Using built in-phone answer machine on sky phone line

[Shazronmc]

My elderly neighbour had an old BT cordless phone with answer machine and it all worked fine.  She got a new phone with built in answer machine (BT 3750 I think).  The phone works fine but the answer machine does not kick in.  The phone is set up correctly with everything active to answer calls with the answer machine after 5 rings. 

If I plug the phone to my house next door the answer machine kicks in fine - I am with Virgin Media. 

Sky sent a BT engineer to investiage a dialing tone issue (incorrect job).  He called Sky and they told him something needed to be activated on the account so her dauhgter called them (also elderly).  Sky said the contract had lapsed and with the new one the answer machine would work. We now know they activated 1571, missing the point that the answer machine built into the phone is what she needs and charged her for the 1571 which she should not need or want as she wants the phone answer machine. 

The fact remians the answer machine works fine on my Virgin media line and not on her Sky provided line.  AND worked fine before she changed the phone.  No one we have spoke to at Sky seems to understand this. - looking for assistance of the right terminology we need to use or who to speak to to get this sorted for my neighbour.   

Thank you and apoliogies for the lengthy post.  

[Mark39]

Does your neighbour have Sky Broadband and if so, does the wall socket have 2 separate ports, one for broadband, the other for the phone? If there's a single socket, is the phone plugged in via a microfilter?

[Shazronmc]

Hi Mark, 

Yes she has broadband but I'll need to cehck how many sockets and if she has a microfilter and come back to you. 

Thanks

[Shazronmc]

@Mark39- one box with 2 ports - one for internet and one for phone.l 👍

[Mark39]

@Shazronmc unfortunately that makes the one I was thinking might be the cause (a faulty filter) much less likely.

To summarise, there doesn't appear to be a fault with the line as your neighbour's previous answerphone system  worked OK, and there doesn't seem to be a fault with the phone itself as it works fine on your phone line.

We're left with the possibility that the new answerphone simply isn't compatible with Sky's phone line, which seems unlikely. If your neighbour is in a position to do so, swapping the phone for a non-BT phone might be a next step. I'd strongly suggest checking first that Sky's 1571 service is turned off as that might cause issues.

Failing that, the options would seem to be using Sky's 1571 service or reporting back to Sky that there's still a problem. They'll be able to get Openreach involved again, as necessary.

[Shazronmc]

Thanks Mark - I appreciate the troubleshooting help!