We’ve moved into a big ole pre-war coop and Verizon is telling us that there’s no landline in our apartment (seems true as far as we can deduce) and that they need $140 to come install one.

I know that landlines are passe but I’m old fashioned and I like having a real phone. Preferably one that stays up even when the cable goes out (so no … I don’t want a VOIP phone/internet package).

Does anyone have experience with this? It seems steep for public utility service.


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. I had this problem once when I moved into a newly renovated apartment- where two apartments were created from what was once one; the existing line was in the other one. Now I know to look for the line when looking at apartments.

    If the configuration of apartments wasn’t changed when the reno was done, ask the landlord where the jack was – they may know. Couldn’t hurt to ask them to cover cost of opening and closing the wall to expose it if they know where it was, since they were responsible for having the jack removed, or alternately to pay for bringing line in…worst they can do can do is say no. I wish I had done so, but my landlord was sleazy and I hated dealing with him when I didn’t have to, and I needed my line ASAP, this being pre-cell phone days, so I ate the cost.

  2. deanbh – you are confusing a VoiP provider(packt8, vonage, etc) which simply uses your existing pipe, with a discrete fiber optic system.

    In addition to using a dedicated fiber optic line instead of a shared coax system, FIOS installs a battery backup which provides power to the line (similar to an old fashioned copper line) for up to 10 days. Hopefully this will never have to be tested.

    Difference in voice quality between FIOS and my old setup of TWC + Vonage is measurable, not to mention the fact that I have had zero connection issues, vs. 1 a day with TWC.

  3. Try opening up the box in the closet. A great way to get into metal things that have been painted over is to start wrapping them gently with a hammer. The paint chips off, especially if there are many coats of paint. Make sure this isn’t an electrical box of course. If you have any doubt, turn off the power before you start messing with the box. Once the box is opened up you’ve removed the major excuse VZ has for not dealing with what’s there.

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