FairPoint

[Dog's Ear]

Has anyone else been having trouble contacting FairPoint? We have been trying for two weeks to suspend our service for the season. No one answers the phone for Customer Service. We called billing and they said there was a strike going on but would transfer the call to Customer Service. Still, no answer. We sent a letter (USPS) and have not had any response. There is not an email address to contact them either. Yikes!!! Any one else?

[Merrymeeting]

You know most of their workers are on strike, right?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fairpo...103000552.html

[Dog's Ear]

Thanks, We didn't realize the impact until we read your link. We have been back in Ct since before the strike. There is a difference of about $100.00 a month between active service and our seasonal suspension so we will just keep on trying to reach someone.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by Dog's Ear

Has anyone else been having trouble contacting FairPoint? We have been trying for two weeks to suspend our service for the season. No one answers the phone for Customer Service. We called billing and they said there was a strike going on but would transfer the call to Customer Service. Still, no answer. We sent a letter (USPS) and have not had any response. There is not an email address to contact them either. Yikes!!! Any one else?

They are horrible to get in touch with when they are not on strike!

Good luck!

Dan

[Slickcraft]

I called at 8:30 am today, got right through and suspended the DSL for the winter.

[MAXUM]

We've had a recent run in with Fairpoint and their lack of customer service, but to be honest it seems like this is pretty much the way it is because we used to use Comcast and they were just as bad, if not worse. They are really nice to new customers but boy once they have you as a customer forget about it.

Sadly it's not as if there are many options, in some cases there isn't.

[MDoug]

We also have spent three weeks trying to contact customer service--still not able to get through to suspend service for winter.
Wrote letter to office in Portland, ME. Hope it gets through to someone who can help.

[DougNH]

Called to terminate my phone service the other day. I was on hold for about an hour. I just put the phone on speaker and went about my business. I went Ooma and it has been great, about $100 for the hardware and no monthly charges.

[dpg]

If a bunch of people called and canceled and when they ask tell them their customer service sucks, something will change.

[BroadHopper]

And actually talk with one of the higher ups. He apologize for the disruption in service as the strike put a hold on a lot of services. They will take care of emergencies. So be patience, I saw in the papers, the union is getting a bit nasty. The police was hired for detail work.

[MDoug]

Originally Posted by DougNH

Called to terminate my phone service the other day. I was on hold for about an hour. I just put the phone on speaker and went about my business. I went Ooma and it has been great, about $100 for the hardware and no monthly charges.

I finally got through, thanks to Fairpoint adding on a seasonal customer category on the computer voice answering process. I was able to put my service on winter suspension but was told that I would have to contact customer service to discuss charges incurred since I started calling for suspension and not getting through.

[ericnh]

I felt bad for Fairpoint, can't understand how NH govt allowed Verizon to dump its Nh, Me and Vt business on a company that is clueless and immediately went into a financial tailspin.... and bankruptcy protection. Anyhow, they are the most incompetent and out of touch service company I have ever worked with. They didn't call to let me know that they were not going to show up for an appointment that I drove up to our lake place for... Waited around all afternoon and no show. When I called at the end of the day.. They said " we were going to call you and tell you are tech can't make it". When they did show up the next week the tech said "I can't run a wire from the utility pole to your house in the dedicated telephone conduit.... you have to get an electrician to do it". I went to Home Depot and got a $19 snake kit and did it myself in 10 minutes. They spent 30 minutes driving to my house, 30 minutes driving back because they couldn't do a simple cable pull-thru? Who runs a business like that? Anyhow, I decided to cancel the 3rd attempt from Fairpoint in favor of a company that has a measure of customer service... happily with Metrocast.

[BroadHopper]

Metrocast? Well I envy you! I have far better luck with another VOIP vendor. Vonage, is great as long as Metrocast internet is up. Which is the biggest problem. I here of many folks using Google for their phone calls and it is free! Not sure how that works.

Seems like the union wants to keep their Cadillac pension plan and retirement health benefits when US companies are dissolving pension plans in favor of 401Ks and IRA and retirement health plans in favor of Part C. I don't blame Fairpoint in being competitive especially when POTS (plain old telephone service) is in a rapid decline. It is like putting the horse behind the cart.

Fibre optics network is extremely expensive compares to cable, yet the bandwidth is astronomical. Fairpoint can only survive providing the bandwidth to internet providers and large companies.

[songkrai]

Originally Posted by ericnh

I felt bad for Fairpoint, can't understand how NH govt allowed Verizon to dump its Nh, Me and Vt business on a company that is clueless and immediately went into a financial tailspin.... and bankruptcy protection.

Well, it's a tad complicated.
All very little to do with VT and NH governments.
Verizon.
Formally New England Telephone and then later Nynex.

With deregulation. New England Telephone had a monopoly - regulated.
With the breakup of AT&T. Came the baby bells. New England Telephone/Nynex became Verizon.

In short - Verizon saw the handwriting on the wall with cell phones.
Verizon sold the phone book business. Verizon sold the telephone poles.
Verizon ultimately sold the land line business.

The investors/management of FairPoint - just didn't get it all along.

Young people now don't have a land line. And throw in cable/internet phone - and FairPoint is on a dead end street.

[boat_guy64]

Our phone died a little over a week ago. (2nd time in the past 3 months) I called and was told we are guaranteed to be up and running by the 21st. On the 21st, I got a computerized call (on my cell phone) that stated that Fairpoint would be unable to meet their obligation. As of tomorrow, land line phone service will be cut to both houses.

This pathetic, bankrupt company never should have received government approval to acquire these lines. They have proven it over and over. As of tomorrow, they won't exist anymore from my point of view. My guess is that soon enough, they won't exist at all.

[HellRaZoR004]

songkrai has it completely correct! I've never had a landline - why spend the money when you have a cell phone?

[tabascocat98]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

And actually talk with one of the higher ups. He apologize for the disruption in service as the strike put a hold on a lot of services. They will take care of emergencies. So be patience, I saw in the papers, the union is getting a bit nasty. The police was hired for detail work.

Actually police details are always hired int his situation and if you speak to the police the union workers are not causing problems. If you read int he papers that the union workers are "nasty" you must be reading the bogus PR from the company. We should be standing with the workers.

[Reilly]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Metrocast? Well I envy you! I have far better luck with another VOIP vendor. Vonage, is great as long as Metrocast internet is up. Which is the biggest problem. I here of many folks using Google for their phone calls and it is free! Not sure how that works.

Seems like the union wants to keep their Cadillac pension plan and retirement health benefits when US companies are dissolving pension plans in favor of 401Ks and IRA and retirement health plans in favor of Part C. I don't blame Fairpoint in being competitive especially when POTS (plain old telephone service) is in a rapid decline. It is like putting the horse behind the cart.

Fibre optics network is extremely expensive compares to cable, yet the bandwidth is astronomical. Fairpoint can only survive providing the bandwidth to internet providers and large companies.

This thread has nothing to do with unions

[chipj29]

Originally Posted by HellRaZoR004

songkrai has it completely correct! I've never had a landline - why spend the money when you have a cell phone?

I have the Comcast bundle (phone/internet/CATV). I wanted to cancel the phone service, since I don’t really need it. My Comcast bill would have gone up $20 a month.
So in my case, it is cheaper to keep the home phone.

[songkrai]

Originally Posted by tabascocat98

Actually police details are always hired int his situation and if you speak to the police the union workers are not causing problems. If you read int he papers that the union workers are "nasty" you must be reading the bogus PR from the company. We should be standing with the workers.

In any company such as this it is management that will make or break a company.
(read the book: Good to Great, by James Collins)


FairPoint extends CEO Paul Sunu's contract

“In 2012, Sunu earned $4.2 million in total compensation, including his baseline salary of $750,000. Other forms of compensation in 2012 included a $157,220 bonus, $1 million in stock options, $2.2 million awarded as stock and $103,783 from other types of compensation.”
Source: fiercetelcom.com

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by HellRaZoR004

songkrai has it completely correct! I've never had a landline - why spend the money when you have a cell phone?

now at my house, I do not have good cell coverage. Friends have zero coverage at their houses. Hence, the need for landlines,

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

Originally Posted by upthesaukee

now at my house, I do not have good cell coverage. Friends have zero coverage at their houses. Hence, the need for landlines,

Another reason...Lots of people like the security of having a landline in case they need to call 911. Enhanced 911 would send help to the phones address where a cell won't. In the event you couldn't talk, just dialing 911 will cause police to respond.

That being said...I haven't had a land line for 10+ years.

[BroadHopper]

Originally Posted by PaugusBayFireFighter

Another reason...Lots of people like the security of having a landline in case they need to call 911. Enhanced 911 would send help to the phones address where a cell won't. In the event you couldn't talk, just dialing 911 will cause police to respond.

That being said...I haven't had a land line for 10+ years.

E911 in NH has the ability to locate a call from a cell phone to within 100 feet of a phone providing the phone is on.

See http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/e...nfo/index.html

There is a wealth of information here regarding 911. If you have love ones with a disability or mobility issues, please have them fill out an ALI form. This program is unique to NH.

[Greene's Basin Girl]

Originally Posted by chipj29

I have the Comcast bundle (phone/internet/CATV). I wanted to cancel the phone service, since I don’t really need it. My Comcast bill would have gone up $20 a month.
So in my case, it is cheaper to keep the home phone.

The same situation happened to me with Time Warner. It would cost me more to cancel the phone because I have a bundle. I now have the landline unplugged. I love it when telemarketers call. I see the telemarketers phone number on my television, but the phone doesn't ring.

[chipj29]

Originally Posted by Greene's Basin Girl

The same situation happened to me with Time Warner. It would cost me more to cancel the phone because I have a bundle. I now have the landline unplugged. I love it when telemarketers call. I see the telemarketers phone number on my television, but the phone doesn't ring.

My phone rings, but the fax machine picks it up. All the caller hears is that lovely screeching sound.