NTL VS 3000 cordless phone

Question

I got this phone and followed all the instructions. The handset LCD display worked fine, and the signal strength and battery were fine also. My problem is that I couldn't get a dialling tone and therefore was unable to either make or receive calls. I phoned the helpline and the advisor asked me to disconnect everything and remove the batteries from the handset and leave it for 1 hour. When I reconnected I still couldnt get a dialling tone. Phoned advisor again who says the unit is faulty. The person I bought it from (second hand) says it was ok when it left him. Any ideas what the problem might be? Many thanks.