A question about Verizon landlines
salamy1990
Newbie

I am thinking about switching my home phone to Verizon from Comcast because whenever I lose electricity my phone doesn't work. (The backup battery from Comcast is useless.) Does Verizon still use old-fashioned, actual, physical phone wires? Or do they only use modems and battery backups for new subscribers?  Thank you.

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Re: A question about Verizon landlines
tns
Master - Level 2

Not everywhere.  And if you use fios definitely not.  Copper technology is beginning to be replaced in some communities.

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Re: A question about Verizon landlines
armond_in_nj1
Master - Level 1

I have both FiOS VoIP and a POTS (or copper) line in my home.  The company initially wanted to port my existing Verizon POTS line to FiOS VoIP, but I required that they maintain the service, which they were able to do.  Took some doing and last minute order changes, but it definitely is possible.

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Re: A question about Verizon landlines
BeenDefrauded
Newbie

I thought I also had a copper POTS line with FIOS but learned that it is not possible.  I have been paying for years for a "copper" phone line with my FIOS service but a tech came out this week and informed me (and showed me) that it is not true.  It is all digital and if the power goes out your "copper" line will not work any longer than the battery back up lasts. 

Verizon has now confirmed this multiple times over the weekend as it is not possible to have both!!  Basically I have been misled for years and have been overpaying.  What's more disappointing is that Verizon chooses to ignore the issue and do nothing for me after they essentially lied to me for years.  I am now working with some people who are looking into a class action lawsuit as they clearly are misleading hundreds of thousands of people.

Call them up.  Speak to a supervisor and they will confirm to you that your "copper" line does not in fact exist (if you also have FIOS).

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Re: A question about Verizon landlines
armond_in_nj1
Master - Level 1

@BeenDefrauded wrote:

I thought I also had a copper POTS line with FIOS but learned that it is not possible.  I have been paying for years for a "copper" phone line with my FIOS service but a tech came out this week and informed me (and showed me) that it is not true.  It is all digital and if the power goes out your "copper" line will not work any longer than the battery back up lasts.  

Call them up.  Speak to a supervisor and they will confirm to you that your "copper" line does not in fact exist (if you also have FIOS).


There are terminology issues here that should be addressed, in particular the phrase "copper phone line with my FiOS service."  It certainly is possible to have both a "copper" POTS line and a FiOS VoIP line at the same time.  I know this is true because I have such an installation at my home, with 2 separate monthly invoices to prove it..  I made it a requirement of my FiOS purchase that the original POTS line be maintained and that no changes be allowed to that arrangement.

However it is not possible to have a single FiOS-based telephone line that uses copper wiring coming  INTO the home from the street, although telephone wiring inside the building will normally run on Cat3 copper wires.  What your installation had, from the time you first had a FiOS optical cable installed in your home, is a fiber-based system with a VoIP line.  This telephone system sends packets over the Internet.  It is not, never was, and simply cannot be, "copper-based." 

It also seems unlikely that a cabal of employees at Verizon held a meeting and conspired to "defraud" you about "copper FiOS."  More likely you misunderstood the technology  from the onset..  This is unfortunate because the introductory literature both online and in FiOS promotional material clearly describes the basic technology, battery backups, fiber cables, etc.  If you later ask the company to re-install copper wiring and provide a POTS line, you will most likely find that they will not do it in your area, or that the charge will be out of proportion to the value.

Re: A question about Verizon landlines
BeenDefrauded
Newbie

I agree that it most likely is possible to have the traditional copper phone lines along with Fios; which is what I had thought I was paying for.  As of now, the Verizon customer service line will explain that this is what I have each and every time I call.  But if I Pursue harder and speak to someone "more" knowledgeable I learn that it is not true.  I am not saying that there is a conspiracy against me.  I am disappointed that I was sold something and then was delivered a different product.  I believe Verizon should stand behind what they sell and deliver on those promises.

I originally had a copper line and asked to keep that line when FIOS was installed; it was confirmed to me that the copper line would be left intact.  So as of today, Verizon confirms to me that I have a copper phone line, they confirm to me that if the power goes out I "should" be OK since my traditional copper line would be fine (unless that line is disrupted).  In reality my copper phone line is only as good as the battery backup in my FIOS box.  I believe that Verizon should straighten this out and deliver what I paid for.

perhaps someone from Verizon can post here and explain EXACTLY what is going on.

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Re: A question about Verizon landlines
armond_in_nj1
Master - Level 1

@BeenDefrauded wrote:

 ... I originally had a copper line and asked to keep that line when FIOS was installed; it was confirmed to me that the copper line would be left intact.  So as of today, Verizon confirms to me that I have a copper phone line, they confirm to me that if the power goes out I "should" be OK since my traditional copper line would be fine (unless that line is disrupted).  In reality my copper phone line is only as good as the battery backup in my FIOS box.  I believe that Verizon should straighten this out and deliver what I paid for ... perhaps someone from Verizon can post here and explain EXACTLY what is going on. 



I still cannot say that I understand your setup based on the descriptions you have given (and I speak reasonable English).  Are you saying that you have an actual telephone line that operates over copper wires inside your house, and that this line is independent of FiOS (the only possibility), or are you saying that the copper wires that were formerly used for your phone service were left intact, but that you now receive phone service over FiOS.  If you have FiOS and a copper POTS line, then you must necessarily be receiving two separate monthly bills.  If that's not the case, then you don't have (and haven't had for some time) a POTS (or "copper") line  It's got to be one situation or the other, but frankly I cannot determine this using your description.  Sorry, mate, but perhaps it's a lack on my part.  Maybe another user or a Verizon person can help, but I don't think I can.

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Re: A question about Verizon landlines
BeenDefrauded
Newbie

Let me try to answer this way:

If I call Verizon, I am told that I have Copper POTS lines and that I am paying for them.  This makes sense as this is what I thought I had and what I thought I was paying for.  I do also have FIOS service for my TV and internet.  I receive one bill in the mail however and not two bills.

If I do not have a copper or POTS line...which seems to be the case then my question is what am I paying (or overpaying for).  Verizon tells me that I do have a POTS line but that it will only be as good as the battery backup that was installed.  This is when a supervisor started to tell me that I have a "copper" plan...it's thoroughly confusing.  I am very upset with Verizon

It also strikes me as odd that I cannot have someone from Verizon explain this to me.

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Re: A question about Verizon landlines
armond_in_nj1
Master - Level 1

@BeenDefrauded wrote:

 ... I do also have FIOS service for my TV and internet.  I receive one bill in the mail however and not two bills.  If I do not have a copper or POTS line...which seems to be the case then my question is what am I paying (or overpaying for).  Verizon tells me that I do have a POTS line but that it will only be as good as the battery backup that was installe


This is my last try.  You get one bill covering TV, Internet, and phone.  You have therefore a single optical cable coming into your house which provides all three sources of information using a box called an ONT. That's called FiOS.  It has nothing to do with "copper POTS."  The ONT essentially decodes the signals on the fiber cable and turns these signals into useful information for your TV, computer, and phones.  That's pretty much it.  Unless you have a separate physical copper wire coming into your home that's connected directly to your telephone wires, you do NOT have copper POTS.  If you did have this copper wire, you would get a separate bill in the mail each month.   This is the way these things work.  I'd like to make this more emphatic, but I don't seem to be having much luck.

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Re: A question about Verizon landlines
BeenDefrauded
Newbie

I agree with your assessment and I agree that it is not worth debating.  When I call Verizon and THEY tell me that I do have Copper POTS lines and that I am paying for them you can imagine that I am upset to find out that I do NOT have what I was sold and what I am paying for.  I have asked Verizon to straighten this out but they do not seem to care enough to do it.

I have the recordings...it's pretty clear and simple.  I was sold something that I just do not have...

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