Telephone Support Services

Frequent Telephone Repair Reports

The entries below detail some of the trouble calls most frequently reported to the Telephone Repair Help Desk. To request a telephone repair, please call 617.253.4357 (3-HELP) or email 3help@mit.edu
For more telephone and voice mail related questions, visit the Telephone and Voice Mail Stock Answers page.

• My Voice Mail Message Light is Stuck On/Off
• My Telephone Number Rings to a Different Set
• The LCD Display on my ISDN Set is Blank or Black
• All of my Calls Are Going Directly to Voice Mail Without Giving me a Chance to Answer
• My Telephone Set Has No Dial Tone When I Pick up the Receiver to Make Calls
• How Can I Avoid Interruptions in my Telephone Service?
• How Can I Transfer a Call Which is Received on a Number That Appears Only Once on my Phone?
• I Have Two Call Appearances of a Number on my Phone. When the First Call Appearance is in Use, Incoming Calls Receive a Busy Tone
• How Can I Adjust the Ringer on my ISDN Digital Telephone Set?
• My ISDN Digital Telephone Set is Making a Buzzing Noise
• I am Getting Calls on my Telephone that Sound Like a Fax Tone

My Voice Mail Message Light is Stuck On/Off

Find out if message notification for your mailbox is turned on or off.

• Enter your voice mailbox Main Menu and press [4 -1]
• If the system replies with "Message-waiting indicator off," press [3] at the prompt to activate notification. Leave yourself a test message to be sure it is now working properly.
• If the system says "Message-waiting indicator is on," this indicates a problem; call the Customer Services Representatives at 617.253.3670 or email your problem to telecom-csr@mit.edu

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My Telephone Number Rings to a Different Set

Your telephone has been call forwarded to a different telephone number. To remove call forwarding:

1. Lift the receiver and listen for dial tone.
2. Press [7 - 3]
3. Wait for the confirmation tone of two quick beeps, followed by the dial tone.

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The LCD Display on my ISDN Set is Blank or Black

To the right of the display panel is a wheel for adjusting the contrast of the display. Turn the wheel upward to darken the contrast; turn the wheel downward to lighten it.

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All of my Calls Are Going Directly to Voice Mail Without Giving me a Chance to Answer

Your calls have been forwarded directly to voice mail, probably caused by previously dialing an outside number without using the [9] key first. To remove this feature:

1. Lift the receiver and listen for dial tone.
2. Press [7 - 3]
3. Wait for the confirmation tone of two quick beeps, followed by the dial tone.

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My Telephone Set Has No Dial Tone When I Pick up the Receiver to Make Calls

First, determine whether your telephone is an ISDN or analog set. If another similar set is available in your office, try plugging it into the outlet where the malfunctioning set is to determine if the telephone set is defective or the problem is coming from the wiring. Once you have made this determination please call the help desk at 617.253.4357 (3-HELP). A help desk consultant will process your trouble report and dispatch the appropriate technician to do the repair. The technicians are given one full business day to complete the repair from when it was reported.

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How Can I Avoid Interruptions in my Telephone Service?

Never do any of the following:

• Unplug your desk set
• Plug another desk set into your phone jack
• Plug any accessory into your desk set
• Plug the receiver into any other jack

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How Can I Transfer a Call Which is Received on a Number That Appears Only Once on my Phone?

1. Press the Transfer button.
2. Get a dial tone from any other free line.
3. Dial the number you want the call to be transferred to.
4. Press the Transfer button again.
   Result: The call will be directed to the requested number.

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I Have Two Call Appearances of a Number on my Phone. When the First Call Appearance is in Use, Incoming Calls Receive a Busy ToneÝ

• Call forward your number on a busy condition to your voice mail.
• A third call appearance of that number can be added to the button detail by sending a request to your Customer Service Representative (CSR).
• Contact your CSR to request a feature change which will allow both call appearances of the number to be used for incoming and outgoing calls.

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How Can I Adjust the Ringer on my ISDN Digital Telephone Set?

1. Make sure that the receiver (handset) is resting properly on the switch-hook and all calls are disconnected.
2. Find the Volume button on the lower right corner of your telephone set's keypad.
3. Press the up arrow to make your set ring louder and the down to make it lower. (Your set will ring once each time the arrow is pressed.)

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My ISDN Digital Telephone Set is Making a Buzzing Noise

1. Remove the gray cord with the clip that is going into the back of your set.
2. Wait 1-2 minutes, then re-plug it into the set.

If the problem persists, report it to 3-HELP (3-4357) (email 3help@mit.edu) and a technician will be dispatched.

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I am Getting Calls on my Telephone that Sound Like a Fax Tone

1. When the call is received, look at the LCD display on your ISDN digital telephone set and write down the number of the incoming call.
2. Report the number to 3-HELP (3-4357) (email 3help@mit.edu) and a technician will repair the problem on the mainframe.

If you cannot see a telephone number and and the display reads "Incoming Call" you must forward the call to a fax machine within your office.
To do this:

1. Press the Transfer button on your set when the call comes in.
2. Dial the fax number that you wish to forward the call to.
3. Press the Transfer button again.

This will solve the problem and after a few minutes the call will drop off from the fax machine.

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