by I can’t bring myself to get rid of my land line. It’s mostly due to 9/11 and black outs. Land lines keep working no matter what. Also, the sound quality is so much better than cell phones.
But when all is said and done I use it very little and it’s costing me $75 a month. I emailed Verizon about how I could bring the price down. They said if I get rid of all the features, caller id, call waiting, and voice mail, I could bring the price down to $46. That still sounded like an awful lot for something I don’t use a lot and now has zero extras. I asked them to break down the charges.
They sent me this:
Verizon Freedom Value Price Guarantee $24.99
Existing Inside Wire Maintenance $7.99
Verizon Freedom Value Price Guarantee FUSF LD $1.06
Taxes, Fees and Other Service Tax $12.22
Estimated Monthly Charges $46.26.
I love the use of “Freedom” in their name for things. I asked them to explain why they are not competitive. They didn’t answer that and suggested this:
“If the overall monthly cost is your main priority, you can change your service to Measured Rate plus remove the Inside Wire Maintenance Plan and long distance. Your monthly after tax rate would be approximately $25.50 per month plus 9 cents per local call.”
I’m going to look at my usage for the past few months and mull this over.
I went out for a walk yesterday and visited a truck the ASPCA had set up outside a church on Houston Street. I was not tempted. Then I walked up to the Petco in Union Square, which also has cats. There was one very sweet cat which gave me a look. I don’t want to get a cat. Finney is old , I think I explained, and he would not appreciate a new cat around the house. But I wanted to get a glimpse into the future, when I would be happy again. I didn’t really get that, but it was a good try I thought.
If you do get a cheaper land line, keep in mind that if you have a plug in cordless phone, it can still go dead in the event of a blackout. You’ll need a real old fashioned plug into the wall jack type of phone.
And I just want to add another little note of sympathy about Buddy. I lost a dear old Mama cat in April. It’s always a heart break.
I cut the landline cord 10 1/2 years ago when I bought my house; strictly cell phone only. I didn’t see the point in paying for two lines when I am living by myself. But then I don’t see the point in cable when over the air works perfectly fine for the little TV watching that I do.
I have a car charger as backup when the power goes out (and that has been quite a while),but I guess that wouldn’t work in your case. Aren’t there solar chargers for cells that would work for you?
Awwwwww…..that teeny tiny neck. I trust that the right cat will find you in time.
Seems to me that Verizon is trying to price the old twisted pair network high so that people drop it in favor of FIOS or cell phone service.
My advice about a land line is to hold onto it. I have an ugly wall-mounted phone in my kitchen which became a “magnet” for so many of my desperate neighbors wanting to connect with family following our big Northridge earthquake in 1994 here in CA. No one’s cell phones worked (including mine) and power was out for three days, but that stupid wall phone still did. On another note, Finney might find a new kitty exciting and invigorating…you’ll decide when the time is right.
I agree with Dave. I think I posted on Echo what I went through with Verizon in Poughkeepsie when I was having trouble with my landline. They basically refused to fix it. So I got rid of it, which is maybe what they wanted me to do, but I signed up with Time Warner, which is probably NOT what they wanted me to do.
Ha.
Yeah, I can’t bring myself to get rid of it.
Oh, and for those like me, what Dan said is true. When and if power outage occurs you will need an old fashioned, not cordless phone, because the older phones get their power from the phone line itself, which is why they continue to work.
i’m in pa.i want freedom value and verizon won’t give me it. my sis in law as it near me.i got verizon chat and they hung up on me.i’m on s.s.i don’t know of any other landline in my area.i’m charged 68.00 per month with ntone extra service,just basic. no local long distance, no call waiting,nothing !!!verizon is greedy and rude.wish i could get another company with landline but i think verizon bought them all out.im in northeast,pa. if someone knws a cheap company please post. or how to get top CEO verizon.thanku
Verizon is a nightmare. But you can see if you are eligible for the Lifeline program. This is a discount program for phone service for people with lower incomes:
https://vz.to/2XBao3N