Utilities

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…

by
07/12/2007

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!

Utilities

Comments

  3. 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.

  4. 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. 🙂

  6. 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 . . .

  7. 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?

  8. 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.

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