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It's not just a problem suffered by PlusNet customers I know.
Does everybody check their monthly phone accounts? If not then they should.
I look at mine probably once a week and I just came across a call that has been charged to me that I imagine was made by an engineer while testing. A 1 minute call to 123 , are there still people around who use the telephone to find out what the time is??? I'm surrounded by devices that are correct to the second because they regularly update themselves automatically and without any charge.
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Interesting observations from A&A about engineers calling 123, the linked blog entry is also worth a read:
http://www.revk.uk/2015/11/fraudulent-calls-to-123.html
-==-
DougM
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Yes IIRC I saw that the last time this happened to me. TBH if you Google "call to 123" or something similar it's amazing to see how long this has been going on and how many people are affected.
PlusNet just rang me to say the charge has been removed so that has been sorted very quickly - raised the ticket yesterday evening and it's done and dusted.
Funnily enough (says he tongue in cheek) at the time the call was made, there was an fault open on my line which was rectified the same day!
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It is shocking that this is still happening, why don't they just dial 17070 or some other non-chargeable number?
Kevin
plusnet Unlimited Fibre Extra - sync 75146/20000 at around 450m - BQM
Using OpenDNS
Domains and web hosting with TSOHOST |
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why don't they just dial 17070 or some other non-chargeable number?/quote]
Just pure laziness I suspect. They should swap the 'destination' of 123 and something suitable which is much more difficult to dial quickly.
Edited by longedge (Tue 17-Oct-17 12:49:44)
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This was happening in 2008 - don't they ever learn!?
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Engineer should use their own [censored] mobile phone, not using the household phone line.
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Engineer should use their own [censored] mobile phone, not using the household phone line.
That wouldn't help them much though if the reason they are dialling it is to check the line rather than to actually find out the time.
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They should change to 0800 not 123 (chargable calls)
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I was about to ask the same question when I came across your comment.
Given that 17070, if available, also gives particularly the Phone Number apart from other generally "useful to engineers" information, it does seem strange.
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Or if there is a dial tone the engineer could just call his own mobile - if it rings then there is no chargeable OCB (Outgoing Call Barring)
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They should change to 0800 not 123 (chargable calls) Yes, they should and that would be a viable fix. There should be a standard way for engineers to make test calls that don't get charged to the customer - 0800 is easiest but they could have any specific number that is automatically hidden from customer bills.
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Just because it rings doesn't necessarily prove a fault is fixed. At least an 0800 call to a recorded message would give the engineer the chance to listen for crackling, etc.
Was Eclipse Home Option 1, VM 2Mb & O2 Standard
Now Utility Warehouse (up to 16mbps) via Talk Talk
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That's what 17070 is for!
jelv
AAISP November 2016
(Previous ISP Plusnet November 2001 to October 2016) Why I left Plusnet
Telephone rental: Pulse8 |
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That's what 17070 is for! That was my initial reaction, but I have a dim recollection, possibly an incorrect one, that one of the major CPs hasn't implemented it. Or maybe doesn't provide the number using it.
Nor do 123 and 0800 of course.
My broadband basic info/help site - www.robertos.me.uk. Domains, site and mail hosting - Tsohost.
Connection - AAISP Home::1 80/20. 200GB. Sync 72313/12530Kbps @ 600m. BQMs - IPv4 & IPv6
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Post deleted by seb
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Does it work on Sky and TalkTalk lines?
jelv
AAISP November 2016
(Previous ISP Plusnet November 2001 to October 2016) Why I left Plusnet
Telephone rental: Pulse8 |
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That requires detailed memory, not a dim recollection that I pointed out may be wrong. I shan't be getting one of each installed to find out  .
My broadband basic info/help site - www.robertos.me.uk. Domains, site and mail hosting - Tsohost.
Connection - AAISP Home::1 80/20. 200GB. Sync 72313/12530Kbps @ 600m. BQMs - IPv4 & IPv6Edited by RobertoS (Wed 18-Oct-17 10:50:48)
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Post deleted by seb
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Not easy if they are doing the dialling from the cabinet or anywhere else outside the home.
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Not easy if they are doing the dialling from the cabinet or anywhere else outside the home.
Quite so, I didn't see hide nor hair of him so presume he was ringing from the cabinet. He actually rang me as well to tell me that the noisy line was sorted out.
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Does it work on Sky and TalkTalk lines?
It does on our TalkTalk line.
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Well when I used 17070 from my talktalk line, as soon as I'd diallled the number it connects and my std code and phone number is announced twice and as soon as its completed that message it reverts to the dial tone, so I hardly call that a quiet line test.
I thought that the quiet line line was exactly that - no message or dial tone, just silence so as to detect any noise on the line, or have I got it wrong ?
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I thought that the quiet line line was exactly that - no message or dial tone, just silence so as to detect any noise on the line, or have I got it wrong ?
That�s right, but I thought this thread was about an alternative to 123, which also isn�t a quiet line?
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Indeed, if the test is just to see the line is able to make a call then doing that to the free 17070 number is a viable alternative. I think I vaguely remember that the LLU operators implement their own 17070 so whilst the BT one has (had?) the quiet line test the others may not.
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Yep, as stepdey said, on a TT LLU line you don't get the options you do on a BTW one, it just says "This circuit is defined as (number), this circuit is defined as (number)" then hangs up on you.
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The OR 17070 responds with the Line Number, then offers 4 Options, pressing 2 being the Quiet Line Test.
Option 1 is "Ring Back"
Options 3 & 4 need a PIN Number issued to staff only; but 1 & 2 are freely available.
With Option 2, QLT, there is an initial announcement of "Quiet Line Test", repeated about every 15 seconds.
I recommend listening for about 5 total, lasting about 1 minute.
I check about once per month - so short and no direct cost.
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It is a long time since I used the SKY variant, so not absolutely sure of the selections; but Option 4 was its QLT.
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I also remember checking on both the BT and SKY BB Faults pages; and both recommend the QLT either as the First or Second User Tests.
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Well when I used 17070 from my talktalk line, as soon as I'd diallled the number it connects and my std code and phone number is announced twice and as soon as its completed that message it reverts to the dial tone, so I hardly call that a quiet line test. That's what was wriggling around at the back of my mine. Thanks  .
It's the Quiet Line bit that is missing, not the number.
My broadband basic info/help site - www.robertos.me.uk. Domains, site and mail hosting - Tsohost.
Connection - AAISP Home::1 80/20. 200GB. Sync 72313/12530Kbps @ 600m. BQMs - IPv4 & IPv6
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Post deleted by RobertoS - duplicate due to lag.
Edited by RobertoS (Thu 19-Oct-17 12:03:39)
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BT, TalkTalk, Sky et al. could very easily solve this problem by making 123 a free number. They cannot be making any serious money from this particular scam nowadays, by which I mean charging for a call to a machine. Who on earth needs to call 123 to find out the time nowadays? Even if you don't have an actual clock it's available on umpteen home devices!!
Incidentally, My line is with Origin. I never make chargeable outgoing calls and do not have Caller Display enabled on it. Nonetheless Origin have just charged me 28p for 'deleting CLI' or somesuch. Another scam? Or another engineer dialling a simple number as a test?
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longedge
