There are several things you can do to identify the fault, and in some cases, resolve it yourself.

Here are some suggestions for:

• no dial tone;
• suspected power disruptions;
• dial tones; and
• dial-up difficulties.

No dial tone
For no dial tone, try our Isolation Test:

1. Unplug ALL equipment from your phone line(s), such as cordless phones, modems, extension leads, double adaptors, answering machines and burglar alarms.
   
2. Leave the equipment unplugged for at least 10 seconds.
   
3. Plug one phone back into one phone socket and test for dial tone:
   
   
   • if you have a cordless phone, switch it off then back on, to reset the phone. Cordless handsets use rechargeable batteries, which may need replacing
   • if you have another phone socket on your premises, try testing for dial tone (using the same phone). Try the same phone in every socket
   • if you have another phone available, unplug the phone you are using and repeat the steps above. If the service is restored, one of your phones may be faulty and need replacing. Refer to Fault Service Charges for further information.

If the problem still exists, contact us and remember to mention that you have conducted the Isolation Test.

Suspected power disruptions
For suspected power disruptions, try resetting your equipment.

Cordless phones, answering machines, faxes and modems require power supply and can be affected by lightning or power disruptions. Note: If the power is still off, these products will generally not operate:

• unplug ALL equipment from your phone line
• reset the power for all electrically powered equipment (ie. turn switch on and off)

Dial tones
Learn what the dial tones mean, and how you can activate and de-activate them.

• Stutter Dial Tone
  The Stutter Dial Tone is exactly what it sounds like, a dial tone with a 'stutter', or intermittent pulse. To clear Stutter Dial Tone, call your MessageBank® service to listen to your new messages.
  
• Facility Tone
  The Facility Tone indicates that one of your telephone features, such as Call Forward, is active.
  
• Congestion Tone
  The Congestion Tone indicates that the network is congested so try calling again later.
  
• Call Waiting
  The Call Waiting tone, when heard during a call, indicates that an incoming call is waiting.

Dial-up difficulties
Your dial-up difficulty could be due to a non-standard dial tone, such as Stutter Dial Tone, which the modem doesn't recognise.

Below are four prevention tips you can try:

1. Prior to starting a dial-up session, clear Stutter Dial Tone from your phone line by checking for new MessageBank messages.
   
2. If you have more than one fixed line, use a phone line that does not have any MessageBank or related services on it to dial-up to the internet.
   
3. Consider purchasing a telephone handset with 'Flashing Message Indicator' capability (eg a light that flashes to let you know when you have messages). The Flashing Message Indicator can be used as an alternative to Stutter Dial Tone.
   
4. Consider modifying your dial-up modem settings so it will continue to dial-up even though it is receiving a Stutter Dial Tone. This can be referred to as 'Blind Dial' and requires you to make some changes to your modem's initialisation settings. If you choose this option, please consult your Internet Service Provider.
   Note: You won't be charged a call connection fee for unsuccessful dial-up attempts if they are due to Stutter Dial Tone, because the modem detects an error before the call is actually connected.