On Sun, 07 Sep 2003 02:34:41 +0100, Mark S.
wrote:

I've got BT coming Monday to connect my phone line but it's dangling
on the wall due to the previous tennants/owners either smashing it or
stealing it.
The wiring looks to be some older type, black outer with three yellow
wires, green, orange and I think black maybe.

Is it possible to get a master socket anywhere on a Sunday and where
do I find out how to wire it up with the old wires.
Failing that would they just look at the wire and condem it and rewire
it back to the pole considering I want ADSL installing and it looks
like it would fail the noise test anyway.

Mark S.


Are you paying the full whack to get an old line connected from the
previous owner which has been cut off? This is effectively a new
installation. When you pay for installation - what is it now -
getting on for £200? - you pay for installation. Even if there's no
cable from your pole to your house. That's what you're paying for. So
you get a new socket fitted in the room of your choice where you want
it. When I booked the reconnection I also told them I didn't want the
old number assigned to my house. No problem They offered me a
selection to choose from.

When I got the phone connected in my house after I bought it 14 years
ago, installation cost me around £168 I think. There was a crappy old
style socket hanging off the window ledge in the living room, with an
old dial type phone connected. The engineer started to check the
connection on this and get it working. I said hang on a minute, I've
just forked out £168 and I want better than this. I said I didn't want
their crappy old phone (and have to pay rental on it) because I'll get
my own, I want a new style socket, and I want it upstairs in the front
bedroom. He shrugged and said ok, and that's what I got.

If you're wondering why I wanted the master socket upstairs, it's for
safety. If there's a fire downstairs during the night or a break in, I
don't want to find the phone disconnected when I need it the most.
I've run an extension downstairs.

MJ