My phone line has gone dead - no dialling tone or anything. If I plug a different phone into the socket it is still dead.

My broadband connection is still working OK.

I've rung BT and they say they've run a line test and it is ok so the fault must be in the wiring/equipment. They can send an engineer out (on Monday!) but it will cost me £50 if it turns out to be the equipment or internal wiring.

My question is, can there be a phone fault but the broadband line still work ok? Or does the fact that broadband is OK mean that it is somewhere in the house, eg in the splitter?

Advice would be most welcome....

Thanks in anticipation

Maybe you are already aware and have done this, but:

Check at the primary socket where it first comes into your house, not from subsequent extensions.
Disconnect all other extensions if possible and disconnect all faxes, broadband & modems so that there is nothing else on the line.
Check using a basic phone set, not a cordless which could have its own problems.
Call yourself from a mobile and see what is happening.

If it is dead in those circumstances, I would bet that it is a line fault and your £50 is safe.

This happened at my friends house when the radiator had leaked into the phone socket. I cleaned and dried out the socket and put another front on and everything worked again.

If the broadband is still working it is probably the pin connections inside the socket.

OK - daft question - are you using a wireless phone?
Is the battery charged?

Nomme

Thanks cgksheff - I was working from the primary socket and was using a basic set so had covered those bases. When I called myself from the mobile I get a ringing tone but, obviously, don't hear it in the house.

I just can't figure out why it would suddenly stop working when it was fine this morning.

It happens and often its an exchange fault and sending the man out is of no real use other than to confirm that they can't charge you £50.
Before he comes make sure that you don't have more than the recommended number of phones/faxes connected as that gives them an excuse to blame you (and, very rarely, may stop calls ringing in)

It is hard to be without a phone at the weekend. You can ask them to divert the line to your mobile at no extra charge until it is fixed. This is an alternative to compensation.

Thanks for your advice on this - the BT Engineer is not now coming until Tuesday but at least they have diverted the phone to my mobile.

Does anyone know if/how I can pick up any call minder messages that may have been left on my landline?

Cheers