land lines

Why is there a charge for each land line you use? I went to a local office to see what was available for tv, land line, and internet. I was interested because of all the ads stating no surprises with billing, what you see is what you pay. I asked several times if there would be any extra charges to the quote he gave me. I did an online chat because I had a few more questions. He pulled up the cart and told me I would have to pay $50 besides what is showing to cover the extra phones. I also found out you cannot use a credit card for autopay so that is another $10 added to quote. Taxes are also added. I left the store feeling like I wanted to sign up for the package, but now I don't feel that way. This is very deceptive. (Our house is already wired for Verizon Fios because we had it over 6 years ago.)

Accepted answers

jbc751

Thank you again for your response. It never occurred to me that he was meaning to add new numbers. I was able to chat with an agent again and he confirmed that there would be no extra charge if using the same phone number. There is a one time fee to use the same phone number I have now. I kept trying to question it, but he never was able to understand what I was trying to say. I feel better now after getting the correct information.

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pacmusicman

I'm a bit puzzled..

For Digital Voice, Verizon charges me $20/month plus taxes. There is no upcharge for, say, the number of jacks in the house.

Back before divestiture, Ma Bell would charge a rental fee for each physical telephone in a house. That practice ended almost 40 years ago with the breakup of AT&T (the Bell System).

Now....extra charges would apply if I ordered an additional telephone number, or, if I subscribed to Verizon's optional inside wire maintenance plan.

jbc751

Thank you for your response. I am confused, too. I've never been asked how many phones I have. The jacks are already there. I questioned the reason for the extra charges and did not really receive an answer. Both representatives said only 1 line is free with the $25 plan. He didn't ask if I wanted to keep my number(which I do), so maybe that makes a difference? I really don't understand why that would make a difference, but I will try to get an answer to that question.

pacmusicman

I think that the representative used the word "lines" instead of "telephone number". Verizon Digital Voice provides one telephone number for the price they advertise.

An extra telephone number would tack on the additional charge. The days of Verizon charging for the number of telephone jacks in a house or apartment are long gone.

I don't think that porting a telephone number from another carrier to Verizon would incur a charge.

jbc751