We’ve had Cox CATV & High speed internet since we’ve been here, but their newer HDTV channels don’t always play well with our HD-TIVO. So, after seeing many ads, figuring its cheaper, and having good feedback from a neighbor, we decided to go with FIOS. I did all this in mid-MAY, and had the install scheduled for Sat May 29th – Memorial Day weekend!

It turned out to be a mess, and the installer had no idea what he was doing …

First, the mess – I had pre-wired to the TV and to our office just to speed things up – I ran new RG-6 coax to the old phone block side of the house – but the installer said he had to run the fiber under the powerlines and install to the opposite side of the house(!) were the electrical mains enter the home.

Then, he assured me lashing the coax to the power line wouldn’t cause a hum problem, even tho I warned him it wasn’t a good idea. When he installed internet, he looked at my desk and asked where the computer was. Its a Mac mini – so there was no big tower type case, just the little brownie pan. He got the (internet) router working and surfed my machine to CNN and then some other site to verify it was working. But at that site he actually tried to load some Windows executable onto my machine without asking or telling me he was going to do it!
Of course, its a Mac Mini, so he couldn’t install, but I pulled the keyboard away after that and said I’d do anything else he needed.
He then connected the line going downstairs to the splitter behind the desk and we heard a HORRIBLE hum from my stereo – I rushed downstairs and quickly turned off all my power amps and such – he had apparently created a bad ground loop with his install.
Then I told him “That’s it – you’re done here. No deal- pull all this junk out, I’m NOT accepting your install.”

I powered down all the junk in the basement and he drove away, leaving the router with me. (!) I tried to give it back to him, but he refused to leave with it, so I had to take it to UPS and get to shipped back.

After the holiday I made a phone call to VERIZON and talked to a CSR who cleared everything up for me, told me how to ship back the router/modem and all of that.

Of course, today I get my first bill for the service! I called again and explained all I had was POTS, same old copper line as before – and nothing was installed, nothing extra would be paid for! She sorted that out, then we found they had slammed some kind of unlimited LD service on my bill, at $21 a month. I told her to remove that as I never ordered that and since I didn’t USE LD service, why would I even buy such a feature?

Here is the deal. I had a $35 credit on my account from overpaying my May bill – normal phone bill is $30-35, so this should have been a bill for roughly zero …
So, there should be no need to pay anything this month – but I’ll send a check for $30 just to show I’m not delinquent.

Let’s see if they manage to get it sorted out by next month.

If its wrong next month I’ll give them another call, and again, wait and see.

Bottom line, I have a perfectly fine cell phone with SPRINT – it’d be a shame to kill the VERIZON landline,
(Emma wants to keep it for emergencies) but if they can’t get the bill right, why enable further incompetence on their side?