sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Telecom Service & Providers Verizon Call fwd

I have a customer that manually forwards their 4 POTS lines to an answer service when they go home at night. They do the *72 the target number wait for the message and then hang up. After you fwd all the numbers you can check them by dialing each 10 digit number and they do go to the answer service. Problem, at random times during the after hours they just un-fwd? I have verified the CO is a 5 ESS and is current. Call fwd is on all 4 lines. This happens at random and the fwd dropping can happen on any of the 4 lines. Any ideas???????

A random *73 signaling is somehow being emulated and received back at the provider. Is is possible to forward the four lines to a different destination or system, to test if the source of this trouble can be isolated to the device that the calls are currently being forwarded to? I've personally never encountered any type of random auto-deactivating of call forwarding.

I kind of think that maybe there is something in the provisioning of the lines that is the issue. Condition #1 =.... + condition #2 =.... makes for a dropped forward condition. Maybe 2 calls at the same time???

Sometimes during the night, electronic CO software gets updated, and individual lines' "short-term memory" (sorry, not being an ESS switchman I do not know the exact terminology) gets lost or over-written. I have encountered it in my job as a repairman with VZ, in the distant past.

Are you sure that the forwarding stops working? The reason that I ask is that call forwarding-variable (*72)used to be a spring board that bounced any number of calls to the forward destination without limit. Now, they charge extra for multiple call paths.

This means that the first call forwards to the answering service just fine, but the second and subsequent callers will reach a busy signal unless additional paths are paid for.

Just curious, are the 4 lines in a hunt group? If so they would only need to fwd the main line. The only time I have come across this it turns out the csr has a speed button programmed for cfr and one to remove cfr....the overnight cleaning crew would occasionally hit the remove cfr button at night.

Usually only need to order "voice paths" for RCF, not varible call forward.

I have several medical clinics, that can't get the LEC to send their main BTN as CID for all of their numbers, so they have to forward each and every one of their lines to the service at night, in case someone uses *69 to return the call.

I never ran across a switch deactivating call forwarding. The exception could be a generic upgrade where recent changes did not reapply correctly. These generic changes happen infrequently.

The only time I ever encountered a call-forwarding problem related to a number of paths is what Ed mentioned. If the paths are not available you get either busy or reorder.

I would be suspect someone at the site using the phone and dialing an incorrect number that contained *73 and accidentally knocking down the forwarding. Are there others at the site that have access to the phones? A long shot question, are these lines associated with any type of remote access equipment where an outside user would dial in to a separate and seize one of the four lines in question to make an outgoing call?

The 5E has some trace capabilities that could be useful. I’m going from memory but I think you can place an AMA trace on the lines in question and it will generate record of all calls made whether they are local or long distance. There is also an interactive monitor that can be placed on the line that shows originations, digits dialed, etc. The only problem with this is that it only stays up for an hour. That may have changed. I’m betting the problem is man made.

A dialed digit recorder on each line would quickly identify any human disabling of the CF codes.

The call forward is immediate using in this case, *72. There are 3 forward pathways. Customer is using analog POTS lines so they have individual 10 digit numbers so each has to be call fwd'd. The calls drop at random on the weekends or in the middle of the night. They verify it by calling each number to test it. Verizon has checked their software, CO and we have set the fwd and made test calls. Test calls never failed. When it fails, the stuttered call fdw dial tone is gone on the main number. BTW, customer is dialing the codes and waiting on the answer from the service before hanging up, no button is involved. Still scratching my head?