At our Last apartment the Mrs. and I dumped Comcast Cable internet for Verizon FIOS fiber optic service. The Service was cheaper, faster, and despite it using a newer infrastructure far more reliable. When we were first looking at our house I noted the distinctive Verizon Converter box on the side of the house and marked that off as a plus for the property.
So yeah, I love them, its a great service at a great price.
But nothing is perfect I guess. So just now I’m sitting in the armory and I hear the unit chirp. I had my suspicions and I wasn’t surprised to see the “Change Battery” light flashing on the unit. I fished up the Tech support line and talked to a nice gentleman who informed me that battery service was contracted out to an outside vendor and he’d connect me with them. The call connected finest kind, and I talked with a nice woman who got my information and told me my battery was on its way.
Nice huh? Well I’m a little pissed that A) the Battery will be SHIPPING in 7-10 days (which also means this thing is going to be squawking at me the whole time) B) I had to pay just shy $60, and C) its just going to show up at my door a couple of weeks from now.
I’m fine with installing new parts, but Jesus, isn’t keeping the Verizon specific components running on this dog running why I pay them?
Still the unit was in the house when we bought it, hopefully it’ll be 5+ years before it needs to be replaced again.
I don’t suppose you could have just bought a new battery of a compatible type?
Ah yep, they sell them at Home Depot for $22, Verizon is being really stupid making their customers take care of Verizon equipment and overcharging them for parts.
Yeah I just pulled the plate off the unit, I could probably buy a replacement at the home security store up the road. I may see if I can cancel my transaction.
Husband does Fios tech support. He agrees that its almost always cheaper to go buy your own replacement battery rather than through the 3rd party supplier Verizon uses.
And yes, Verizon is doing as much as possible via outside vendors these days (and they keep finding new things to transfer out of house). Its one of the things that pissed off the union.
Oh, and yes, depending on the type of unit, and the usage required of the battery, you should expect several years of use no problem.
and no, Husband is NOT allowed to tell you (the customer) that its cheaper to go buy your own battery when you call in.
I wonder if Verizon gets a cut of the battery replacement.