Re: neighbor's contractor cut my phone line

meirman wrote: 
The neighbor's contractor cut my phone line

Is soldering and taping good enough for an outdoor phone line repair?

Or should I have the phone company come and do it according to its
standards?

I don't want to get stuck paying later, when the contractor is long
gone and maybe the neighbor too.	


The neighbor's contractor was working right at the property line and
cut my phone line.  I found him with the 4 wires stripped from each
end, and he was wrapping the wires together, and going to use wire
nuts and electrical tape.

I stopped him and soldered the connections, used his wire nuts for
some reason, and then used stretch tape (I think it is called silicon
tape) which normally gives a much better seal, afaict.  But I don't
really know how long the tape lasts.  The splice is two inches above
the dirt, and would look better covered with dirt (which I guess they
didn't do, because I had complained that just wrapping the wires isn't
good enough for an underground connection.)

All 4 of my solders were good. No possible cold solders.

The neighbor himself suggested I call the phone company, and that he
would pay. The woman at the repair office won't tell me how much they
charge for this until the repairman comes out. And then I will have
to pay for the service call. The woman admitted a lot of people don't
call them, of course. 

I don't want the neighbor or even the contractor to pay if my repair
is good enough, but if I don't get him to pay now, when it breaks
later, the contractor will be long gone, and maybe my neighbor too.
And I'll have to pay.


(The contractors didn't cut a buried wire.  They knew the wire was
there and one was holding it out of the way, while the other used a 4-
or 5-foot rod to jab at the cement left in the ground from a fence
post.  He hit it several times before he cut the wire. :)  )  They
should have used a rod that they held in place, and hit it with a
sledge or something, instead of moving the whole 5 foot pole, right?

(FWIW, they also didn't tell me they had cut my line, didn't apologize
when I found out (I was 15 feet away and on the ohter side of bushes,
but I heard one talk to the other), didn't tell me they were going to
"fix" it or when, and I was going to call the phone company when I
went outside again to do a temporary repair, and saw that they had
started their repair.  I don't think they planned to tell me at all
that they had cut it.)

Thanks.


Meirman
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Hi,
Your job is to report the incident to your phone co. They'll take care of everything. The cable is not your property. Your phone service is
interrupted for whatever reason, they will take care of it properly.
Tony
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: neighbors contractor cut my phone line
    ... I found him with the 4 wires stripped from each ... The neighbor himself suggested I call the phone company, ... to pay for the service call. ... I don't want the neighbor or even the contractor to pay if my repair ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Neighbors contracter cut my phone line
    ... Is soldering and taping good enough for an outdoor phone line repair? ... Or should I have the phone company come and do it according to their ... end, and he was wrapping the wires together, and going to use wire ... I don't want the neighbor to pay if my repair is good enough, ...
    (sci.electronics.repair)
  • Re: neighbors contractor cut my phone line
    ... end, and he was wrapping the wires together, and going to use wire ... The neighbor himself suggested I call the phone company, ... to pay for the service call. ... I don't want the neighbor or even the contractor to pay if my repair ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: Neighbors contracter cut my phone line
    ... Or should I have the phone company come and do it according to their ... I found him with the 4 wires stripped from each end, and he was wrapping the wires together, and going to use wire nuts and electrical tape. ... I don't want the neighbor to pay if my repair is good enough, ...
    (sci.electronics.repair)
  • Re: neighbors contractor cut my phone line
    ... I found him with the 4 wires stripped from each ... The neighbor himself suggested I call the phone company, ... to pay for the service call. ... I don't want the neighbor or even the contractor to pay if my repair ...
    (alt.home.repair)