Cooper Phone Lines Vs Fiber Optic & My Experience With Verizon

[Richard Demaret]

Greetings Everyone,

Many, many thanks to all who replied.

Hi Ian,

It looks like, we both had an unpleasant experience dealing with Verizon.

Ian and All,

I believe they (Verizon) are the most unpleasant of all the corporations, I
have had to deal with---horrible phone menus, so-called "customer service"
people, who ask needless questions, followed by robo-calls asking similar
questions all over again, followed up by a real person, who asks more
meaningless questions.  Verizon needs a new management.

I knew it would be an unpleasant experience, so when I noticed the line was
dead on Monday, I figured I would wait and hope the line would comeback to
life.  It didn't.  So Wednesday about noon, I called Verizon.  I was pure
hell dealing with them.  They kept insisting on FIOS.  I kept insisting,
they repair the copper line. We went around and around and around and
around.  They finally said they were transferring me to another department.
  That's when the phone went dead.

So I called them back.  The Verizon phone hell resumed.  We again went
around and around and around.  Finally, they agreed to send a technician to
repair the copper line the next day between 8:00AM to 12:00PM.  Lou Ann and
I waited, and waited and waited for the tech.  So at 3:00PM, I called them
again, only to be told that they (Verizon) had canceled the tech coming to
our house, because we did not want FIOS.  They could have called us about
the cancellation, but they didn't.

I believe Verizon is a horrible corporation, when it comes to how they
treat their customers.

When they explained canceling the tech, I began to complain and complain
and complain about Verizon's customer disservice.  I was thinking of filing
official complaints with government agencies and seeing a lawyer.  I told
them so.  I don't know if this was what got action, but they again told me
they were going to transfer my call.  I warned, "this is what you said
before, and I was cut off and was left holding a dead phone. Could you give
me the phone number of the department you are transferring me to?"   I was
told they did not know the phone number, because they just hit a button.
But this time, I was connected and this department agreed to send a tech to
repair the copper lines.

On Friday the tech arrived.  He seemed knowable and repaired by line.  I
was happy with him and his work.

He did ask why I did not want FIOS.

I told him, it was because of both privacy concerns and the long lasting
battery at the central office.  I like the existing copper system because
my phone has always remained on during power outages.  I also told him,
that I am also concerned with FIOS, because I do not want my phone to line
to be run through the Internet.  The tech told me that when copper lines
are replaced with fiber optic, the fiber optic lines follow the same path
as did the copper lines--to the local central office etc..  He told me at
no time does the fiber optic line which replaces the copper line go over
the Internet.

He asked me why I did not like the Verizon FIOS battery.  I told him, it
was because I had read that in theory it had an 8 hour charge, but may not
even last that long.  I told him, I had also read that when the battery
dies, it is the customer's problem, that all Verizon will do is sell the
customer a replacement battery.  The tech told me this was the old FIOS.
He said that the current FIOS box, which they place it the garage is no
longer backed up by that type of battery, but if it is backed up, it is
done so with a power supply which can be switched over to D-cell
batteries.  He also said some customers do not want any battery backup,
because they have cell phones. He said in that case, they do not provide
battery backup.

The tech did repair my line, but warned me, a day is coming when they will
no longer repair these copper lines.

Many thanks to all of you.  I learned from reading your replies.

I tend to like copper, because it says up during prolonged power outages.
I also wonder, if it is more secure.

About a year ago, a ham radio operator told be he had renewed something
online with a credit card. on his cell phone.  I asked him if the cell
phone signal is encrypted.  He said he didn't know.  It seems to me, if the
cell phone's signal is not encrypted it would be unsafe for sensitive
financial transactions either by voice or via the Internet.

I have also heard about Internet phones --Voice Over IP. I believe Comcast
has these. I have asked, if these Internet phone are encrypted, and was
told, "I don't know." If they are not encrypted, they, I believe, would not
be safe to use for sensitive business or financial discussions.

Many thanks for all your replies. I have learned from them.


Best Wishes

Richard  KI4KXJ


(Note: I believe today's modern digital technology is wonderful, when it
comes to email and surfing the Internet. But I am very, very unhappy with
the way businesses and other organizations use it to put a wall between
themselves and their customers.


And


Coincidentally I happened to see a TV program which said that in the early
2000's (perhaps 2002), the telecoms lobbied for a bill which would allow
them to abandon copper lines and force fiber optic on their customers.)


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