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The Telephone Engineerex-BT · Stockport

Phone & Broadband Fault Finding

Twenty years of doing this means I can usually tell you inside half an hour whether the fault is inside your house or out on the network — and that answer is worth having. If it's internal, I fix it there and then. If it's your provider's, you get a clear description of what's wrong to take to them, which tends to get things moving a lot faster than "it's not working".
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Sound familiar?

These are the reasons people ring me about this.

  • No dial tone at all
  • Crackling, humming or static on the line
  • The phone doesn't ring, or rings once and stops
  • Broadband keeps dropping out or is far slower than you pay for
  • It only goes wrong when it rains
  • Your provider says there's no fault, but there clearly is

What the job involves

No call-out charge, and I'll tell you what I find before I do the work. If it's your provider's fault to fix, I'll say so.

  • Testing at the master socket to split internal faults from network faults
  • Checking every extension, joint and socket in the house
  • Tracing damaged, corroded or badly jointed cable
  • Repairing or replacing whatever's actually at fault
  • A plain-English write-up if the fault turns out to be your provider's

Questions

Fault finding — the usual questions

How do I know if the fault is mine or my provider's?

That's exactly what the test socket behind the master socket faceplate is for. Plug a phone in there and if the fault disappears it's inside your house; if it's still there it's the network's. It's the first thing I check, and it settles the argument straight away.

My provider says there's nothing wrong. Can you help?

Often, yes. Their line tests are automated and they miss intermittent faults, wet joints and problems that only show up under load. I test the line properly with an engineer's kit and give you something concrete to go back to them with.

Will you charge me if you can't fix it?

There's no call-out charge, and if the fault turns out to be on the network side where I'm not allowed to work, I'll tell you that and what to say to your provider. I'm not going to charge you for a job I haven't done.

Why does it only go wrong when it rains?

Classic sign of water getting into a joint or a damaged length of cable, usually outside or in the loft. It's a very common fault and a very findable one — but it does need someone to actually come and look.

Where

Covered across Stockport and Cheshire

Fault finding in your town — pick the nearest and I'll tell you what's different about the housing round there.

Related

Often done at the same time

Telephone Extensions

A phone point where you actually want one — bedroom, office, garage or shed.

What's involved

Phone Socket Installation, Moves & Rewiring

New sockets, socket moves, pre-wire shifts and full rewires of tired wiring.

What's involved

Home Wi-Fi & Dead Spots

Wi-Fi that reaches the whole house, including the rooms it never used to.

What's involved
All services

Need a hand with fault finding?

Tell me what it's doing and I'll tell you what it'll take. No call-out charge, and a price before I start.

Call 07942 815 831WhatsApp

No call-out charge · Every day, 9am–10pm

07942 815 831WhatsApp