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Pssst..want to save $50-$150 on your telephone line hookup.Jan 27 '00 Write an essay on this topic.Since the big antimonopoly telephone breakup of Bell Telephone in the 70s, the telephone companies have been looking for other ways to separate you from your cash. High rates for telephone connection is one way they have of "socking it to ya." I learned this little secret simply by looking and figuring it out myself. When you have a new telephone line installed most telephone companies charge you for two items....the hookup outside (about $45) and the hookup inside your home (about $95). There isn't much you can do about the outside hookup because you don't have a key to get into the greenish colored box in front of your house or down the street and if you could most of us wouldn't know what to do there anyway. But, you can save the larger of the costs. Before you call for service, go outside with a screwdriver locate the small telephone box on the side of your house. Open the box and you will see a jumble of wires. If you have one line currently connected there will be 2 wires connected to a panel inside of the box, if you have two lines there will be 4 wires, three lines, 6 wires etc. This is the key...NOTE which pairs are connected they will be white on red and red on white, or green on red and red on green (always the same two colors but opposite markings). Hang in there with me...this is really simple, takes about 10 minutes and saves you close to $100. After the repairman leaves....simply go back outside and see which new pair of wires have been connected (the new colored pair). Go back into the house take the two screws out holding the telephone jack into the wall and gently pull the wires out and locate the newly connected paired colors. These wires are small and delicate so very gently strip off about 1/4" of insulation on both wires and connect them to the two screws in the back of the telephone plug. Plug in a telephone and check for a dial tone, if you have a dial tone replace the telephone jack into the wall..if you don't have a dial tone reverse the wires on the telephone jack. There....you just saved $95 and it only took you about 10 minutes total, now you owe me a beer.  |
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