Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is the service available in Goodwood or Coppins Corners?
2. What happens if there's a power outage?
3. Can I keep my existing number?
4. Do I have to sign a contract?
5. Does 911 work properly?
6. Will I be in the phone book?
7. Do I need to contact my current provider to cancel service?
8. Is this another one of those "VOIP" phone services?

9. Is there an installation fee or rental fee for the phone modem?
10. Can I subscribe to an alternate long distance provider?
11. Can I call 900 or 976 numbers?
12. I'm currently paying $5 extra for my Internet as a non-cable subscriber.  If I sign up for phone, do I still have to pay that charge?
13. I live in an apartment, can I get the service?
14. Can I get an out of market number?
15. What is my local calling area?
16. How are long distance charges calculated?
17. Will all my long distance calls show up on my paper bill?
18. Does your service use Bell's outside wiring?
19. Can I keep my DSL line if I switch to your phone service?


1. Is the service available in Goodwood or Coppins Corners?
Unfortunately, not just yet.  It's only available in areas that are serviced by our cable plant and normally have a 982, 985, 852 or 862 phone number.  We are planning to expand our service to cover Goodwood and Coppins Corners in the near future.


2. What happens if there's a power outage?
Our network has battery backup as do the telephony cable modems we install.  You can expect your service to work for at least 6 hours in the event of an extended power outage.


3. Can I keep my existing number?
Yes, as long as it's a Port Perry or Uxbridge number.


4. Do I have to sign a contract?
No, though we do ask you to sign our Terms and Conditions, which our installer will bring out to your home the day of installation.  You'll need to sign this to agree to transfer your number from Bell to us (if applicable) and to agree to a credit check, if we determine one is necessary.  If you decline a credit check, a deposit might be required.


5. Does 911 work properly?
Yes.  Your address will appear in the 911 database and appear to the 911 operator when you call.


6. Will I be in the phone book?
Yes, unless you specifically ask us for an unlisted number ($2 monthly charge).


7. Do I need to contact my current provider to cancel service?
If you're transferring a number from Bell, then we'll make all the arrangements.


8. Is this another one of those "VOIP" phone services?
Not at all.  While it does run over our internal network, the bandwidth used by the phone service is separate from your Internet bandwidth and is guaranteed quality of service until it hits the public telephone network.  You won't have those annoying problems you're subject to with many VOIP services.
 

9. Is there an installation fee or rental fee for the phone modem?
The installation fee is $29.95, but is currently waived, so you'll pay nothing for phone installation.  Installation fees may apply for other services installed at the same time.  There is no rental fee for the phone modem.
 

10. Can I subscribe to an alternate long distance provider?
That depends.  You can use an alternate long distance provider in a situation where you use a "call-around" number - that is, you call a local number first, then call the long distance number.  However, you cannot use a service such as Primus or the enhanced version of Distributel where there is no number to call first.
 

11. Can I call 900 or 976 numbers?
No, due to the issues around abuse of these services, all 900 and 976 calls are blocked.
 

12. I'm currently paying $5 extra for my Internet as a non-cable subscriber.  If I sign up for phone, do I still have to pay that charge?
That charge will be removed if you sign up for phone service - so you're saving an additional $5!  Sign up for TV service and you'll save even more - check out our buyback offers.
 

13. I live in an apartment, can I get the service?
At this time, only selected apartment or multi-dwelling unit (MDU) buildings can receive the service.  This will expand over time as upgrades are performed.  If your building is on the following list, then you can receive service:

Uxbridge: 1 Testa Rd, 2 Testa Rd, 22 James Hill Crt, 220 Main St N, 57 Enzo Cres, 3 Norm Goodspeed Dr, 10 First Ave, 40 Maple St, 264 Main St N, 170 Reach St, 41 Ash St
Port Perry: 385 Rosa St, 293 Perry St, 169 North St


14. Can I get an out of market number?

At this time, no.


15. What is my local calling area?
The same as it is with Bell.  Detail is below:

Uxbridge: Claremont, Markham, Mount Albert, Port Perry, Stouffville, Toronto, Udora
Port Perry: Blackstock, Brooklin, Oshawa, Uxbridge, Whitby


16. How are long distance charges calculated?
Charges are calculated by rounding to the nearest 30 second interval, with a minimum of a 30s charge for a call.  At six cents per minute, here are examples of what you would be charged:

  • 20 second call: $0.03

  • 1 minute 40 second call: $0.09

  • 40 second call: $0.03

  • 46 second call: $0.06


17. Will all my long distance calls show up on my paper bill?
No.  If you want to see detail of your calls, you can use our online customer management interface that you can find at http://cableanytime.net/Compton/.  Detailed information will become available monthly with each billing cycle.


18. Does your service use Bell's outside wiring?
No, Compton Home Phone uses our hybrid fibre-coaxial cable network to your house, and does not use Bell's outside wiring in any way.


19. Can I keep my DSL line if I switch to your phone service?
No.  Bell has informed us that they are unable to keep DSL active if you switch to our phone service.  That being said, we think our service is better than theirs in a lot of ways, so give us a shot, you won't be disappointed.

 

 


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