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Comments on news posted 2007-11-06 11:06:41: Network World writer Paul McNamara e-mails us to note that Verizon FiOS installation crews are in the news once again, this time for a fire in a Philadelphia-area apartment. ..


Belinrahs
I have an ego the size of a small planet
Premium Member
join:2007-09-07
Nashville, MI

Belinrahs

Premium Member

Doh!

Tee hee, I'd hate to be caught up in that mess. I'd sue immediately...

ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT

1 recommendation

ptrowski

Premium Member

Blazingly fast?

I knew they speeds were good, but it sounds like they are blazingly fast! They are on fire!

ztmike
Mark for moderation
Premium Member
join:2001-08-02
La Porte, IN

2 recommendations

ztmike

Premium Member

Re: Blazingly fast?

said by ptrowski:

I knew they speeds were good, but it sounds like they are blazingly fast! They are on fire!

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

1 recommendation

dvd536 to ptrowski

Premium Member

to ptrowski
said by ptrowski:

I knew they speeds were good, but it sounds like they are blazingly fast! They are on fire!
haahahahaahahahahahaha. its so fast that you go running from your house!

ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT

ptrowski

Premium Member

Re: Blazingly fast?

SMOKIN!!!!!

Gargamel
@verizon.net

Gargamel

Anon

please spell check yourselves it's annoying

Seriously "I knew they speeds?

ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT

ptrowski

Premium Member

Re: please spell check yourselves it's annoying

said by Gargamel :

Seriously "I knew they speeds?
Sorry, I don't take requests from anonymous users.
wentlanc
You Can't Fix Dumb..
join:2003-07-30
Maineville, OH

1 recommendation

wentlanc to Gargamel

Member

to Gargamel
Please intelligence check yourself before trying to slam others. It was a grammatical mistake, not spelling. "they" was spelled correctly, but was used incorrectly. And why the incessant need to bash someone because they typed an extra character. Got nothing else to do today, or what?

ptrowski
Got Helix?
Premium Member
join:2005-03-14
Woodstock, CT

ptrowski

Premium Member

Re: please spell check yourselves it's annoying

It was me typing too fast. I do know they difference between they're and their, I just had a momentary lapse of reason.

I was going to type "I knew that they are fast" but decided to change my post.
moonpuppy (banned)
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD

moonpuppy (banned)

Member

And here we go again......

Once again, Verizon thinks it is better to get into the news with their stupidity and not fix a problem they caused themselves.

The $58,000 bill is chump change compared to the massive legal bill they will receive from their own lawyers not to mention the enormous bad reputation and black eye from how they dealt with this case.

Unless they can truly argue dollars and cents, they better suck it up and pay this one quickly.
BosstonesOwn
join:2002-12-15
Wakefield, MA

BosstonesOwn

Member

Re: And here we go again......

said by moonpuppy:

Once again, Verizon thinks it is better to get into the news with their stupidity and not fix a problem they caused themselves.

The $58,000 bill is chump change compared to the massive legal bill they will receive from their own lawyers not to mention the enormous bad reputation and black eye from how they dealt with this case.

Unless they can truly argue dollars and cents, they better suck it up and pay this one quickly.
Never worked at a big company have you ? Verizon has it's own legal time as does many huge corporations. And they can afford to pay the best , which is why going to court really costs them next to nothing. Since everything the lawyer uses is tax deduction.
moonpuppy (banned)
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD

moonpuppy (banned)

Member

Re: And here we go again......

I used to work for a large DOD contractor and a theater company. Both were more interested in settlement than in bad publicity.

AnonProxy
Premium Member
join:2001-05-12

AnonProxy to moonpuppy

Premium Member

to moonpuppy
Most council is in house and being paid anyway. So why not use them. In the end if they burn down a couple houses, do you REALLY think that is going to stop people from buying the service....no.
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

3 edits

rody_44

Premium Member

thats why you should have renters insurance.

thats what renters insurance is for. why do people think utility companies should issue blank checks. im a contractor and once drilled into a sprinkler system in a home in the warrington area. it cost my insurance 1,800 dollars. a comcast tech drilled into one with less damage and it cost comcast 110,000 dollars. thats a true story. things like this either should be handled by the insurance companies or in a court room. not issue a blank check for resolution.

ropeguru
Premium Member
join:2001-01-25
Mechanicsville, VA

ropeguru

Premium Member

Re: thats why you should have renters insurance.

Hmmmm... Something fishy with your "true" story...

Does every uh oh only cost $1800? Funny that youe insurance cost was exactly the same as what Verizon offered these people.

In essence, you are saying that a company's installers, or contractors, should bear no responsibility for the damage and loss caused by them??
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

1 edit

rody_44

Premium Member

Re: thats why you should have renters insurance.

thats what it cost my insurance company 1,800 dollars. it was a plastic pvc in the wall between the second floor and the attic. if i knew it was only going to cost 1800 i would have paid it out of pocket since my deductible is 1000.00. mine happened in a new 600,000 dollar home and thats what it cost for repairs. it cost my insurance 1800.00 and they recieved the 1000.00 deductible from me.
moonpuppy (banned)
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD

1 recommendation

moonpuppy (banned) to rody_44

Member

to rody_44
Why should the renter's insurance company have to pay for a claim that was caused by negligence? Verizon's techs caused the damage so their insurance should pay for it.

Now, I do agree that renters should have renter's insurance (and, for the property I rent out, I require it.) However, if Verizon damaged my property, my insurance shouldn;t have to put out one penny and my rates shouldn't go up because of their mistake.
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

2 edits

rody_44

Premium Member

Re: thats why you should have renters insurance.

insurance companies dont just pay the claim. they pay a fair claim and then they go after who is responsible. its the american way. if there is truly 58,000 dollars worth of damage you certainly dont just write a check.
boober321
join:2003-07-15
Milwaukee, WI

boober321

Member

Re: thats why you should have renters insurance.

What I find ridiculous is that the home owner of the duplex said HIS insurance would pay for damages to the house. I think that's a load of crap. And no you don't want to go through your own insurance necessarily. One claim and you could be dropped. American Family was this was back in the day.
gaforces (banned)
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
join:2002-04-07
Santa Cruz, CA

2 edits

gaforces (banned) to rody_44

Member

to rody_44
Contractors are liable for thier work. They are bonded and insured for this very reason.
Lol, dont you wish that homeowners/renters insurance covered this ...
Now you prolly have a hard time getting insured, and pay higher premiums over 800$ that your insurance had to pay.

pokesph
It Is Almost Fast
Premium Member
join:2001-06-25
Sacramento, CA

1 edit

pokesph

Premium Member

install fires

Hmm.. why aren't the Verizon installers checking where the drill (screw/cut/poke) first? Come on.. it's pretty basic.. install-101 even. (look before you leep..) plan your installation, check for obstructions, etc..

Do these installers have ANY professional training?
myokitis
join:2004-06-19
Alexandria, VA

1 edit

myokitis

Member

Re: insatall fires

said by pokesph:

Hmm.. why aren't the Verizon installers checking where the drill (screw/cut/poke) first? Come on.. it's pretty basic.. install-101 even. (look before you leep..) plan your installation, check for obstructions, etc..

Do these installers have ANY professional training?
Do you recommend they use X-Ray vision goggles to see what wires lurk behind sheetrock or on the other side of framing members? Even sensors that claim to alert you to wires behind walls aren't always usable depending on where you're fishing cable. With the right equipment (4 foot "Versabit" I believe) it's possible to drill far from where you can fit your hand to even use such as sensor.

Wish I had such X-ray vision or ESP to give myself a 0% chance of ever hitting something unexpected when fishing cable in my house.
smcallah
join:2004-08-05
Home

smcallah

Member

Re: insatall fires

said by myokitis:

Do you recommend they use X-Ray vision goggles to see what wires lurk behind sheetrock or on the other side of framing members? Even sensors that claim to alert you to wires behind walls aren't always usable depending on where you're fishing cable. With the right equipment (4 foot "Versabit" I believe) it's possible to drill far from where you can fit your hand to even use such as sensor.

Wish I had such X-ray vision or ESP to give myself a 0% chance of ever hitting something unexpected when fishing cable in my house.
I recommend they do something instead of risking this type of damage. This is not normal or acceptable.

How would anyone like having to stay in a hotel or with family while waiting on a contractor's insurance company to get on the ball and pay for fixing a major issue.

They don't need to have X-Ray goggles. They need to have common sense. Like, is it possible there may be wiring near where they are drilling? Even if they use some of the tools that are not so accurate, they still may find obvious wires in the wall.

And if the wire wasn't where it should have been in the first place, then perhaps it is not their fault, and could be the fault of the original electrical installer, or it could be a bad install by the homeowner/landlord himself.
SJ FiOS Tech
join:2007-08-01
Medford, NJ

SJ FiOS Tech

Member

Re: insatall fires

"Like, is it possible there may be wiring near where they are drilling?"

Anything is possible! Who knows what the previous owner(s) have done.

"Even if they use some of the tools that are not so accurate, they still may find obvious wires in the wall."

Did you even read that statement after you wrote it? "obvious wires in the wall" thats a good one!

"And if the wire wasn't where it should have been in the first place, then perhaps it is not their fault, and could be the fault of the original electrical installer, or it could be a bad install by the homeowner/landlord himself."

I've been an installer for 9 years and I have accidentally drilled/cut into wiring on two occasions. Both times there was absolutely no indication that there was wiring where I was drilling. the only way that i could have been 150% sure that there was no obstructions in my way, is to have the homeowner open the walls so that it could be visually inspected. (An pretty unreasonable request in my opinion.) Unfortunatley, accidents happen. Thats why companies, large and small, carry insurance.

Besides, having a handful of incidents like this one over the course of over 1 million installations, I'd say that the installers have a pretty good track record.
smcallah
join:2004-08-05
Home

smcallah

Member

Re: insatall fires

What is wrong with you?

Obviously you have a problem with people calling out these horrible problems that contractors have caused with their work.

Don't take it out on me or anyone here. Take it out on the installers that have put this image forth.

Are you personally responsible for destroying someone's home? Would you want to be? Would you want your home destroyed just for the promise of high speed Internet and TV service?

Individuals don't care about statistics. If you are in the "handful" out of 1 million installations, why do you care if it was only a handful?

You seriously don't get the point. Even one home being seriously damaged or destroyed, and then the contractor or Verizon giving the run around is unacceptable. And there should be policies in place.

NYR 56
Premium Member
join:2000-12-05
Smithtown, NY

NYR 56

Premium Member

Re: insatall fires

That is so absurd it isn't even funny. You expect these installers to be God and NEVER make a mistake? It's IMPOSSIBLE to ALWAYS know where the wires are and the statistic of how many wires have been hit is VERY relevant, even if you don't want to be in that small percent. I suppose you think we should stop using all vaccines because a handful of people will have serious side effects.
SJ FiOS Tech
join:2007-08-01
Medford, NJ

SJ FiOS Tech to smcallah

Member

to smcallah
What's wrong with me? I believe you threw down the gauntlet first by saying that "they need to have common sense".

I don't have a problem with anybody calling people on the carpet, but I do understand that accidents happen. If the installer drilled through an exposed wire, then shame on him.

I would bet that Verizon looked deeply into this unfortunate incident and if the technician did do something wrong that technician will be dealt with accordingly. They don't take property damage lightly.

If you think I'm taking it out on you, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. Just remember those who throw stones, shouldn't live in glass houses.

*****NYR 56, well said!
BosstonesOwn
join:2002-12-15
Wakefield, MA

BosstonesOwn to myokitis

Member

to myokitis
said by myokitis:
said by pokesph:

Hmm.. why aren't the Verizon installers checking where the drill (screw/cut/poke) first? Come on.. it's pretty basic.. install-101 even. (look before you leep..) plan your installation, check for obstructions, etc..

Do these installers have ANY professional training?
Do you recommend they use X-Ray vision goggles to see what wires lurk behind sheetrock or on the other side of framing members? Even sensors that claim to alert you to wires behind walls aren't always usable depending on where you're fishing cable. With the right equipment (4 foot "Versabit" I believe) it's possible to drill far from where you can fit your hand to even use such as sensor.

Wish I had such X-ray vision or ESP to give myself a 0% chance of ever hitting something unexpected when fishing cable in my house.
This place is starting to get as bad as slashdot. Every one seems to be an electrician or an installer who has never broken a thing.

I have used some of those shitty gadgets and to be honest they barely work at times.

I was running network cables in a 3 million dollar home before and hit a pvc stack pipe with a drill while going through a wall to fish the cable. The folks complained of bad smell for a couple of hours until I punched a bigger hole in the wall and seen I grazed the pvc.

The real issue is that these tools are not good at finding plastic covered materials. Which is probably one of the reasons this guy hit the wire.

They should have had renters insurance and went there. Let the insurance company fight it out with Verizon and save yourself the headache.
boober321
join:2003-07-15
Milwaukee, WI

boober321

Member

Re: insatall fires

said by BosstonesOwn See Profile

They should have had renters insurance and went there. Let the insurance company fight it out with Verizon and save yourself the headache.
[/BQUOTE :


Why should they turn it into their insurance?!? It most likely will result in either increased rates or a loss of policy. If at all possible, never go to your own insurance,
Expand your moderator at work

Blazing
@in.us

Blazing

Anon

Blazingly fast speeds

Blazingly fast speeds at Blazingly high prices!

So high we'll take your house for it.

Homebrew19947
Betzwood Basement Brewery
join:2001-11-15
King Of Prussia, PA

Homebrew19947

Member

Check the sources

There is no newspaper called the Philadelphia Intelligencer.

••••

ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

ninjatutle

Member

$58k worth of stuff?

Not letting Verizon off the hook but dang. Talk about trying to milk a cow. Kind of hard to furnish a 800sqft rented duplex with that much money. I'd like to see an itemized list.

••••••••••••••••

RobW47
@covad.net

RobW47

Anon

FiOS & newspapers

My FiOS has been off all day and I'm having trouble connecting to Verizon's website today. Anybody else?

The Bucks/Montgomery Counties Newspaper is called the Intelligencer.
The Philadelphia paper (one of them) is the Philadelphia Inquirer.
rody_44
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Quakertown, PA

1 edit

rody_44

Premium Member

Re: FiOS & newspapers

i own a house in the same county and i also had a fire. a real fire not a fire that was in the wall. the insurance company does NOT consider everything a loss. they are obligated to pay cleaning fees for what can be cleaned. baby clothes would be considered to be cleaned. the people have no claim over any property that is owned by the owner so that means they seek the 58 thousand for personal belongings that probably wasnt damaged except maybe smoke. if it isnt burned the insurance company pretty well considers it cleanable.

ANONUSER22
@cox.net

ANONUSER22

Anon

20 dB HOT

20dB Hot! True QAM!!!
ltjordan
join:2001-12-02
Hyattsville, MD

ltjordan

Member

Re: Fios installation.

I wonder if the couple is going to try to get Fios at their new location?
Jah_rankin
join:2006-11-12
Clinton, MD

Jah_rankin

Member

Re: Fios installation.

You had me on the FLOOR with this!!!!

Tickman
@verizon.net

Tickman

Anon

Re: Fios installation.

What's better: Fios or Time Warner Cable????

fiberqueen
@dngr.net

fiberqueen

Anon

in defense of fios

all of you people out there why don't you call and ask before you asume they advertise 5mbps which is the lowest speed available with the FiOS means 5megabits per second noone ever said megabytes if consumers would just pay attention and listen to what was explained maybe there wouldn't be all this unneccessary badmouthing going on about the fiber. The middle speed of fios has 20megabits per second over 5megabits and then they have an even higher speed than that. The highest speed of dsl is 3mbps so the slowest FiOS speed is actuall 2mbps faster than that. Call up and get the 20 over 5 and see what a difference you get I got it and it was the best choice I've made. Ask more questions and get better answers and ask the right people not uneducated ones.