixed up. Hats off to them for not giving me any BS about it. Stupidly, I forgot to press for details, but the tech told me that they had to switch a device out at the central office. I happened to notice while they were working on it, there was no dial tone. The issue wasn't here or at the box.

So it sounds like one of those instances where a device was running but not quite working right.

Quite relieved. Now I can go back to being smug about using a POTS landline. :p
 
VERAULT said:
So is the moral of this story that even if you pay for a pots line you may not really get one.. in other words.. "they dont really exist anymore"?
Click to expand...

In many places, nope they don't exist anymore. At least around here when GTE was bought by Verizon, they stopped maintaining the POTS lines 20 or so years ago because they were tired of replacing the green telephone pedestals dotted on the sides of the roads where all of the local lines were broken out to houses. Like with apartment gates, those things got smashed into oblivion at least once a month, usually more often. You can still sometimes see the remains of them on back roads where the tweakers haven't gotten to them yet to steal the copper.

They didn't stop charging for the service though, unless you called to cancel. Kind of like how AOL still exists, still tons of people paying for their basic $9.95 a month dialup service and haven't used it in decades. They still have dialup service the last I checked a few years back, just much fewer numbers than before, so you'll often be hit with long distance fees when dialing them. I used to keep one of their accounts when I traveled a lot, back before everyone had wifi. There are still some places way out in the middle of nowhere where it's the only option besides satellite service though.
 
yeah i know about thst. my friends grandmother "leased" a rotary phone for 45 years.. she paid thousands of dollars for it..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top