AT&T has new charges now for when your phone goes out. Example, if there is a storm and a tree or something breaks the line and your phone goes out, you call them. Guess what....You will get a bill for $85.00 ! I just got off the phone with them. My mothers phone when out, we called and reported it, they fixed it without go to the house and charged her $85. Mom has inside wiring. If they have to come in your home the charge is $110 the $40 will be dropped if you have inside wiring, but you still have to pay $85
We did have moms phone changed to comcast but I don't have cable way out here. I could use just my cell phone, but I would have to give up Direct TV we have the kind that records movies. It has to make a call to be able to receive movies if we want to order them or we want to use the recorder. So I am stuck with them YUCK ! I don't even watch TV. Buddy and the kids do.

So if you have AT&T beware, know the next time you call them when your phone goes out it will cost ya !

Land line? What's that?

In this area, AT&T has offered a plan to pay a nominal monthly fee for the maintenance of your inside wiring, rather than pay for a service call.
They've offered this for years.

That said, it cost us $38 - $40 a month for a land line that was never used.  We went all cellular in December and other than the habit of looking for a blinking message light when we walk in the door, we haven't missed it at all.

Mosaicwench wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2008 at 5:40pm:

We went all cellular in December and other than the habit of looking for a blinking message light when we walk in the door, we haven't missed it at all.

LOL....I too went all cellular, and love it....but I do still look around for that answering machine when I walk in :)

Yeah, we went all cellular around two years ago.  Haven't missed the land line at all.  

When we canceled, we got a horror story from the jilted carrier (they transfer you to a special guy when you want to cancel, whose job is to try to talk you out of it) about not having enhanced 911.  But...nobody's had enhanced 911 for about ninety percent of my life, so I told him I guessed we'd survive.  So far, so good.

Best,

George    

Have no choice, I have to have a land line.  I have to transmit data every night ( and lo and behold, company won't even let me expense it out, cheap bastids).

deltadarlin wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2008 at 6:38pm:

I have to transmit data every night ( and lo and behold, company won't even let me expense it out, cheap bastids).

That is just plain WRONG!!!!  >:(

It's been several years since I have had a land line.  I have a personal phone and I have a business phone, what the hell do I need another phone for?
The only drawback was no fax line, until I signed up with an EFax service.  

Landline phone companies suck.  I have no regrets.

Elaine,

You have choices.  You can ditch your land line and still get DirecTV.  I have used DirecTV for years with my Vonage line and it works just fine.  With Vonage, you need your internet connection, I use a cable modem.  Obviously you don't have cable, but maybe you can get plain old DSL and use VoIP on that (Vonage is just a VoIP service, just like the cable companies telephone service).

Another option if you have cellular coverage in your area is to use a router that works with a data card.  I have one that works with my 3G card from Sprint.  I have plugged my Vonage line into that before with no problems.  The router is made by Linksys.  Unlimited data on the Sprint network is $60/month, and you get really good speeds usually (anywhere from 800Kb to 3000Kb).  I can even stream video on it.

I have completely ditched land lines, and I have DirecTV, multiple phones, high-speed Internet and a really cool IPTV service too (totally top secret project I am working on...)  If you want specific help with this, let me know.

-Shawn

wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2008 at 8:15pm:

(totally top secret project I am working on...)

If your heading that, I will invest!  :)

Me thinks I'm getting screwed.... but the land line is my connection to the kids during the day, but if I could find a good high speed internet provider around here that would offset the costs of keeping the landline in place...well lets just say i'd add the kids to a family plan if it were a  savings.

Sucks E.......This is where it's good to know someone who knows someone that knows someone into breaking legs or the like..... START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGESTART PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

Isn't there something about if you want to reconnect to landlines sometime down the line, that it costs a fortune? Something I read somewhere about some physical aspect of the thing....

Pay no attention to my blather....

Charlie

There's no big problem disconnecting or reconnecting, apart from the crocodile tears they give you to try and keep you.

They try to scare people by saying their 911 service won't be the same (it is substantially the same).

The reality is, most people need network, phone and TV.  Networking is the most basic need, as you can have the other two as long as you have network.

Land lines suck... I still have one connected to the house for the alarm, not sure if those guys are every going to let me put that signal over VoIP.

Furbar, I called Vonage but I have satellited Internet Hughes and they said it won't work with satellite, that it only works with Cableor DSL.

I been looking all over for other phone service and can't get any way out here.
Cable doesn't come way out here.  Hell we don't even have water lines out here.

Mosaicwench call AT&T things have changed. you can have the inside wire service, but you still get charged $85 if you call your phone out. They just don't charge you another $40 if its your inside wireing.

Its not right...if its there lines outside thats down you shouldn't be charged for that. With gas prices I might could see a $10 charge but $85 is outrages. My Mother is on SS and can't afford that.

I'm with Elaine -- we're so far out in the "sticks" we have to take what we can GET.  I'm on Windstream and they even charge for THEIR mistakes.

They had a "bundle" package (phone, DSL and Dish-TV) Gave me a price - and I asked THREE times if this was right!!! Jonathan (the guy that GAVE me the price repeated it several times so ...) Got my bill - guess what? Called them -- TUFF! Next month same S&^%!! finally filed a complaint with the FCC.  I'm still paying a hell of a lot more than Jonathan said it was going to cost me, but less than they WERE charging.

But let something go wrong and they CHARGE for it. Can't get ANYTHING in writing as to what I've got (although I've asked numerous times).

I have to have a phone because I have to have a fax and can't hear on my cell half the time don't know how to work the darn thing either!).

I did raise hell about a charge for them fixing a phone line that we cut when working on the yard because they only buried it 2 damn inches under the ground and got most of my money back on that one, but it's still not buried where it's supposed to be.

I NEVER had this trouble with Verizon!!!! But I was in TOWN when I had them....

Hugs BD

Elaine,

I would call and complain if I were you. I have been in the phone business for 24 years, worked for AT&T and still have many friends that work for AT&T.
They ARE NOT allowed to charge you for repair for anything outside of the house. If they could fix it from the office, it obviously is a software problem and has absolutely nothing to do with hardware (wire/jacks) at all.

THEY are responsible for any problems outside of the house all the way back to the central office or hut and I would not accept these charges if I were you or your Mom. If a squirrel chewed on your wire outside and knocked out the phone, is it going to cost another $85 dollars? I think not!

You should call and complain because this almost borders on being illegal.

Another way that they get people is to charge them for wire maintenance inside the house. Copper wire just doesn't "go bad" inside the house unless someone is messing with it or abusing it and almost everyone knows how to wire a phone jack anyway. Or just ask me! ;)

If a critter chews through it inside the wall, that's a different story but is still a very minor problem to fix.

I wish everyone would send me the $5-7 a month that they charge for the wire maintenance and I will fix it when something goes wrong inside the house. I would be a rich man and not have a whole lot to do and chances are I would never have to come to your house.

Wisconsin= $5 per month x 3 million customers

I would make $15,000,000 per month and could probably cover everything for about $5,000,000 in costs associated with the maintenance of the wire, or lack thereof :D

Jimmers

HappyElaine wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2008 at 5:25pm:

AT&T has new charges now for when your phone goes out. Example, if there is a storm and a tree or something breaks the line and your phone goes out, you call them. Guess what....You will get a bill for $85.00 !

Call the business office once you receive the bill. My husband is a repairman for at&t, he said if it is outside the house it is not billable unless you are digging and hit the underground line and you did not call before you dig, then you could be billed, though he doesn't usually.  Inside wiring is a different story, but there is linebacker to cover that for a few dollars a month.  It depends on the individual technician whether to bill or not, but there is not a "written rule"  

Jace,

That is my sentiment exactly! Same thing I said.

Now where's my 10 million a month :D

Jimmers