"mm" wrote in message
...

[snip]

This is what they said:

The internal wire maintenance will take care of fixing any internal
problems with your wiring, but it generally does not cover running new
cable unless there was physical damage or something to that effect.

So it genereally doesn't cover running new cable, and it seems that
right now they aren't willing to repair your current cable. So what
does the internal wire maintenance charge cover??


Not much!!

IMHO, most interior wiring coverage by telcos is a waste of money. (1)
There rarely is any problem with internal wiring that would require their
repair, and (2) In the event a problem does come up, the homeowner or a
local electrician should be able to fix things. My recent experience with
this "service" reinforces my opinion.

Our telephone service includes interior wiring repair in the bill. The fine
print says they won't work in hazardous areas. The fine print doesn't tell
you they've defined attics as hazardous areas and won't work in attics --
which, of course, is where all of the telephone lines are. So if you have
an interior wiring problem in your attic, they won't work on it.

All they will do is run a replacement line around the outside of the house
to the room with the problem, then drill a hole through the exterior wall
(concrete block) into the room. They also were not concerned with
aesthetics and weren't going to do anything to conceal the exterior wire or
either side of the entry into the house.

Unfortunately, this "service" is now bundled with the local telephone
service (with an increase in the base price) so there is no way I can drop
this useless expense -- we need the landline for several reasons, including
the fact that cell service is intermittent at this location.