Technician forgot to replace ONT battery - do I really have to pay for replacement myself?

[Max_LIC]

I had Verizon Fios installed last week and there was an existing Optical Network Terminal in my apartment, the previous tenants left it there. Unfortunately, the technician didn't realize that the ONT battery was old and needed to be replaced. The red "replace battery" light is on and there's a alarm signal going off every 30 minutes or so.

Now I called Verizon yesterday ask asked for a replacement battery, and got told that I will have be charged for the replacement. Unbelievable! The lady on the phone even said that she agreed with me that the replacement should be free of charge but there's nothing she could do.

Is it really Verizon's policy not to provide a free replacement battery in this kind of situation?

[Anti-Phish1 · Accepted solution]

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@Max_LIC wrote:

Is it really Verizon's policy not to provide a free replacement battery in this kind of situation?

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Yes.  The policy recently changed.  VZ now charges for ONT batteries on new installs.

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/127118

[Max_LIC]

Thanks! Wow, that's ridiculous. Guess I won't stay a VZ customer for very long.

[viafax999]

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@Max_LIC wrote:

I had Verizon Fios installed last week and there was an existing Optical Network Terminal in my apartment, the previous tenants left it there. Unfortunately, the technician didn't realize that the ONT battery was old and needed to be replaced. The red "replace battery" light is on and there's a alarm signal going off every 30 minutes or so.

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Just disconnect the battery, the alarm stops then.