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WAT DAT?
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What with all the water falling out of the sky, and the wind whistling through the wires, and the creaking and groaning of utility poles flexing, telephone reception isn't what it used to be. Some areas of Oahu are still experiencing snap, crackle and pop on their phone connections, or even no phone service at all. When the phone won’t function
By Burl Burlingame
bburlingame@starbulletin.comBut if you call Verizon repair (800-483-1000) for service, they're going to want you to do a do-it-yourself step first. The question is whether the trouble is inside or outside your house.
Verizon will tell you to get a test telephone and some tools and find the gray plastic phone-connection box located somewhere on the outside of the house or apartment. The one pictured here is typical. It opened with a regular screwdriver applied to a locking panel on the right.
An old-fashioned, nonpowered telephone is required to test the electrical connections. Telephone connectors are snubby little boxes with a clip-latch on top: Depress the latch to free the connector. The phone box has three phone jacks. Ignore the big one on top, and plug the phone into one or both of the other jacks.
If you hear noise, or nothing, the problem is Verizon's, and they'll schedule a repair date. They'll ask you to check before you make the repair call. If you're not handy with tools, or unable to access the phone box, or too feeble, you may get charged a repair fee. Or if you simply feel like lying about checking the outside line ...
Remember to demand that the repair crew put in a credit request once the work is completed, otherwise you'll be charged full phone fees even if it was out of commission.
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