If Anyone Has Been Calling Us And Couldn't Get Through Both Precision Matthews / Quality Machine To

[jbolt]

The only way they could get you on VOIP would be over DSL. Which requires working DSL. Which requires a working pair (unless you are to connect to their VOIP over your Comcast service, but then why would you bother with them at all?)

Call the PUC and file a formal complaint. Also call your state representative and ask him to lean on the PUC. There are solutions for them short of plowing in a new cable. They can install subscriber carrier on some of the existing pairs so that you and some of your neighbors share them. They have a state-protected monooply on telephone service in your area but with that comes a requirement that they provide that service.

The overhead lines that service my neighborhood were put in in the 60's. The material the cable is made of literally turned to mush and the lines end up with direct shorts. The service technicians refer to it as "Icky-pulp". As of 3 years ago only 30% of the pairs were still viable.

Had AT&T been the only option I would have pursued it but Broadband through cable was available and the cable was already to the house. I needed to be up and running as soon as possible. It worked out for the better in the end. I went from $65 month for a business line through AT&T to $25 a month VoIP with way more features and actual customer service.

The hard lines used to always work when there was a power outage. Not the case anymore.

 

[GA Gyro]

Our old CU phone lines are buried... all the way to the big box at the head of the subdivision... which has a fiber line under it.

U-verse works pretty good, with that big fiber line at the box...
Comcast, OTOH, was the most un-reliable thing I have ever experienced...
And literally every time I would complain... the first thing they did was ask me if I had my own modum. When I said yes, they said it was my modum's fault.
Never mind it was NOT my modums fault... it was an excuse.
Went back to DSL in 2006, can count on one hand the times it has been down...
After Comcast was down about every other week.

 

[qualitymachinetools]

Thanks for the replies, had a guy from Verizon stop by last night, he said that he fixed what he could, but its still ridiculous what the fix is
I will post a picture in a minute.

 

[qualitymachinetools]

Our internet is Verizon Fios, so that is all brand new, but the phone lines are old. I really do not know anything about the VOIP phone services, I will have to check that out.

 

[GA Gyro]

Just a thought Matt...

If your Internet is reliable... I would look into VOIP phone (Voice Over Internet Protocal)
In a nutshell, they digitize the audio and send it over the internet connection.

Probably would work, and be both cheaper AND more reliable.

 

[qualitymachinetools]

This is what they did. That will fix it

 

[qualitymachinetools]

Just a thought Matt...

If your Internet is reliable... I would look into VOIP phone (Voice Over Internet Protocal)
In a nutshell, they digitize the audio and send it over the internet connection.

Probably would work, and be both cheaper AND more reliable.

I'm going to seriously look in to that.

 

[JimDawson]

This is what they did. That will fix it

Looks like duct tape would have worked better.

I have fiber to my property line but not connected yet, still on the old cable for now. They are still upgrading the system. They tell me I'll have fiber to my modem in about a year. But I have 100Mb to my desktop over the cable right now, with almost 100% up time.

 

[Subwayrocket]

Our internet is Verizon Fios, so that is all brand new, but the phone lines are old. I really do not know anything about the VOIP phone services, I will have to check that out.

VOIP ...that explains it . I called you once or twice a few weeks back ...it kept going straight to voice mail . I assumed it was just congestion on the local lines here . Anyway , thanks for always getting back ...and answering all the noob questions and emails !

 

[Tony Wells]

In the interim, if you have call forwarding on your service, you could temporarily forward all calls to a cell phone.

As far as a fix.....that doesn't look like a fix. That door is supposed to be closed, and is probably gasketed. Whatever mess he covered up evidently still doesn't fit in the box.....no credit for a fix, even if it is presently functional.

Definitely you should investigate VoIP. Many advantages to it. Main one, IMO, is that it is likely that the lines are all relatively new and will be reliable for some time. Yes, you will need a battery backup (UPS), but it doesn't take some monstrous size to keep a phone system up. I use the cheapest one at my home....MagicJack. My 'net speed is dismal as today's standards go, but it works fine. No LD charges for any calls. But then, you probably make international calls also. I believe there are packages for that also on some of the VoIP systems.