khl@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Kenneth H. Lee) (12/01/90)
I've been having a problem with my roommate tampering with my phone service. We live on the third floor of a three family house in which all the phone services come into his room. I have the wiring from my room running to a bridge near the network interface (NI). I then plug in the modular cable from the bridge into the NI. The problem is that he has on occasion disconnected my phone service at the NI. Both times I found out because I couldn't raise my answering machine while at work and found the line disconnected once I got home. The twit is doing it to annoy me and has admitted that is what he is trying to achieve. I called New York Telephone and the customer service rep says that there is nothing that they can do because the demarcation point falls inside a private home/apartment and there is legally nothing they can do. If it was elsewhere in the building where it would be accessible to other people they would be able to do something about relocating the NI without charge. The rep was trying to help but couldn't think of anything that could be done. He even thought of the Annoyance Bureau, but this isn't a case of annoying phone calls. I even asked if I could have a complaint letter attached to his file and they said that this was not possible. Do I have any recourse? Is there anything I can do at this point? Raise it to higher level management within the phone company? Complain to the Public Utilities Commision? Complain to the FCC? I want to get some sort of official complaint on record somewhere. I don't appreciate people messing around with my phone service and find that I can't have him fined or warned. Thanks, Kenneth H. Lee khl@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu Columbia University rutgers!columbia!cunixf!khl 209 Watson, 612 West 115 Street khlcu@cuvmc.bitnet New York, NY 10025 (212) 854-8027 [Moderator's Note: Neither the FCC, the PUC or NY Tel is going to involve themselves in what is essentially a domestic dispute between yourself and the person you live with. NY Tel cannot really tell someone (your roomate) they can or cannot disconnect wires in their private home. Did you choose this roommate? If so, why not *unchoose* him? The landlord should also be aware of this. If you and the roommate are sharing this area through no choice of your own, i.e. you were assigned by the university, then ask for a different assignment if possible, making it known to the housing officials why you wish to move. Another alternative is have NY Bell move *your* wires off of the demarc in his room to a new one under your control. Even though you have to pay, it might be worth it. PAT]