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w1ve
Premium Member
join:2007-12-28
Hancock, NH

w1ve

Premium Member

[trouble] Fairpoint is a complete MESS!!!

OK, do I've been a 3.0/768K Verizon Business DSL customer since the service was available (about 1.5 years now) in
south-western NH.

After the FairPoint purchase, speed, etc has been fine.

However, last Monday, my DSL was DEAD. I'm on a dry-loop, static IP. I had DSL Sync light, no problems.

So, I started my call with tech support. They said I'd been disconnected for Non-payment.

How could this be true? I had been issued a new debit card 2 months ago, and had gone to the (Verizon at the time) web site and corrected my account info. I did receive an email last month that said my card info was wrong -- I called accounting and they confirmed the numbers were correct. They said "it looks good, let it go, it will process correctly next month". YEAH, RIGHT! I asked them to make a notation in the records, and they did.

Well, I wanted to get the billing mess straightened out.

It took 45 minutes on the phone to even GET TO THE CORRECT DEPARTMENT. Verizon kept sending me to Fairpoint, and Fairpoint kept sending me to Verizon. One said they did not have "rights" to see my account, the other saying that "their rights had been taken away."

After all that, they said "Your account was cut off 10 days ago for non-payment."

How interesting. They have my home phone number, business phone number, email and home addresses. I RECEIVED NOTHING.
NOT A SINGLE NOTICE. This is a BUSINESS DSL account. I run my telephones on VOIP. The bill due was $91!!!

However, it gets much worse. Even though the service has JUST stopped (day before), they said it has been in that state for 10 DAYS, and, because of that, they could not "retrieve" my account. They were going to have to re-order BRAND NEW SERVICE. I had to get a new IP address and new DSL phone number. Even though this is all provisioned, and they can look at it.

I am fuming at this point, but have to deal with it. So, I beg the DSL rep to try and move up the "install" date (I had now been down 5 days). She leaves me a voice message "I have good news! Your DSL will be provisioned by midnight of Friday (Aug 8). OF COURSE, IT WAS NOT! I called on Saturday, and of course, PROVISONING PEOPLE DO NOT WORK ON WEEKENDS.

Today, I called again, and spoke with the provisioning office. I begged, and asked to be online today. Then the real lies started. She said "It's impossible -- you are getting a new IP address, and we have to send a technician to the CO to provision the line". I'm sorry -- I work in the IP/Telecom world and know better. I said "Please do a service check on my old DSL number (same exchange). Of course, it worked perfectly (I see the DSL sync light on).
There IS NO ON-SITE PROVISIONING for an IP address change. It is someone sitting at a keyboard punching key strokes. MY NEW IP IS IN THE SAME SUBNET, for gosh sakes. The CO is actually 500 feet from my house.

No, the person insisted -- we need to send out a tech. RIGGGGGHHHHHHHHT. So, it's now 8 days without telephones or internet access. The actual install date says the 15th.
The BS they are feeding me is that the tech will have it done by 6pm tomorrow night. I'm not holding my breath!

God help us in NH/ME/VT. These people are a disaster, and a pack of liars. I've probably lost several thousand dollars worth of business over a $91 charge issue that was a BILLING SYSTEM ERROR on their part.

Lessions learned:
1. BE PROACTIVE ABOUT ENSURING BILLING IS CORRECT.
2. USE ANY OTHER VENDOR OTHER THAN FAIRPOINT IF YOU CAN
(very hard for many of us in rural communities)

mouseferatu
Too many cats, Too many mice
MVM
join:2004-03-16
Im not sure

mouseferatu

MVM

You are not alone by a long shot. I found that the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission was very helpful in getting my Internet access restored, and my phones working and billed correctly again.

I have fiber rather than DSL, but they deal with anything that involves FairPoint at this time.

»www.puc.state.nh.us/