Verizon’s Biggest Union Claims Carrier Isn’t Fixing Broken Landlines

[Omaha Steve]

Source: WSJ

By RYAN KNUTSON

Verizon Communications Inc.’s largest union says the company is refusing to fix broken landlines.

The Communications Workers of America, which represents about 35,000 Verizon employees, says Verizon isn’t repairing copper lines in some areas in the Northeast. Instead, the union says, the carrier is steering customers to buy a wireless home phone service called Voice Link.

The CWA plans to file public information requests this week with a handful of state regulators including in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to see whether it can uncover data showing the extent of the problems. Verizon is required to report information about service issues to local regulators, but the union says not all of that information is likely being disclosed to the public.

“Verizon is systematically abandoning the legacy network and as a consequence the quality of service for millions of phone customers has plummeted,” said Bob Master, CWA’s political director for the union’s northeastern region.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/verizons-biggest-union-claims-carrier-isnt-fixing-broken-landlines-1433853524

[TexasProgresive]

1. It's not just in the NorthEast CWA!!!

This has been going on in Texas for quite some time especially in rural areas. The landline service is so bad that as soon as a cell tower goes up that gives them service they cut the landlines. Also this Voice Link service is being pushed on some customers and once on it there is no going back to copper.

Verizon and ATT have also managed to get the requirement for universal service pretty much thrown under the bus in Texas and other states.

The big phonies don't care whether a customer goes to cell service or crappy Voice Link just so they get off of copper.

[dembotoz]

11. The universal service thing is huge... We been sold out

[Romeo.lima333]

2. 1 get rid of the copper 2 get rid of the workers 3 congratulate ourselves on how smart we are

it's their corporate model

[dmosh42]

3. Being a 30 yr retiree from the Bell system, I always felt our leadership were scumbags!

[Romeo.lima333]

7. i started at obt in 81

[tech3149]

4. Our little very local telco has been trying to abandon copper since 2012

They aren't totally abandoning it, just adding additional fees for those that choose to keep it. The up side is transitioning to fiber to the home. I made the transition at the time because they also provide cable and internet. I would have preferred to keep the copper as well because of the backup power requirements. I know what it's like to have that link to the world when everything else is dead.

[Renew Deal]

5. Someone on DU posted a story like this a while ago.

Verizon didn't want to fix their DSL.

[CANDO]

6. Verizon's DSL sucks

And they've been pushing up the price for the slowest "high speed" internet there is. Well, come this Thursday I'm cancelling and going to cable modem for the same damned price. I'm also cancelling Directv and going with a local cable operator for half the price.

[DhhD]

8. Perhaps Bob Masters knows that what they have as your copper service as an online bill record

is not what Verizon charges its customers. In our case, they are hiding or lying about the true costs and services. I could write more about it if needed. Just send me a PM; even the city had to get involved.

[Historic NY]

9. I have 4 landlines in my house...

a few years ago when I had ATT for long distance I was told to call them for outside repair. Verizon showed up. They replaced all the outside wiring at my neighbors and my house a couple years ago with the FIOS system due to landline problems. Every phone in my house was installed by a Bell Telephone installer that I knew....imagine there was a time when you knew who would come to your house. I won't give up my phones because they work when the power & cable is out.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. They have been trying to force FiOS on people around here

by showing up at a customer's home and claiming they got a "call" for "phone trouble". This has happened to me and my sister (who lives in the 'burbs), multiple times...a Verizon guy will just randomly show up with a clipboard. And of course when the customer says that they never called for any problem, then the "tech" (actually a sales person) tries to schedule an install date for FiOS. I even got a voice mail left by Verizon a couple months ago "apologizing" for a phone outage (which I never had) and insisting that I call back to schedule a FiOS install. On my sister's street, she and her neighbors have had alot of issues with them coming when called to repair downed land lines - where some customer service reps claimed that they didn't do repairs anymore and they had to convert to FiOS... The fiesty 80+ year olds on that street laid them out royally I understand.

[Yo_Mama]

12. This is true. I know. They tell you to your face.

You get the option of either FIOS or the wireless, but they will not fix the landlines.

It even happens to businesses.