Second phone line wanted

We have BT for our main line and intend to keep it that way as its uses for business etc but we need a second line for personal use as my grandmas on the phone to my mum a lot more now and we are probably loosing business as a result.

BT seems quite expensive as they have installation charges but NTL dosn't seem to have these.

Does anybody know any decent telephone providers which has no links to Caudwell Communications (they once pretended to BT has been bought out and wanted our account number so they cut secretly transfer us).

 

Why not just use a cell phone?

Perhaps get call waiting or the BT answering service?

Paul

 

We already have but you still loose custom, people have no patience if there is no answer or an asnwerphone they just go to the next number in the yellow pages.

My dad as a mobile phone but he can't use while doing work and he cant' using it while driving so only his regular customers know that number.

A second line is really the only way as at the moment the main line can engaged for several hours a day.

 

No, you make your lengthy outgoing calls on a mobile.

Paul

 

And that would cost a fortune

 

more than the lost business from tying up a business phoneline for several hours a day?


BT charge c. 100 quid plus vat for installing a second line, (for business premises) I think, depending on the work needing done. that said, they won't charge too much as they obviously want the business from additional line rental etc.

surely that's worth paying so the customers can get through?

 

Yeah its just house. It looks like NTL don't charge an installation fee so that might be worth going for.

 

I don't know what the costs are for a second domestic line. I know that I managed to get business charges waived when BT messed up and told me porkies regarding changing Business Highway ISDN to two discrete lines plus broadband....

this might be a completely off the wall suggestion, but what about Voice over IP, like Skype on a broadband connection? that said, setting up additional broadband and PC would probably cost more than an additional line, but the long term savings in call costs can be good, especially during peak charge times.

I've not used it, but I think you can call a land-line from Skype as well. aparently the sound quality is of a higher-fi too. (that way your mum can call back right away, and it frees up the landline.)

worth investigating?

 

Yep this why I made the VIP thread a few weeks ago, as a for 5th PC I have enough PC parts in my room to build enough PCs to stock PCWORLD.

However Microdirect even sell Syke phones, the problem is to phone a landline you have to pay and I am not sure how cheap it is. My mum won't like having to keep phoning people back either.

There is also the problem of the caller ID as most my family only know the phone to people they know and I am guessing Skype will come up as not availible.

 

I'm not sure, but I believe that when you phone back on Skype via a PC it doesn't cost anything. you're probably right about the caller display thing though.

Edit: just checked the website. it;s free skype-skype so you could set up another PC at your Grans...

 

My grandma has a PC with broadband but she dosn't know how to use it, it was my late grandad that used it really. There is no way my grandma will be able to use it she can only just about use a mobile phone and even then she can't work out how to recieve text messages.