FairPoint glitches irk customers

MONTPELIER, Vt. – Days after FairPoint Communications acquired Verizon’s telephone landlines and high-speed Internet service in northern New England, customers are complaining about telephone problems and the discontinuation of an online billing system.

Stephen Wark, a spokesman for the Vermont Public Service Department, said the problems that occurred Thursday with long distance and other services have been resolved.

But he said a lack of an online billing system is a significant concern to him. He said Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire will work to make sure FairPoint honors what it had promised and that the Vermont department is exploring its legal options.

The online billing system is expected to be fully functional when the transition from Verizon to FairPoint is complete, which is scheduled for early fall, according to FairPoint spokesman Jeff Nevins.

“In the interim, we’re trying to set up alternative ways to pay,” Nevins said Friday.

FairPoint customers can pay by mail, phone or set up automatic bill payments through their bank if their bank offers that service, Nevins said.

Fred Bever, spokesman for the Maine Public Utilities Commission, said Friday the PUC has received very few contacts regarding long distance issues.

“This is a significant change and minor glitches are to be expected, but the PUC does not know of any major issues so far,” Bever said.

The PUC has assigned staff and a third-party consultant to closely monitor FairPoint’s service quality during the transition and offers a Consumer Assistance Division Hotline for all utility concerns. That number is 800-452-4699.

FairPoint’s customer service phone numbers are available at www.fairpoint.com/northernne/contact.html.

BDN staff writer Anne Ravana contributed to this report.