Last week I saw a FIOS advertisement to upgrade my current internet to Gigabit speed. So I clicked on the ad and purchased the upgraded plan. This includes rental of a special new modem/router. So far so good...
But... the next day, I got a notification that my installation date is just 246 days away! November 30, 2020 to be exact! This is really insane and beyond words!
Yes, I understand that there is a virus going around. But when I called the FIOS help line, I assured them that I can install the new router/modem myself and they can mail me the router/modem.
They told me that the technician needs access into the basement to do the upgrade to the ONT box. The basement in my building is completely empty and nobody goes into that room where the ONT box is rarely. It only happens if someone installs a new FIOS or Optimum service, and that has not happened at all in over 4 years since I have been living here.
So if the technician could just do this, he could wear a full mask and gloves; I can have the room unlocked and give him directions on the phone on where to walk to locate the ONT box.. or I can draw him a map.. or I can take photos showing where it is.. or give him a video walkthrough..
But instead, they just freak out for no reason and now lots of customers including me are now trapped on slow internet speeds until the end of November... 8 months from now.
If they cant install an upgrade in such a safe and isolated basement, then they really need to stop all advertisements on the internet, FIOS website, social media, billboards on the highways, radio, TV, print and anywhere else UNTIL they can agree to start installing upgrades again in a reasonable amount of time, which should be around 2 to 4 business days and not 249 days.
You can try talking to Verizon's social media team on Twitter, Facebook, DSLReports, etc to see if they can move your installation date, or confirm it's not 240+ days away. Verizon's computer system may be quoting that simply because Verizon has changed their priorities, and it is confused. To put it in perspective, a co-worker of mine had their FiOS service go out due to a bad Fiber splitter down the street from their home. This happened the same week they started working from home due to the virus going around. Verizon's systems said Repairs would take two weeks, however a technician came out the next day and got the services restored without having to enter the house.
To advance your order, do you know if you have Ethernet or Coax between the ONT and the router for the Internet portion of your service? Coax is still needed if you have TV regardless of what happens. If you have Coax currently, the tech is coming out to install Ethernet for you. They may also need to replace your ONT if it is an older unit which cannot support the Gigabit speed, or to move you onto a different PON so that there aren't too many Gigabit customers on the same Fiber. If you can share with us the model of your ONT, and confirm whether or not you're on an Ethernet connection already, then this may be as easy as asking Verizon to move your order along. Or if you can run the Ethernet yourself and the ONT is new enough, just telling Verizon that you're good to go by having them switch you to Ethernet, confirm you're connected, and then submit your order to provisioning.
By Ethernet, I mean, between the Ethernet (RJ-45) port on the ONT, and the "Ethernet / WAN" port on your router.
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