| [Internet] My Bell Odyssey I hope this is the right forum as it relates to my Bell Internet. I found this forum in my research for an alternative to Bell. Oh where to start. Last month I started to experience problems with my Internet from Bell. At the same time I noticed a hum on my phone line. I read in other posts that there could be “metallic” on the line whatever that is, I assume some sort of circuit problem (ground, short etc.). I’m an electrician so I meter the line going into the house and seems ok. So I go through the routine of unplugging everything and plugging in one phone at a time, still the hum. I got a piece of Cat. 5 outdoors wire from a guy at work. I don’t have a demark with a test jack so I hooked up the wire to the little grey bell box on the back of my house and ran it 3 feet into the basement. I hooked a jack to it and left the house unhooked. I plugged in a phone and the hum was still there (tried three different phones). So the trouble must be out in Bell’s network. I plugged the modem into this jack with a short line cord that came with the modem then ran a 25 ft cat. 5 patch cord to my computer and still problems. So I forward my home phone to the cell and leave only the modem hooked up.
Then I call Bell, first time in at least 10 years, what a joke. I called 611 as I read in this forum that the line problem had to be addressed first. I met Emily, and when I got a human I couldn’t understand her. So I called back, the guy was somewhat comprehensible. I told him my story, he said the problem was probably in my house but he could sell me some insurance. I said no and repeated why it must be outside, and again he said it was probably in the house and when a tech came it would be $99.00 and up, I said no again and send someone to fix the outside line. He said someone would be there in a week and I had to be home. So the next week on the due date I come home from work and my wife said no one came. I figured they fixed it in their office or down the road. I plugged a phone into the jack in the basement, guess what, a hum. So I call in and they said someone came by and checked and the problem was in the house. I stated no one came, but just in case he didn’t knock I looked out back. It snowed 2 days earlier and no tracks to the little grey bell box or the pole that you can only access from my yard. I called back and told them no one came and they said the problem must be in my house, but if I buy their insurance the charges would be waved. Back to square one, I stated send some one to my house please. There would be a “diagnostic” charge if someone returned and the problem was inside as a demark test jack box was installed I was told. I said whatever just send someone, in three days they said. Three days later I come home from work and see tracks to the back of my house, progress. I go straight out back and see a new bell box a little bigger though. The new wire I put in is disconnected though, no big deal I hook it up and go in. A note on the door, my wife was at work, says Bell came by and a trouble was proven into the house and charges would apply as I supposedly didn’t check things at the imaginary demarc. I go out back and opened the demarc and plug in 3 phones, still the hum.
So I have some questions. Has Bell developed the technology to transverse over fresh snow without leaving tracks? Has Bell perfected cloaking technology such that the consumer can’t see their new demark? Why do I have to talk to people who can’t speak clear English? Why does it take a week to send someone to check the line? Why if I explain the trouble concisely do I have to be threatened with charges when it’s clear the trouble is in their line? Is this a new sales technique to force consumers to buy auxiliary products?
P.S. Needless to say I have given up on Bell and put in an order with another company for my phone and Internet.
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| I'm glad you have seen the light. Make sure you give them 30 days notice or they will F you with a $100.00 cancellation fee. |
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| reply to The New Bell
said by The New Bell :
P.S. Needless to say I have given up on Bell and put in an order with another company for my phone and Internet.
Oh.
Ok then thats your best move.
If you need a hand in finding an alternative or to ask general questions on alternatives create a post here: »Canadian Broadband
People will help you out.
What you experienced with Bell is very common and not worth the hassles or your time. And you pay for this crap. |
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| reply to The New Bell
The New Bell
Unless you going with a cable provider for your telephone service this problem might not go away.
This might be a solution to your problem.
Since you are an electrian, locate the protector which should be near the electrical panel and remove the coils (2 large brass bolts) . Be carefull not to loose any internal parts. Now listen to your phone line, If the line is clear the carbons were the problem. Now if you feel really energetic remove the carbon. If they are pitted you can clean them up and put them back in. DO NOT LEAVE THEM OUT AS THEY ARE REQUIRED FOR LIGHTNING STRIKES. If the noise is still there, screw the carbons back in the protector and give EMILY the heave-ho. |
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| Thanks all;
Here's what I have done-
Gave 30 days notice right away, don't have contract and don't use enough to worry about caps.
Going with cable and voip on Saturday, getting new phone # then will port over when bell 30 days up.
Harlyguy, they changed the bell box to new demarc on last visit, I assume it has new fuses still hum on line. As a side note their new demarc box is an obtuse design for consumers to use badly designed and flimsy, I feel sorry for people who are told by csr to go out and plug a phone into it. When bell is done I am going to rip it and the drop wire down. |
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 W00T
@mc.videotron.ca | said by The New Bell :
When bell is done I am going to rip it and the drop wire down.
WOOT! |
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 DeadpoolGo Sens GoPremium,VIP
join:2001-03-29
Canada
kudos:17 | reply to The New Bell
said by The New Bell :
When bell is done I am going to rip it and the drop wire down.
Don't do that, please. I'm sure you don't plan on living there forever and the next person who will live there may want a POTS line (whether will Bell or another provider).
Or you may decide a year or 5 years from now that you want a POTS line again (again, whether with Bell or another provider).
Don't create more work for the Bell tech when it's the company you're pissed off against.
--
Disclaimer: If I express an opinion, it is my own opinion, not that of Bell or its related companies. |
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| said by Deadpool:Don't create more work for the Bell tech when it's the company you're pissed off against. Think of it as job security. One day there will be a job available at his house.
Also, the techs get paid just the same, so its no added headache for the tech. Its Bell who will pay his for the extra time spent there. So it comes out of Bell's pocket.
More work is what's needed in this economy! 
I say do it and help the economy by creating work! |
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DeadpoolGo Sens GoPremium,VIP
join:2001-03-29
Canada
kudos:17 | Man I hope you're being sarcastic. |
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| reply to The New Bell
I'd bet my bottom $ that your line was on a bridge tap or put on one recently.
Just a guess. |
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| reply to Deadpool
DP, of course. Your reply really meant nothing. Who cares who will live there in 5 years. Not his problem. His house. If he wants to cut his Bell line and go cable, great. The people who "may" move in after he dies will have cable!
But what you should have said is this:
By removing the demarc (and surge protector) and if he just leaves the line dangling some place, there is risk of fire.
If underground, I have no clue. Maybe it will melt underground or something in certain cases, who cares. I don't and I couldn't care less if Bell wires catch fire. Though his insurance may care if ever something happened I guess.
If the line is on a pole then I was told there is a risk of fire with the copper dangling there.
This is what I was told when I went to cut my line.
(then again, as some of you may remember, videotron and Bell were fighting about this very thing with the CRTC when videotron was just cutting Bell lines, so maybe I was told some BS just to avoid the issue of cutting the Bell line, or maybe there is a risk here. You decide.)
True? Not true? I don't know. I'm not an electrical engineer type person. Someone else can clue in maybe...
But your reply wasn't so hot, if you re-read it
Makes me wonder though, if someone doesn't want that copper line or Bell equipment on their house, how would they go about contacting bell to get rid of it, Deadpool? |
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Reviews:
 ·Caneris
2 edits | reply to The New Bell
You really shouldn't destroy the line. The next residence in your house will probably want pots.
Voip and rogers home phone are not nearly as simple & reliable as pots.
edit: I hate bell's Internet division as much as the next guy but inconveniencing the next people that move in as well as a bell technician is a really jack ass thing to do.
edit: If the jack you connected on the cat5 to the modem at has the same buzzing you wont be charged as the problem is on bells end. I have had 611 out before for issues on bells end and was not charged. |
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 sbrookPremium,Mod
join:2001-12-14
Ottawa
kudos:4 | reply to The New Bell
It IS Bell's line, and it destroying it is willful destruction of Bell's property so they have the right to come after you. |
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| Destroying & removing it are two different things.
What if someone removes the wires (unscrews them), unscrews the demarc and puts it away. Rolls the wire up and places it, say next to the pole or something?
No destruction there.
But it does have my curiosity though if someone wants this gone, what can they do?
Do home owners not have the right to have this stuff removed? |
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| reply to sbrook
Last time I checked Bell only has an easement to run their facilities across private property, usually along the fence line. Anything else transversing private property can be removed unless Bell wants to pay storage costs. |
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| said by No easement :
Last time I checked Bell only has an easement to run their facilities across private property, usually along the fence line. Anything else transversing private property can be removed unless Bell wants to pay storage costs.
Well thats interesting.
It really does have my curiosity. The only thing the Bell employee can say above is Don't remove it in case one year you decide to move (or die, which ever comes first) and the next home owners want copper lines.
Is that the best case that can be made here? Best the employee's can say? Doesn't say much, but shows protectionism.
It really does have my curiosity though. Can a home owner remove these? Is there some sort of Bell or CRTC document or something floating around that answers this?
If "The New Bell" really wants the Bell garbage off his house, does he not have a right to remove it in an orderly fashion?
In addition to the above question, what if "The New Bell" called Bell to take it off and cart it away? As mentioned its not his property, he canceled and wants it gone. What would be the reply to that? What if Bell said no and to just leave (ie. STORE) their stuff on his house? SHould he Bill Bell? |
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| I have removed many drops when I worked in the field and never billed the subscriber, which is hard to do since the OP wouldn't have a Bell acoount, but the green side of me says what a waste of materials. Saying that if I was sure I wouldn't need a dial tone or dry loop, I would remove it. |
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| said by me13 :
I have removed many drops when I worked in the field and never billed the subscriber, which is hard to do since the OP wouldn't have a Bell acoount, but the green side of me says what a waste of materials. Saying that if I was sure I wouldn't need a dial tone or dry loop, I would remove it.
Good to know. Thanks for the reply.
Were these customers who called to have it removed? Is there a procedure in place to have these things removed? |
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| reply to grayfox
I really don’t care whether the next Bell guy has to do some extra work. Read my post
and see the level of competence of the first two guys they sent. The first guy drives buy and
says he found a problem in the house and installed a new demarc (which he didn’t). The
second guy does install a demarc, but says theres a problem in the house, yet when I pug
a phone into the demarc test jack the hum on the line is still there. So what do we have, a
lazy lump and an incompetent one. Apparently Bell contracts out their repair techs to
some firm BTS which drive around in vans marked up to look like Bell Canada vans.
To Deadpool: My house is a wartime and the drop wire is the original and has some type of cloth in it. I think that if a new one was put up I am probably doing the new owner a favour. Based on my experience with the last two bozos it probably wouldn’t happen otherwise.
To grayfox: I would respectfully ask that you read my whole post before responding. I called 611 twice and no resolution, no three strikes and you’re out here, only two.
To sbrook: Really and how will they come after me? I won’t be a customer anymore. Furthermore how will they even know? If any thing they owe me. What about willful destruction a of any semblance of an attempt to repair my line?
To NDT: Interesting points, here’s what I am going to do. As an electrician I don’t pretend to know how the telephone network works but I will remove the drop wire and demarc and attach them to the bell pole. I will put the end of the wire in the box and ty rap everything up so there are no safety issues. Then I will call Bell after my 30-day notice period and tell them to come remove their equipment. With the level of competence I have witnessed some guy will come by and remove my neighbor’s line, oops better go warn them. |
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| reply to The New Bell
at my parents place Bell had ran a temp line around the entire backyard fence. 6 months later it died again. Bell said the problem was internal when it was clearly not. My dad cancelled Bell, went with Rogers (and hasnt had ANY reliablilty issues). Told bell to come take their line down as it is unsightly, and if they didnt by friday he would do it himself and chuck it.
Needless to say, the garbage man had a roll of phone line to toss out. Bell refused to send a tech to remove the line. |
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