CMR Bill for Damaged Drop Wire
Rockville829
Enthusiast - Level 1

I too got an random bill of $227 from CMR for damaged drop wire .  I think all the previous posts about the same topic covers it pretty well:

1) Line was buried too shallow, less than 3" below ground.  In my case, literally right below our garden area.  If Verizon decides to reduce up-front labor costs by not burying the wire 6" or more below ground, then they took a risk that a percentage of these wires would be broken accidentally and the cost to repair is less than initial savings.  [Note:  The replacement wire is of higher quality than the one that broke as well]

2) I specifically asked if there will be any charges and the Verizon tech support said no and we will be told if there are any.  The technician did not mention any bill before he left.  If there is a bill, the consumer should be made aware of the charges and and based on the forum posts, the charges seem to be random.  The customer should have agreed to the estimated charges / billing rates before the service is performed. 

3) Verizon main 800 billing support assistors are not even aware of this type of charges and cannot see it in their system making it difficult to resolve.  I didn't realize that CMR is a third-party vendor until I read the last post.  

4) I did not see anywhere in the Customer Agreement about the drop wire and responsibilities / damage resolution.  If the responsibility is the customers, we should have the option of finding a third-party contractor to fix the wire.  

I think Verizon should re-consider the way they are handling damaged drop wires.

Other forum posts:

https://forums.verizon.com/t5/Fios-Internet/Arbitrary-414-Charge-from-CMR-for-FiOS-Line-Fix/m-p/8080...

https://forums.verizon.com/t5/Fios-Internet/Arbitary-Charge-from-CMR-for-FIOS-line-fix-for-369-27/td...

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Re: CMR Bill for Damaged Drop Wire
jonjones1
Legend

@Rockville829 wrote:

I too got an random bill of $227 from CMR for damaged drop wire .  I think all the previous posts about the same topic covers it pretty well:

1) Line was buried too shallow, less than 3" below ground.  In my case, literally right below our garden area.  If Verizon decides to reduce up-front labor costs by not burying the wire 6" or more below ground, then they took a risk that a percentage of these wires would be broken accidentally and the cost to repair is less than initial savings.  [Note:  The replacement wire is of higher quality than the one that broke as well]

2) I specifically asked if there will be any charges and the Verizon tech support said no and we will be told if there are any.  The technician did not mention any bill before he left.  If there is a bill, the consumer should be made aware of the charges and and based on the forum posts, the charges seem to be random.  The customer should have agreed to the estimated charges / billing rates before the service is performed. 

3) Verizon main 800 billing support assistors are not even aware of this type of charges and cannot see it in their system making it difficult to resolve.  I didn't realize that CMR is a third-party vendor until I read the last post.  

4) I did not see anywhere in the Customer Agreement about the drop wire and responsibilities / damage resolution.  If the responsibility is the customers, we should have the option of finding a third-party contractor to fix the wire.  

I think Verizon should re-consider the way they are handling damaged drop wires.

Other forum posts:

https://forums.verizon.com/t5/Fios-Internet/Arbitrary-414-Charge-from-CMR-for-FiOS-Line-Fix/m-p/8080...

https://forums.verizon.com/t5/Fios-Internet/Arbitary-Charge-from-CMR-for-FIOS-line-fix-for-369-27/td...


This is way outside my expertise however I can give you a suggestion.

verizon does not have the legal right to install any wires onto your property unless you the owner give consent. They do not get arbitrary right of way through any private property. Now if you agreed to the install of Fios then you gave consent to either have line run from either overhead (pole) or via buried cable. 

The install will not dig 1,2,3 or more feet down like you would bury a body. 😀

Verizon should have shown you where it was buried. If you or a vendor damage the wire then the liability lays with the homeowner. Now since you must carry home owners insurance you could lay a claim for the damage. Depending if you have a deductible and some policies don't the insurance may cover the cost of replacement.

hey it cannot hurt to find out.

you could also call and make a deal of say 50/50 split so it's not full out of your pocket.

Just a few suggestions.

Good Luck

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Re: CMR Bill for Damaged Drop Wire
Rockville829
Enthusiast - Level 1

I think (based on reading the various posts) all of the CMR bills are sent after the repair without letting the customer knowing at the time of the service call.  

The Verizon customer service line can't do anything about the bill because it's not in their system and there is only one person responsible for this type of dispute at CMR.  I left a voicemail Friday, and still haven't gotten a call back.  

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Re: CMR Bill for Damaged Drop Wire
jonjones1
Legend

@Rockville829 wrote:

I think (based on reading the various posts) all of the CMR bills are sent after the repair without letting the customer knowing at the time of the service call.  

The Verizon customer service line can't do anything about the bill because it's not in their system and there is only one person responsible for this type of dispute at CMR.  I left a voicemail Friday, and still haven't gotten a call back.  


Hopefully they will get back to you.

crazy I know.

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