Landline Install $140?
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bklyn Fire Alarm Guy … I find it unbelievable, too. The place was renovated in ’07 and the last owners didn’t have a landline, those two things I know. There’s a box in the entryway closet with some wires coming out of it but it’s painted over and some of the wires sticking out of it look a little wacky. I’m going to try wiring a new jack:
http://www.kyledesigns.com/product/TJINSTRUCTIONS/Telephone-Jack-Installation-Instructions.html
The last place I lived (a rental) was wired pretty insanely, with jacks all over the place connected to a switch box in the basement. Verizon wanted nothing to do with it, and had put one box on the inside of a windowsill. and ran a line straight to the yard line from there. I wasn’t there for that install, but I wonder if that’s not what’s going on here — that they don’t want to deal with whatever box this line is running to?
BTW i love voip, being able to answer calls from my cell phone for my home number of get voicemails on my pc email at work….no way i’d go back to PSTN from Vz.
Wycoff – hmmm i use voip (packet8 so not TW or Vz), i take your it will work for a week claim with a grain of salt.
If FIOS is available in your building you can probably get the install for free. Their phone setup is not like TW (lose your cable, lose your phone) and your line is good in a power outage as long as the outage is less than a week.
What this means is that the VZ tech could not find the wires. This happened to me when the contractors clipped the old phone box in my laundry room because it was so old they didnt recognize it. Once I figured out what had happened (I showed the detached box to the VZ tech) I had the GC open the wall up and the tech was able to work with that. If you have any clues about where the phone lines might enter your apt you could save yourself the $140 but if it means opening up walls and hunting it down, better to pay the $140. My understanding was that VZ should pay for the wiring from the main drop into the house to the distribution point, but they’re not going to wire the whole apt, which you can do yourself or hire a handyman to do it.
“it’s a rip off since the $8 month charge is more expensive then you getting and putting in the new lines yourself”
Agreed, it’s a total ripoff. Any line failures that you encounter will almost always be out at the pole or a junction box outside your apartment.