phone outage

Cell phone or landline? My cell is fine, but we don't have a landline.

AT&T is OK in Catherine's Hope, gave up on Innovative 3 years now

We have ATT as well. All my calls today have been fine.

sorry was asking about land line. mine is still out. cell is working fine

all of my friends have given up on land lines...at least 20 households.

i know we should also, use magic jack for long distance calls most of the time. only thing is our cells our vermont ph nos. and anyone here would have to call it and would be long distance.

Cell to cell calls aren't long distance. I have a Texas number still, and none of my friends have a trouble with it - only if they're trying to call me from a land line, and in over a year here now I've had one person that didn't have a cell phone in that situation. A lot of my friends have off island numbers too - some because they moved here with them, some because they have businesses based in the states and want to have a "local" number to where there business is based. I think that whole concept of area codes are becoming pretty meaningless other than an extension of a number.

You probably already have called in to report the problem.
If not, be sure you do so that it can be reflected on your next bill and be sure to ask as just because your phone is not working, they will not automatically credit your account.
A land line is a necessary evil in my point of view.
I got my bill recently and they had added all sorts of services that I did not request nor had ever used so had to call to make sure they took everything off and credited me. Very Sneaky in my opinion.

welcome back dixie

thanks speedy. wish i was happy about it.
should have brought two tin cans and a long string (phone)

My landline on STT was recently out for a few days but I honestly couldn't have received more attentive service from Innovative. The problem wasn't easy to pinpoint but was finally dealt with (it actually affected all the homes in this small area) - and when I received my 'phone bill there were loads of deductions made for the inconvenience.

i think my phone is water logged. hoping it will dry out before oct4th, the day phone co. is suppose to come out. why does it always take so long? its not like they are busy.

I have to winder why you'd bother with a landline from Innovative.

Long distance rates from cell phone carriers are ridiculously cheap and most offer plans with free long distance in the US anyway.

A few years ago, after waiting over 3 months for Innovative to fix my land line, I finally decided that they didnt want my business so I gave it up.

I have to winder why you'd bother with a landline from Innovative.

Long distance rates from cell phone carriers are ridiculously cheap and most offer plans with free long distance in the US anyway.

A few years ago, after waiting over 3 months for Innovative to fix my land line, I finally decided that they didnt want my business so I gave it up.

1. Apart from this last episode, I've rarely had a problem with a landline for 28 years and I've lived in many different areas of STT. Hurricanes, storms - not a problem.

2. I don't have a cell because I just don't need one. The majority of my friends and acquaintances do have them and the number of dropped calls, spotty transmissions ("can you hear me now?") and the sheer inability to connect to them period when there's a (not infrequent) tower issue drives me batty (battier :D).

3. I don't make many long distance calls and, if I need to, I have Skype (free). The majority of my off-island communication is easily done via email. My take on this may be unusual because I'm not and never have been a telephone yakker.

4. Tangentially, way too many newer residents keep their off-island area codes. Not everyone (and this includes business owners) uses cellphones and many just won't bother to call anyone back when it entails a long distance call. A job-seeker might lose out on an opportunity to interview if their only communication is via a long distance call. If most cell providers offer free long distance service then, if you live here, why doesn't it make sense to change your area code to 340 so you don't miss local calls?

I've only had one local business not call me due to not having a 340 area code. Most have cell phones now too, and area codes don't matter! None of my friends with non-340 area codes have trouble either. I have to keep my stateside area code due to my business, as well as my husband. Oh, and he's been here 9 years and not had trouble with having a stateside area code.

Sidebar, if anyone is interested:

My husband actually is a telecom and networking consultant - has been in the biz for a long time, he's the guy that gets called now by most of the big networks when they need an opinion on something. He and I actually were talking about the landline telecom in the USVI, and what he told me makes a lot of sense - basically they're going to let it die (even if no one will admit to it). It's a legacy network and a lot of maintenance for a smaller and smaller customer base. At the same time cell companies are lathering to build business here. At some point there will be a crossover where landline service will either get more expensive with poorer quality, or it will stay less expensive and the quality will just lapse. Either way, they will be hoping for people to eventually just end it.

Now VOIP (Internet phones) are a different thing, and can be used by people who don't want cell phones. I'm just referring to traditional land lines here.

agree with old tart on # 4

I have to winder why you'd bother with a landline from Innovative.

Long distance rates from cell phone carriers are ridiculously cheap and most offer plans with free long distance in the US anyway.

A few years ago, after waiting over 3 months for Innovative to fix my land line, I finally decided that they didnt want my business so I gave it up.

1. Apart from this last episode, I've rarely had a problem with a landline for 28 years and I've lived in many different areas of STT. Hurricanes, storms - not a problem.

2. I don't have a cell because I just don't need one. The majority of my friends and acquaintances do have them and the number of dropped calls, spotty transmissions ("can you hear me now?") and the sheer inability to connect to them period when there's a (not infrequent) tower issue drives me batty (battier :D).

3. I don't make many long distance calls and, if I need to, I have Skype (free). The majority of my off-island communication is easily done via email. My take on this may be unusual because I'm not and never have been a telephone yakker.

4. Tangentially, way too many newer residents keep their off-island area codes. Not everyone (and this includes business owners) uses cellphones and many just won't bother to call anyone back when it entails a long distance call. A job-seeker might lose out on an opportunity to interview if their only communication is via a long distance call. If most cell providers offer free long distance service then, if you live here, why doesn't it make sense to change your area code to 340 so you don't miss local calls?

I have a few takes on some of these:

1.) Fair enough.

2.) That is true, but how is your reception on your landline when you're at the grocery store? As long as you check to make sure your cell phone works at your house, you're more or less in the same boat as landline-only folks, whith the one huge difference that you can take your phone with you when you leave the house. I can't count how many times I've really needed to look something up on the internet with my iPhone while I'm out finding a product or a store. Also, my work/personal email are available 24/7 whether I'm near a computer or not.

3.) Fair enough.

4.) There are pros and cons on this. I chose to change my number to a local number because I do a lot of business here. On the flip side, if you change your number to a local number a LOT of calls show up as "Unknown" on the caller ID, where it seems to work perfectly if you keep a stateside number.

Just for the sake of debate...

To answer OldTart's question: If most cell providers offer free long distance service then, if you live here, why doesn't it make sense to change your area code to 340 so you don't miss local calls?

Because there are many people who for whatever reason can't change their area codes, typically for business reasons - and some don't want to, because they've had the same number for years and it's the way everyone reaches them.

I think people looking for a job figure out how to be contacted. I have a hunch that if they're sincerely looking they figure that out.

If a business didn't call me because I don't have a 340 number, then they don't have my business anymore. I'm a huge advocate of local business, but they have to meet people halfway - and there are affordable calling plans at Innovative where long distance is unlimited. There's only one business on island that I keep going to that doesn't call other area codes, and that's because it is worth the effort for me.

And as I think about it, a lot of the local businesses that I use their goods or services on island actually text me - dentist, doctor, hairdresser, handyman, store owner...we don't even need a phone call, it's all done via cell phone text.

Hanging on to area codes as "local" is really becoming antiquitated as calling plans phase them out.

Oh, and you can't play Scrabble on your landline while you're standing in line at Kmart for 20 minutes. 😉

1. I don't need to be plugged into the rest of the world when I'm out shopping. I take a list with me and If I'm looking for a big item I've already done my research from home and know the comparative pricing. If I happen to come across something I wasn't planning on buying but which looks interesting, coming back to my computer and looking at pricing, reviews, etc, isn't a problem.

2. The day that landlines become obsolete in the USVI will be long after we're all six feet under whether we're 6 months old or 60. Innovative is hardly in the process of spending millions of $$s upgrading their system island-wide (on STT anyway) just for the heck of it.

3. You may have missed one call that you know about because you don't have a local area code but how would you know about others that you may have missed unless you have some sort of sixth sense on override.

4. When I know I'm in for one of those "line-waits" I'm always prepared with both daily newspapers and, if it gets to the point when the line-waits have exhausted every little bit of print from front to back, then I enjoy people-watching.

Julie, best you not start throwing out the word "antiquated" here as island living and island time will surely get to you if you're banking that things will change quickly. You're still in the honeymoon stage and that surely is a wonderful place to be but it's the reality versus the expectations that all too often get to people. 😀

1. Works fine for you, different for others. I appreciate being able to call home if I need to ask a question (or a text). I also like knowing I have a phone if I get a flat tire in the middle of the night.

2. They're installing fiber. It's a different animal from the old copper wiring - it works differently too. It will work for Internet phones.

3. Honestly, I don't care - I don't seem to miss any calls though, no one ever says, "I wanted to call you but you don't have a local number"

4. Again, works for you. 😉

And of course, the OldTart lecture - I don't mind the word "antiquitated." Many things become antiquitated, and who knows how quickly things will change. I think they're changing much faster than you think, though. 😉 And no, no homeymoon stage here, eyes wide open. I've seen enough, I'm just choosy what I post online.

ETA: And put yourself in someone else's shoes before you insult their attitude. I CHOOSE to remain positive. I've seen and experienced a lot in my life - much more than a simple issue with an area code. I've learned that life is what you make it, and island life is no different. I've lived in much harsher places around the globe than the USVI. Please don't lecture me about expectations.

No "lecturing" intended at all and certainly no insults whatsoever. I apologize if my words came across to you that way.

I have both a cell phone with a local area code and a home/landline phone.
It's nice to have an Innovative landline just in case your cell provider is out of service or having problems and visa versa.
I guess I am old school 😀

me too beachcomber (when they work)