Campaigners brand BT's digital landline switchover a 'horror story'

[dutchman]

Pressure mounts on telecoms giant to fix growing problems with pensioners' phones



Campaigners representing senior citizens today branded BT's digital landline switchover a 'horror story' as pressure mounts on the telecoms giant amid a wave of complaints about vulnerable pensioners' phones.

Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices which represents over 60s, told MailOnline the switchover is 'going too far too fast' as he appealed for MPs and government to get involved.

BT is currently switching all its customers' landline phones to digital, affecting around 10 million homes, making them internet based services. But for many the transition with BT to digital landlines has been far from smooth.

Others have reported that life-saving personal alarms, which automatically call for help in the case of an emergency, stop working whenever there are problems with the internet - or stop completely if residents' numbers are changed.

Dozens of people have contacted MailOnline reporting issues with their phone lines amid the digital switchover, with many saying they have been 'forced' to take on a digital line as part of BT's target to transition all customers by 2025.

Other customers, including Brenda Rowles [pictured above], have lost their landline numbers which they have had for more than 50 years, leaving them cut off from friends and family.

Mr Reed said: 'BT and the other telecom providers have made these grand promises that vulnerable people would be protected but as all these case studies show that's the last thing that's happening.

'They are being made less safe by this fast roll out.

'It's going to become a bigger issue and become a political issue in the run up to the general election politicians are going to be asked about it. The government can't ignore this issue, but at the moment they are.

'The politicians will have to get involved in this subject because their constituents are going to start demanding it.'

Mr Reed said that has been 'no reflection' on how the process is going by BT: 'There's not been any reflection about how things are going and whether the timetables rushed. They haven't got the reliability yet at all, they haven't got some of the new products that they were promising working properly either.

'It's not right that vulnerable people are having their safety compromised because of this.

'We're arguing that the system should be phased in over a longer period. If people want to voluntarily switch over that's fine, but it should be extended by at least five years to 2030.

'Then there would be products available in the case of emergencies.'