Inside Wire Maintenance Service Plan

What a rip off. I spotted this on my girlfriends latest phone bill from Bellsouth. She had a line item Inside Wire Maintenance Service Plan for $5.95/mo. I laughed when I saw this.

While I guess this could make sense for someone, it certainly seems like a rip off to me. First of all, this plan is designed to cover problems with the telephone wiring inside the home. I don't know for sure, but I believe this wiring is rated for 50yrs or something. My girlfriend's home was built in 2004 which means I would not expect problems with the wiring for a long long time. Second, how much does wiring possibly cost? If you are handy or know someone who is you could probably rewire the whole house for less than $50. Third, if you are renting your place, your landlord is responsible for the inside wiring, so why pay for protection you don't need?

This Inside Wire Maintenance Service Plan ends up costing my girlfriend $71.40/yr. Needless to say we emailed Bellsouth and had this cancelled. Maybe my girlfriend will take me out to dinner with all the money she saved ;-).

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Comments (2)

DATE: 4:58 PM
I used to work for a company that competed with BellSouth. One of the selling points was the savings from not charging a ridiculous Inside Wire Maintenance charge.The funny thing is, as much as we tried to educate the customers as to the worthlessness of the Inside Wire Maintenance plan, most people didn't feel "safe" without it.The company ended up offering a similar inside wire maintenance plan just to ease the customer's worries. I'm sure the the extra income was a bonus as well.It never made any sense to me.ClintMillion Dollar Goal

Posted by Clint | September 10, 2006 3:03 PM

of course when she gets a $300 bill from bellsouth when they send a truck out she might not thank you

Posted by Julie | March 26, 2008 12:21 AM