topic Re: Broken Land Line in Community Chat

Broken Land Line

pprmntstx — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 02:59:46 GMT

My land line stopped working yesterday. The phone company isn't going to fix it until July 10th. Meanwhile, I have a Tracfone that I use in case of an emergency when I travel. Maybe it's time for me to join the 21st century and get a smartphone! Am I the only one in civilized society without one?

Re: Broken Land Line

VaBelle35 — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 03:04:05 GMT

My landline had an issue and when the phone company came out, he told me that all he could do was re-wire it outside the walls. That is what all that insurance that you pay for repair for 100 years gets you.

They do not fish the line, they do not open walls.

If I wanted to fix the original wiring, I would have to hire someone to open the walls and find the issue.

He was able to narrow down the general area of the issue, so I could have had an electrician come out and open the wall and fix it. But I felt that was excessive.

I hope you have better luck.

Re: Broken Land Line

deepwaterdotter — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 03:05:53 GMT

I still have just a flip phone.

Re: Broken Land Line

pprmntstx — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 03:07:34 GMT

@VaBelle35 Yikes! Thanks for the warning!

Re: Broken Land Line

RedTop — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 03:10:54 GMT

I would definitely upgrade the phone.

My Frontier landline has frequent problems, and I have learned to never call for service until I have disconnected the phone from the phone jack, and have disconnected the connection to my modem. Sometimes when I break that connection for 24 hours, the phone will work when I reconnect.

Re: Broken Land Line

pprmntstx — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 03:15:09 GMT

@RedTop Thanks for the suggestion!

Re: Broken Land Line

lovesrecess — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 03:28:13 GMT

We cut the land line years ago and am so glad we did. Nice not to get as many robo-calls and the iPhone is invaluable for med. alarms and FaceTime with the grands.

Re: Broken Land Line

Catty2 — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 04:07:51 GMT

I had landline issues a few years ago and it took them 3 days to get it back up and working. A guy would show up and then disappear for hours while working on the line, then leave before it was fixed. The same thing the next day, etc. I do have a cell phone for emergencies but like to have landlines also - one phone in each bedroom and one in the kitchen.

Re: Broken Land Line

azgal — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 04:14:57 GMT

@VaBelle35

I'm a retired phone company employee and my job was to diagnose a problem and decide what needed to be done to fix it.

I know the various companies have different

programs but if you have been paying insurance, it should cover any inside work.

No insurance = no inside work without charging you but they should still fix it.

It sounds like this guy didn't know what to do so gave you a line of baloney.

I'm only familiar with baby bell companies not land lines associated with a cable company. I don't know what their rules are but it sounds fishy to me. I'd call again and get a clarification.

I hope this helps.

Re: Broken Land Line

VaBelle35 — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 04:30:51 GMT

@azgal wrote:
@VaBelle35
I'm a retired phone company employee and my job was to diagnose a problem and decide what needed to be done to fix it.
I know the various companies have different
programs but if you have been paying insurance, it should cover any inside work.
No insurance = no inside work without charging you but they should still fix it.

It sounds like this guy didn't know what to do so gave you a line of baloney.
I'm only familiar with baby bell companies not land lines associated with a cable company. I don't know what their rules are but it sounds fishy to me. I'd call again and get a clarification.
I hope this helps.

@azgal Thanks but it was true. It was Verizon and it is all outlined on their website.

On all repairs Verizon does not “fish” walls. If wall-run wire cannot be used to run replacement wire the
Verizon Technician will run replacement cable via baseboard only.

Re: Broken Land Line

Pearlee — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 04:52:56 GMT

@pprmntstx Your exact situation is how I ended up with a Smartphone less than a year ago.

I had my landline for 40+ years and a Tracphone flip phone to carry with me in case I needed to call AAA or when I visited my mother in Fla.

Less than a year ago I started to have trouble with my landline and then it finally "died." The phone co. AT&T sent a repair person to check the line to see if it was an outside problem which he would fix for free. It wasn't and AT& T wouldn't tell me the cost to fix it because it depended what the problem was.

I saw the handwriting on the wall that at some point in the not distant future I'd end up with a Smartphone so I decided to just bite the bullet and do it rather t hff an fix my landline. A lot of it was not having any idea what it would cost to fix the landline and also wanting to make unlimited free long distance calls.

I only gave up my landline when I found out all of the phone service companies would be able to transfer my landline phone number which I've had all these years to my Smartphone (otherwise I wouldn't have given up my landline).

I will say that the clarity of my landline was better than my smart phone so at times I do miss it.But I made the right decision and never looked back.
I kept my Tracphone too, to use in places where reception isn't great with my Smartphone. My Tracphone flip phone, no matter where I use it, is always as clear as my landline was.

I got a great Kickstarter monthly service rate with Sprint available only to people who hadn't had cell phone service before (Tracphone didn't count -I didn't have a regular cell service provider) so you may want to look into that.

Re: Broken Land Line

FancyPhillyshopper — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 05:52:51 GMT

Our land line used to be separate from our cable and involved the phone company billing us and providing repairs as they could get to it.

More than a decade ago we integrated our land line number with our cable and wifi (triple play) and the cable company is on top of the phone at all times, and will come out whenever needed.

I also buy the monthly insurance so I have never had to pay a fee for any house calls for wiring issues.

We will probably keep the landline phone number forever as it is more accessible to the general public.

DH and I have also had smart phones for a few years now--they are invaluable! We text each other when apart as needed in addition to calls.

Re: Broken Land Line

hckynut — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 06:44:49 GMT

@pprmntstx

I have had "smart" Tracfones for many years. However I can count using only my fingers how many times I have used it, even fewer that were smart phone features.

Why the smart features for me? Because each year they are better phones, cheaper than any I have discovered, and very dependable.

hckynut(john)

Re: Broken Land Line

pprmntstx — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 08:21:24 GMT

@hckynut John, My tracfone is a flip phone that I have had for many years!

Re: Broken Land Line

cowboy sam — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 12:00:09 GMT

@VaBelle35 @pprmntstx @FancyPhillyshopper @Pearlee

I have had AT&T for years and paid for the insurance.

However they discontiued it a few years ago,so now if it's a problem inside my house last i heard if i needed it the cost was $99.00

They say i have Universe for my phone and internet..so if theres any proplem i don't have my land line! Twice this year it happened and the problem was in fixture outside my house!! grr

Whenever i called..i stressed to them my age and i needed my landline fixed now!

Thank goodness i have my smart Tracfone to call them when needed.!

I have read that if i give up my landline phone my internet bill will be higher !

I seldom make phone calls and now mostly get robo calls as i my check call id i just don't answer unless it's some one i know calling.

Re: Broken Land Line

sann — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 12:06:36 GMT

I got rid of my landline years ago. No regrets.

Re: Broken Land Line

Marp — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 12:17:30 GMT

@pprmntstx wrote:
@hckynut John, My tracfone is a flip phone that I have had for many years!

@pprmntstx if your current flip phone is truly "many years" old you need to be sure that it will continue to work later this year. Many older phones will no longer be able to be used.

Once you determine if your phone needs to be upgraded you might like this: https://www.qvc.com/Tracfone-LG-Classic-Flip-4G-LTE-with-1200-Talk-TextData.product.E234238.html

Re: Broken Land Line

alicedee — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 12:21:14 GMT

Haven't had a land line in almost 5 years. Haven't missed it at all.

I live alone, and my biggest worry has always been if I fall in the shower. I can put my iphone on the toilet tank that is an easy reach from the tub, so if I ever do slip, I have a good chance of getting to it.

Even my older sister who isn't online at all...no computer or tablet...got rid of her landline when she moved into an apartment last fall. She uses a cell phone now, and doesn't miss her landline, either.

Re: Broken Land Line

gardenman — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 12:50:42 GMT

The old analog copper landlines are failing all over the country and not being replaced due to cost. My old landline used to get horrible static and lose connection if there were any thunderstorms within maybe ten to twenty miles. What an engineer for the phone company told me was that the old main lines had hundreds of very fine individual cables in them and that the insulation was breaking down in those tiny little lines and the lines were susceptible to static electricity as a result of that. He said the problem would only get worse over time and would never improve as the cost to replace the lines was prohibitive and most people were moving to wireless options or fiber optic instead of copper landlines. I dropped my landline since they couldn't/wouldn't fix it and I've been fine without it.

Re: Broken Land Line

software — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 15:11:23 GMT

I have excellent cell phone coverage so I ditched the landline after my DH passed. He was the only one who used it, besides all the unwanted sales calls coming in. My hearing isn't that great, I don't like to talk on the phone.

I haven't missed it.

I know in some areas of the country, cell service is spotty, it's good to have a landline.

There's no right or wrong answer.