Help & terms

What to ask your phone provider

Who to contact

Depending on your situation, you may need to speak to up to three organisations:

  1. Your phone or broadband provider, the company that supplies your landline or broadband (BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk, Plusnet, etc.).
  2. Your device or alarm provider, the company that supplied or monitors your telecare alarm, burglar alarm, fire alarm, door entry system, or other connected device.
  3. Your local authority telecare team, if your alarm was provided by the council or a housing association.

What to say to your phone or broadband provider

Use these questions as a script. Write down the answers and the name of the person you spoke to.

Questions to ask

  1. "Do you have a record that we use [telecare / a monitored alarm / a connected device] on this line?"
  2. "When is our line due to move to digital voice? How will you contact us beforehand?"
  3. "How will the phone work after the switch? Will our existing handset work?"
  4. "What happens in a power cut or broadband outage? Can we still call 999?"
  5. "Are we eligible for a free backup solution for emergency calls?"
  6. "How will you make sure our alarm or device is not left unsafe on switch day?"
  7. "Can we nominate someone to speak on our behalf about this?"
  8. "What is the urgent fault route if anything fails after the change?"

If they try to rush you

You are entitled to take your time. If you are not confident that your device will work safely after the change, say:

"I do not want to proceed until the device provider has confirmed compatibility and a test has been carried out."

Providers have been told by Ofcom not to migrate customers with vulnerable circumstances or safety-critical devices without proper safeguards.

What to say to your alarm or device provider

Questions to ask

  1. "Is this model compatible with digital voice (VoIP) lines?"
  2. "Has it been tested end-to-end on my current line?"
  3. "If we switch to digital voice, will the signalling still work reliably?"
  4. "What backup power does the unit need? What happens in a power cut?"
  5. "If the device is not compatible, what is the replacement path and cost?"
  6. "Can you run a test when the change is made, to confirm it still works?"

Record what was agreed

After each call, write down:

If something goes wrong later, this record is your evidence.

If you are helping someone else

Ask the account holder to add you as an authorised contact. Most providers allow this with a phone call. Once authorised, you can make calls and decisions on their behalf.