Re: Getting Telephone Lines Working
- From: Jim Redelfs <jim.redelfs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 07:15:05 -0600
In article <AmMTf.13485$bn3.3170@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"George E. Cawthon" <GeorgeC-Boise@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Are you sure the contract doesn't have some clause
excluding problems that are determined to be "old"
within a certain period (like a year).
Not that I am aware of. Of course, practices and coverages may differ
substantially between companies.
There is some degree of latitude given to the individual technician at the
premises. Over the years, I have encountered the occasional "basket case"
house where I have respectfully declined to rewire the ENTIRE place just after
the new owners took possession. Our LineBacker<tm> plan provides two, MINIMUM
coverages: There is NO charge for a technician visit and we will provide
good, working service to ONE jack.
Basically, the affected wiring and outlets must appear to the technician to
have worked RECENTLY. Connecting blocks with NO wire feeding them are not
covered. Wiring done with doorbell wire, thermostat cable, zip cord, bailing
wire and coat hangers is NOT covered. Damage to working wire by hanging
clothes on them across the basement is not covered.
Generally, here, our coverage is quite liberal with the instance of coverage
declination being rare.
The plan is generally a rip off for most people.
As is the case with most extended warranties and similar coverages. We are
the New and Improved Fone Company: We're in business to MAKE money.
Although I am sure it happens, probably more in some areas than others,
I have never heard of a person have a problem in their house wiring that
they didn't cause.
Well, as an "insider", I HAVE heard of them - and fixed them.
The owner of a newer, fine, 5-BR, two-story home reported noise on their line.
The trouble showed to the INSIDE of the home. Without the inside coverage,
but without an official NID, I was not allowed to invoke the trouble isolation
charge. (Fine with me, I have to live in this neighborhood.)
I installed, at no charge, a NID (Network Interface Device/demarc). The
customer chose to pay our EXORBITANT hourly rate to have me locate and repair
the trouble. It took HOURS.
The house was wired with sheathed, 24-gauge, 6-pair cable in a loop
configuration (single run of cable looping throughout the large home). I
eventually isolated the trouble to between two bedrooms. They had mice in the
attic that were chewing on the cable. I was able to find/create ONE, good
pair across the fault to restore dialtone to the jacks beyond.
I informed my customer that the fix could last for years or as long as it took
to get out of their driveway. Since the "meter" was at about the $400 point,
the good man opted to call the job completed. I never heard from them again.
This is an excellent example of why some of these fine home BURN: If you
think the mice are chewing ONLY on phone wiring, you are mistaken.
any reasonably handy man can repair a cut
A cut? Sure. A home with TWO lines (and all two-line phones) where the two
lines are CROSSED requires substantially more skill and experience.
Yet Another Horror Story: The first step is to disconnect ALL telephone
equipment. We did that, yet the cross remained.
I then proceeded to get down on my hands and knees with a MiniMag light and
look into EVERY jack. Zippo. They were all clean.
OK, now it's time to take the jacks off the wall.
Prior to each step, I asked the customer if ALL equipment had been removed.
He assured me it had. Prior to the start of removing jacks, I asked him AGAIN
if I had seen ALL the jacks. He assured me that I had.
At about the $350 point, he said, "Oops! I forgot!" There was an unused jack
in the attached garage I had not checked. The cruddy, green corrosion was
actually hanging OUT of the block a bit. I clipped-off the wire, the cross
disappeared and I put his home back together for another $75.
Wires laying on the wet ground under a mobile home; A worker pulls-off the
wire stapled to exterior siding prior to painting and LEAVES it laying on the
ground; cat "sprays" on a jack; toddler jams crayon into a jack; etc., etc.
We all buy car insurance hoping we'll never need it. We buy LIFE insurance
hoping we'll never die. The inside wire maintenance plan is no different.
You're betting you'll need it and the telco is betting you won't. Obviously,
it makes money for the telco or they wouldn't sell the coverage. Heaven knows
I've wasted my money on worse things.
It still amazes me that some 16 percent or more of
telephone users still rent their phones.
I am skeptical of that statistic. It may have been true only a few years ago
but I heard that AT&T divested itself of most (all?) residential rental
equipment a few years ago. I believe they just "walked away" from it. In any
case, it has been YEARS since I have encountered a customer still renting.
You could buy a telephone every year or two with what the rent costs.
Make that every six months or less. So far, I have purchased FIVE AT&T
Trimline<tm> 210 phones from Best Buy for ~$12.50 each. Of course, they are
made by "slaves" in China, but what isn't today? As "corded" phones, they are
pretty good.
--
:)
JR
.
- References:
- Getting Telephone Lines Working
- From: DaileyJohn.20.decij@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Re: Getting Telephone Lines Working
- From: mm
- Re: Getting Telephone Lines Working
- From: Randy Day
- Re: Getting Telephone Lines Working
- From: mm
- Re: Getting Telephone Lines Working
- From: w_tom
- Re: Getting Telephone Lines Working
- From: Jim Redelfs
- Re: Getting Telephone Lines Working
- From: DaileyJohn.20.decij@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Re: Getting Telephone Lines Working
- From: Jim Redelfs
- Re: Getting Telephone Lines Working
- From: George E. Cawthon
- Getting Telephone Lines Working
- Prev by Date: Re: Deck cleaning description
- Next by Date: Re: recessed ceiling light troubles
- Previous by thread: Re: Getting Telephone Lines Working
- Next by thread: Drilling through the slab
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
