About a week and a half ago we suddenly started getting a TERRIBLE noise on our phone line, which coincided with O2 telling us it was transferring its customers to Sky. We reported it, and started getting emails updating us in progress in checking the line. Then we got an email asking us to ring to make an appointment for an egineer to call.

So, I rang the number and a very nice woman answered. She asked our phone number (why? bet she could see it!). Asked for name. Then apologised but said because one of her systems was down, she'd have to take me through extended security. She asked for the password on the account. I gave her the password. Then she wanted to know the amount of our last bill. Had to really think about that, but luckily came up with the right amount. Then she asked how we paid our bill, so I said by DD. Then she asked for the last four digits of the account the DD was paid from............

At this point, I went into Mount Etna mode.

"What???" I said. She asked again. "You've got to be joking," I said, "How many more questions? You emailed ME asking me to ring, I've given you MORE than enough information, what's the point of all these questions????"

Security she said.

"This is MAD," I said. "I'm ringing about noise on our phone line, not to apply for a mortgage. Who else is going to ring about noise on my phone line????"

It was all in vain. Unless I continued answering the questions, she could not talk to me about the noise on my line.

WHAT A MAD, MAD, COUNTRY!!!!!!

There's a sequel to this which I'll tell you when I've calmed down a bit.

My broadband used to be with O2 and I had advance info that they were selling out to Sky.

This started alarm bells ringing and I quickly jumped ship to PlusNet.

As we all know BT own the phone lines and are responsible for fixing them. I have a colleague in the know - if BT get a phone line issue from any other company other than a BT customer then that request goes to the bottom of the pile.

I can confirm this as I had an issue a few years ago and it was fixed within 24hrs. Another colleague had an issue around the same time and he was with some other phone company who's name escapes me and his fault took 3 weeks to fix. My engineer turned up the next day, his engineer turned up 3 weeks later. Both faults were fixed within an hour of the engineer turning up.

I had an unknown fault on my line that only came to light when I switched from O2 LLU to PlusNet 21CN and that was being diagnosed almost immediately after being detected.

I also saved £5 a month because my PlusNet cost is £9.99 a month for about 6.5Mbps. I did consider going FTTC at £19.99 a month but considered my current speed fast enough for what I do.

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Lets be careful out there !

Our fault is weird. We get horrific noise on the line, but now only if we're using those fantastic Panasonic cordless phones I was talking about the other day. If a normal phone is used, there's no noise (although there was when the fault first appeared about one and a half weeks ago.)

Here's an even weirder bit. If we're using the cordless, we have the horrific noise (which I think might be the boradband signal) .... but if I put another normal phone across the line in one of our other sockets, again, the noise vanishes, even on the Panasonics.

I have also tried our Panasonics on a neihgbour's phone line and they're fine (she doesn't have broadband).

The engineer was with us for two and a half hours and left completely baffled.

Strange, I've got Panasonic cordless and they are fine.

I assume you have good quality Broadband filters on all phones ?

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Lets be careful out there !

Yep. And all was fine until the other day. I'm sure there's something that's happened somewhere causing this, but can't think what. I don't think the Panasonics are to blame.

Try unplugging the BB temporarily and all the other combinations.

I'm stumped as well.

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Lets be careful out there !

We use Panasonics and have no filters (as far as I am aware).

I had a problem with O2 a couple of years back - they allowed somebody to register a mobile phone to our address without any security and we were getting all his bills.

I kept ringing them to tell them that James Waston doesn't live here but all they told me was I had to get a crime number. They're crazy! I didn't bother ringing the police I just fired off a snail mail letter to the CE of O2 and got him to sort it out.

I will never deal with 02 voluntarily - they haven't a clue!

Oops! I posted in wrong place.

I did the same, as soon as I heard Sky were buying O2 I jumped ship.