Voice FAQs

To repair any problem, you first must establish what you’re up against. Is it just one of several phones that isn’t working, or are none of the phones working? If it is just one, swap two of your phones. If the trouble moves with the phone, the phone or its cord is defective. If the trouble stays with the particular outlet, the problem is in that outlet or the wires leading up to it.

Now that you have an idea of the nature of the problem, attempt to sectionalize the trouble. There are numerous places where you can logically separate sections of your phone service. Consider each of these places and ask yourself which side the trouble is likely to be on. If testing your telephones does not identify one that is defective, the problem may be either with your inside wiring or with service from your phone company.

You can determine which by checking for dial tone at the NID, or Network Interface Device. The NID is normally on the outside of your home, usually a gray box.

Follow These Steps to Diagnose the Problem

1. Take a working corded phone & screwdriver to the NID and test the phone service entering your home. If you only have one phone and do not get dial tone using it, you should borrow a known working phone, if possible, to test for dial tone again at your NID. If you do not have dial tone at the NID, the problem is most likely with the phone company, and you should call the repair service department.  Viewing the video below will give you some great information on how to diagnose the issue yourself.
2. Please check our video below for more detailed information.
3. If you have dial tone at the NID, the problem is in your inside wiring. Keep in mind that the problem may not be in the phone itself. Instead, it may be a problem in the telephone jack or the wiring. If moisture gets into ANY phone jack anywhere in the home, it can cause the connections to corrode and eventually to short out, which could cause some or all phones to stop working. Bad splices, particularly if exposed to moisture, can also cause a phone to stop working.
4. Consider everything connected to your phone line. Often the trouble is in a device you may not think about, since these devices may be out of sight, out of mind. If all of your phones are dead, disconnect all of these devices as your first troubleshooting step.

These devices include:

• Answering machine
• Fax
• Computer modem
• Satellite receiver or cable box (these devices sometimes have telephone connections for authorization and pay-per-view)

You may also want to disconnect cordless phones from both the electric and the telephone jack. Sometimes these devices can cause a line lock out. Once they are disconnected, you may reconnect them one at a time to see if trouble follows.

If you suspect a phone of being bad, try it at a friend’s or neighbor’s home where you know the phones are working. Also, if possible, try swapping both cords ( line and handset) with known good cords from another working phone. The vast majority of phone problems can be traced to bad cords and/or bad or corroded plugs.

If a phone stops working after a thunderstorm, it’s possible that lightning hit the phone line and caused a voltage surge that damaged the phone. The actual hit could have occurred several miles away, and travelled down the line to your phone.

If a phone won’t ring, check to make sure the ringer volume or on/off switch isn’t at the lowest or “off” setting. Also, some very old phones may have frequency-tuned “harmonic” ringers intended for use on a party line, and won’t work properly on today’s private phone lines due to a difference in ringing frequency.

It is possible for dial tone to work and DSL not to work or DSL to work and no dial tone.

Special Note Regarding Cordless Phones
Remember that if your electricity is out cordless phones will NOT work. It is always a good idea to have one corded phone in the house for use during this type of outage.

The Service Assurance Program is offered for $2.95 per month. This fee covers repairs of industry standard inside wire and jacks. Under the program, if your telephone is not repairable, we will leave a “loaner” telephone for a period of 30 days to allow you time to purchase a new phone.

After you purchase a new phone, you can return the “loaner” telephone to us by mail or bring it to our office. If you decide to keep the “loaner” telephone, do nothing, and we will bill you the cost of the telephone. The telephone will then be your property. Under this program, we will also make minor repairs to your telephone, billing you for required parts and labor, saving you the $30 trip charge.

New customers automatically have coverage. If you have more than one line, you need to subscribe to this service for every line so that you are completely covered.

If you need repairs of the wiring, jacks or minor repairs to telephones in your home or business, and do not have Service Assurance, you will be billed $30.00 for a trip charge and $23.75 for each quarter hour of work performed by our technician. Any required materials, such as station wire, jacks, line cords, etc., will also be billed to you.

You may elect to contract with a party other than the telephone company for needed repairs or perform the repairs yourself. If repairs done by persons other that the telephone company cause service outages, you will be billed for a trip charge to clear the line.