You can insist but if the current issue is internal (after socket) and you haven't covered all the bases then you may well be charged.

According to OP
The OR engineer visited recently and changed Master and fitted new integral Filter plate..
To do this the engineer must have had a reason.
It may be that the problem could be in the connection box at the top of the drop cable pole.Maybe, as previously stated, water ingress or corrosion. Recent high winds would not help.

I will insist. I have a tiny bit of good news but to save saying it twice, I will say it in my reply to flippery.

The Master Socket was replaced because I had an old one. It is no doubt standard practice. He said that we don't need ADSL filters like the one I had but we fit these as a matter of course (not his exact words). To me, he was bringing it up to the latest standards.

Now for the cables. I have a cable from the Router to the Filter plate and a cable from the Base Station (phone) to the Filter plate. The cable that exits the Master socket is just over 1" long and then disappears through the bottom corner of the window frame (not wooden). On the outside of the house, the cable is about 9" to 12 " long and disappears into the ground. The cable is not associated with any telegraph post.

My gut feel, and that is all it is, is that the problem is a bad connection in the cabinet and/or water ingress.

Now for the tiny bit of good news. Contacted my next door neighbour and have just collected a corded phone

In reply to a post by Nolly:

No, I do not have a corded phone.

Always keep a corded phone in a cupboard somewhere. Dirt cheap and invaluable for testing and for use during a power cut.

Borrowed one but not yet tried it. When this saga is over I will probably buy one. Even If I don't ever use it, it may come in handy for someone else.

Try charity shops - you'll probably find one for 50p or £1.

Otherwise Argos: £4.28

Edited by jelv (Mon 03-Feb-14 08:37:57)

Hi jelv. In a reply to another thread, I said that I had borrowed a corded handset from a neighbour. I may very well end up buying one.

Picked up the phone (second handset) this morning and there was an error message on the screen. Should have written it down but the last part of the message read, 'Check your Line Cord'. I was sure that my Internet/Broadband connection was lost around that time. Think that the two events were coincident. Just check my stats and the uptime reflects that there was a restart shortly after those events. Suggests that there was a problem on the telephone line. Never seen that message on the phone before.

I will repeat. If it's your problem then you WILL be charged!