Drop Wire Charge

[lvillanu]

So much like the countless number of threads you'll find if you search this forum for the term "drop wire", I like many others have a random bill sent to me by verizon regarding their repair of a drop wire that accidentally got cut by my dad while he was doing some routine yardwork in the backyard.  At least other bills are like 200-400ish, mine's for 700+.

After my dad accidentally cut the line while digging, I called Verizon and they sent someone over to fix it, neither the verizon rep i called nor the guy who fixed it mentioned anything about charges, in fact the vibe i got out of the process was more of a "we'll eat the charge this time, but when we rebury we're going to mark where it is please don't accidentally cut it again because next time they'll have to charge"

also asked about why it was so shallow, and if they could bury it deeper next time because my understanding was it should be deeper (I believe the requirement is 18 inches at least or something to that effect), and the answer was, that's too expensive and if we do we might cut other utilities like power cables and so they can only bury it that shallow.

Either way, i was under the impression when i called that there would be no charge yet lo and behold i have a $700+ bill in the mail from Verizon for charges to repair a drop wire.  Who do i contact to dispute this?

[LawrenceC]

Hi lvillanu,

Is the bill from CMR?  Claims Management Resources (CMR) is a Verizon authorized vendor that provides invoicing services to recover Verizon’s cost to repair damage done to the Company’s facilities. This includes but is not limited to:
• Buried and Aerial lines
• Poles
• Conduit and vehicles
CMR can handle disputes of claims directly, and works with the local field office that performed the repair. If you wish to dispute a CMR claim, you may contact them by phone at 1-800-321-4158 or by email at bswcomplaint@cmrclaims.com.