phone line wierdness

[adamsmorgandc]

Monday my landline developed so much static it was virtually unusable.  I did manage to call Verizon service department and got them to call me back on my cell phone.  This 8-unit  row building does not have a NID box (es) (or whatever it's called)--most of the phone lines were installed 50 or more years ago and go from the telephone pole to the side of the building and then through a long metal connector box.  My phone line then  goes along the outside of the building and through the brick wall to my unit.   

Wednesday I lost my dialtone.  Incoming calls still ring but  if answered the line is dead. 

My DSL is not affected so far. I understand that yesterday's Internet outage was  general, not just me.

My appointment with  the Verizon technician is not till October 2 (earliest possible was 9/30 and I coulldn't be home then.). 

Would it be worth opening my phone jack and checking those connections?  This jack was converted from a hardwired one about 25 years ago. 

If my line worsens and my DSL fails...I'm going to be even more unhappy. 

[adamsmorgandc]

Update: Thursday I pulled up my service ticket on the Web and edited the problem description to say that I now had no dialtone but incoming calls rang  and my DSL is OK.  Yestierday I went back online and checked the ticket again (I was going to add  that my phone line had no NID).  The problem descriptin was gone--replaced with a cryptic series of abbreviation starting with "CHANGE APPT/ACC.  Going back to the main section of the ticket I found that it now re ad"The issue will not require a technician" and that Verizon will resolve the issue around 5pm on 10/2.  Thet's the date of my service appointment. If it can be resolved by throwing a switch in some central location, why must I wait for over a week to get my dialtone back?

So  I  phoned service and asked for an agent to get an explanation.  The agent really couldn't clarify even after I expained the changes on the Web ticket and read the online text to her. All I got was an earlier appointment because I now have no dialtone. 

If I'm to believe that Verizon will fix the problem without a technician...that'll be a waste of my and the technician's time on Monday..  Oh, and there's no description of the problem on the Web ticket now,  but it has the new appointment date.  I added contact info to the form again I hope the technician has access to  the previous details about the "issue" before coming out.