I recently decided to close my office and work from an office at home. I called my phone company, Frontier Communications, and told them that I needed a second land line in my house for my office number.  They said okay and even told me what my new number would be (I could not use my old office number because it was a different area code).  They said I would have it in a couple of weeks so I went ahead and ordered new business cards.  Then a week later they called and said I could not have another land line in my house due to "budgetary reasons".  I had never heard of anything like that but they refused to give me any explanation.  I filed a complaint with the FCC, but apparently since there is another company that offers cable in my area and I can get VoIP Frontier is not considered to have a monopoly.  I still argued with them and they eventually said I could have the second line but it would cost me $40,000.  I am not kidding.  that is what they said.

Anyone ever heard of anything like this before?

I saved my old office number through an App called Sideline on my cell phone, but my cell service is very sketchy at home.  I usually can't get calls.  So until I get a second line through a VoIP service I have to get in my car and drive a few miles every day to check my messages.  Luckily I have to go to town for court three days every week, but on a Friday like today it is a pain in the ass.

(04-23-2021, 01:25 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I saved my old office number through an App called Sideline on my cell phone, but my cell service is very sketchy at home.  I usually can't get calls.  So until I get a second line through a VoIP service I have to get in my car and drive a few miles every day to check my messages.  Luckily I have to go to town for court three days every week, but on a Friday like today it is a pain in the ass.

Do you have wi-fi calling enabled on your phone?  As long as you have decent internet and a router that's not bogged down you should be able to use your cell at home even with poor service.

PS As for the rest, I have no freaking idea why they'd refuse to install another line or why'd they'd later quote you 40,000 (wtf?). I mean, if you already have service to the house then I don't understand what's difficult or expensive about the job.

Can't you just have them change the number on your primary land line to the office number?

If you cant get them to come to you can you set a phone in a room somewhere (have your Office line moved there rent a closet or something small as its just a phone) and then have that phone forward calls to your house number?

Believe i had a family member do something like that... So people would have a local number to call but he didnt have an office in that state.


Cant think of any real reasons for the cost to be that high unless your just in the middle of nowhere and at the end of the line so to speak (as in your neighbor on one side is long distance cause its a different phone company)