phone line?

[blockisle9]

I'm back again with another stupid question.
My home phone has call forward when busy, when my home phone is busy it rolls over to my cell phone. This past weekend I went away for a few days and took my home phone off the hook so I could receive my calls on my cell. I do this all the time.
Well this was the first time I went away since I had Dish. When I got home and turned my TV on there was some kind of message about being constantly plugged in to a phone line or pay $5.00 a month.
Its always plugged in unless I go away. (Or on the phone)
Does this mean every time I go away I'm going to get whacked $5.00?
What can I do?
Thanks
Lenny

 

[RBBrittain]

You evidently have a dual-tuner receiver (322, 522, etc.). You got that message because your phone was constantly off the hook when the receiver tried to dial out. The $5 charge is mentioned in your agreement.

Your solution: Get the phone company to change your call-forwarding option to "call forward-busy line/don't answer" (CF-BLDA); in other words, the call rolls to your cell if your line's busy OR if not answered in X number of rings (you tell them how many). Either that, or just get standard call forwarding. Either way, that means you don't have to leave your phone off the hook and tie up the line. (The phone company says that's not a good idea anyway.)