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July 12, 2007
Alternative to Verizon?
I can't seem to get any service from Verizon. When I call, I get passed around to different departments and then the line mysteriously clicks and disconnects.
Is there any other LAND LINE alternative to Verizon? Or do they have a 100% monopoly? I need a land line phone service because cell phones don't work very well in my area (Ft Greene).
THANKS!
Comments
What about phone service through your cable company?
Posted by: Dan at July 12, 2007 10:21 AM
OP here: You mean like Time Warner? I didn't know I could do that. I'll look into it. Thanks, Dan.
- Monika
Posted by: Anonymous at July 12, 2007 10:27 AM
You could also look into VOIP (like Vonage)
We use in Speakeasy, which actually uses Verizon's DSL lines but with much better
service/prices/etc.
Posted by: Jane at July 12, 2007 10:29 AM
I work at a phone company, what do you mean you can't get service from verizon??? There are other land line (copper wire) alternatives but they will all eventually go thru verizon to give you service. So if you are having a problem with them you need to resolve it with them (or go cable LOL). If verizon continues to be unresponsive you have the option to file a complaint with the New York state public service commission. Verizon does take those complaints seriously and it will get their attention. Out of curiousity what did their reps tell you when you called? or are you having a problem contacting them?
Posted by: Anonymous at July 12, 2007 10:58 AM
OP here: No, I don't want to use Vonage (but thanks for suggestion), I just want a regular land line.
To 10:58, yes, having a difficult time actually reaching anyone who can help me. Everyone I did manage to actually speak to (a feat in and of itself) passed me to someone else, and this would go on for two or three different people until the line would go dead, as I said before. So then I would try again, go through three or four people, and line disconnects.
I'm just trying to have my box be put on my property. Right now, my phone line goes into the box on my neighbor's property (he used to own both my house and his). So my lines snake from his backyard all the way to mine, which looks ugly, is very inconvenient in terms of getting any service, and is just medieval in general.
A verizon person who was here when I first bought the building last year and hooked up my tel line said "Once you're done with the renovation, call us up and we'll bring the box to your yard, for a fee".
Easier said than done!
Plus, it just seems bizarre that one phone company has a monopoly on land line telephone service. It seems somehow unconstitutional. And people bitch about Microsoft . . .
Posted by: Anonymous at July 12, 2007 11:15 AM
have you read this article?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/05/technology/circuits/05pogue.htm
cool technology to get cell service in homes that have bad reception.
Posted by: benno at July 12, 2007 11:41 AM
10:58 again:
Having dealt with Verizon a lot at work i would say this is not going to be an easy problem to resolve. If i were you I would immediately file a complaint with the PSC like i suggested above. Call 1-800-342-3377 and here is there website: http://www.dps.state.ny.us/test_home_graphic_h.html . The public service commission regulates Verizon and Verizon can be fined if they have too many open complaints with the PSC, so they have an incentive to get them cleared up. That said it may still take a few weeks to get something like this straightened out. Good Luck. :)
Posted by: Anonymous at July 12, 2007 11:49 AM
10:58 again:
As i think about it, one thing you can try to do with verizon is to tell them to disconnect the old line that goes into your neighbor's box. Then tell them that your building was 'seperated' from the neighbors building and you need totally new service (ie. the rep should treat the building as if it was just built) and send out a tech to do the new install. When the tech arrives tell him you want to remove all the lines going from your house to the neighbor's box (aka NID) before he puts in the new box and runs the new lines. He should do that for you. Good Luck.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 12, 2007 11:54 AM
I have my phone through my cable/internet company, Time Warner. Cheaper and better than Verizon.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 12, 2007 12:21 PM
I have my phone through my cable/internet company, Time Warner. Cheaper and better than Verizon.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 12, 2007 12:22 PM
We had Time Warner cable phone for less than a month and canceled it. Kind of didn't like the part where you lose phone service anytime the cable goes out. Not the greatest thing to happen in storms or God forbid disasters, which are times of course when we need our phones the most. Also if there is any service worse than Verizon, it's Time Warner. Time Warner is the worst company on the planet. That's not said out of mere bitterness. It's a simple fact.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 12, 2007 12:53 PM
How is it that verizon has a monopoly on land line service in new york. they are the worst company on the planet and have absolutely no incentive to solve problems. I left them 2 years ago and have been using a cable phone ever since. I am 90% satisfied with the service but it is a whole lot cheaper and I will never go back to verizon.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 12, 2007 2:35 PM
OP here: Everyone, thank you so much for your comments. I appreciate your time and effort, and I hope I can return the favor on other subjects (I usually try!). 10:58, that's a brilliant idea. I think that's exactly what I have to do: Start from scratch.
I'm getting in touch with PSC immediately.
I had Vonage at my business for a few months and we couldn't function, we literally lost work because of it and could probably have sued them, so I can't do the cable thing. But i'm glad it works for others, it must be SO NICE to be free of Verizon.
Monika
Posted by: Anonymous at July 12, 2007 2:44 PM
VOIP has its downfalls..like enhanced 911(not local 911 but routed 911-google it)..and when you lose internet well you lose your phone...
On the other hand Verizon does have a monopoly and they are way overpriced for what you get...No matter what other company you go through like MCI(they still exist yes)..the odds are you will be using a Verizon landline...as most other companies do not have the capacity or sheer ability to install hard wired landlines throughout.
My advice use the cable or DSL lines to get a Vonage like service..If there is a disaster odds are everythings going down and even your cell will be out of service(because of call volume)..
Sadly your best bet in an emergency is a payphone(yes they still exist as well)..Many payphones get power from undergorund lines independent of electric lines..hence when power goes they still work..
So save your money and get internet and vonage for the same price of a Verizon phone only landline.
Posted by: I Know, I Know? at July 12, 2007 2:44 PM
During the telecom boom I worked on software that assisted CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carriers) provision telephone lines from the ILEC's for their customers. It took 40 steps to provision a line from Verizon when everything went correctly, since the ILEC's aren't supposed to make this any more complicated for CLEC's than it is for them, that means 40 forms need to be filled out when there are no problem. In your case there is a problem, which is why you are having such a tough time of it, there is probably no one at Verizon who knows how to get a line installed by the book in your particular case.
You need to bypass the system by filing a form with the PSC. Those complaints are handled by a separate team that is not restricted to doing things the way Verizon forces CLEC's to do it.
As for competition, competitive phone companies can either rent lines from your house to Verizon's CO at $20/mo and rent space at the Verizon CO for their equipment, they can lobby the city for permission to run their own lines at very high rates, or they can rent wireless spectrum from the Federal Government and provide you with Cell Phone and other wireless service. Generally, the Federal Government option is cheapest by far. There are some exceptions in the two Manhattan CBDs where it can make financial sense to run fiber optic lines for large businesses, and renting lines can make sense for DSL, but then they have to go through a very complicated process and I doubt anyone would accept the task in your case.
In short, unless you are willing to spend a few million $ a month, Verizon or Cable are your options. Neither has good service, both will disconnect you randomly and deliver generally bad service and your only recourse is the PSC. Verizon doesn't even keep the phones running during power outages anymore, they terminate regular phone lines in street furniture with a battery life of 8 hours at the absolute most.
Posted by: danielk at July 13, 2007 1:41 PM
danielk -
Alot of those forms have default values for most of the fields (or should LOL). 90% of the time you are only concerned with a small fraction of the fields that you could populate. Ordering POTS service is not complicated, ordering a local loop OTOH .... The OPs problem has more to do with customer service reps not being trained to handle exceptional situations and not having a way to easily handoff the problem to someone who can deal with it. All the OP needs is a seperate NID for their property, that should be something an ILEC can handle :)
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 2:55 PM
Anon 2:55pm,
I agree this is more an issue of the Verizon support people not escalating properly, I really wouldn't expect front line support people to be able to order up the paperwork for this.
BTW To everyone who hasn't worked in Telecom, the cartoon Dilbert was written by a PacBell middle manager; he worked on the unsuccessful late-90's roll-out of home internet service in Silicon Valley, something that is almost impossible to comprehend failing in that market. They had decided to charge $4,320/mo for deathly slow 0.128 Mbps; a POTS modem @ $20/mo ran at 0.056 Mbps. These same old ILECs are rolling out 30Mbps down/ 5Mbps up at $180/mo now, when other countries are experimenting with 40,000 Mbps both ways, and have for years offered 100 Mbps both ways @ $20/mo.
Posted by: danielk at July 13, 2007 9:02 PM
My telephone lost its dial tone on Monday, August 6th and I've been trying to get it fixed every day since then. I have spoken to Verizon "customer service" fifteen times. They have sent technicians four times. I missed 1/2 day of work on Tuesday, to hear that the problem was not in my apartment and that they'd have it fixed later that day. Of course they didn't have it fixed. Each day they say it will be fixed. Each day still no dial tone.
Thanks for the above info on how to complain. I am seeking another service as well.
Posted by: guest at August 10, 2007 9:55 PM
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