There were a few hiccups when FairPoint Communications took over Verizon's telephone and Internet service last year. But things got dramatically worse when FairPoint moved to its own system in January.

From April 2008 to January 2009, the consumer affairs division of the state Public Utilities Commission received an average of 300 calls a month related to FairPoint, according to Amanda Noonan, director of the consumer affairs division.

But once FairPoint switched over to its own system, calls to the Public Utilities Commission doubled. They peaked in March at 1,720. Since then, the number has dropped off. There were 600 FairPoint complaint calls in May and just under 700 in June, Noonan said.

Most of the calls were related to billing problems and delays in new service installation, she said.

There are still plenty of disgruntled customers in Southern New Hampshire. Most of them are upset with FairPoint's billing and customer service.

Paul Quartarone of Atkinson said he was double billed for phone service and couldn't get anyone to resolve the issue.

He said he's so fed up he's about ready to drop his land line and rely on his cell phone — and never deal with FairPoint again.

"It's been a horror show with everyone I've spoke to," Quartarone said.

FairPoint Communications, headquartered in North Carolina, bought phone and Internet service in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont in April 2008. It bought the service from the much larger Verizon and used that company's system until January.

The change — and the problems that came with it — frustrated many FairPoint customers.

"It generated more calls to the call center than we were expecting," company spokeswoman Jill Wurm said yesterday.

Norma Frechette of Pelham was one of those callers.

She said her problems started with a slow Internet connection, but escalated when she looked at her first bill in May. She wintered in Florida and said she was surprised to see how much her telephone and Internet bills had gone up with FairPoint.

When Verizon was her provider, Frechette said, she paid $15 a month for Internet and $39 for telephone service. When she received her first FairPoint bill, those charges had jumped to $25 for Internet and $51 for telephone service.

That was just too expensive for Frechette so she called to complain.

"We're struggling like everybody else to keep our heads above water," she said.

After multiple calls and waiting on hold for up to half an hour each time, Frechette said a representative told her he would be able to lower the price if she signed up for a year's service.

She agreed. But when she received her June bill, nothing had changed. Now Frechette said she may have to drop her land line, even though she doesn't want to. The result would likely be a more expensive cell phone bill.

"I just don't want to lose my land phone that I've had for so long," she said.

Similar stories echo throughout Southern New Hampshire, some even from people who have never been FairPoint customers.

John Stevens of Plaistow said he switched his Internet service to Comcast in January because he didn't want a FairPoint e-mail address.

Although he paid his final bill to Verizon in December, he said he received a bill from FairPoint in March. He called FairPoint's customer service, and when he finally got someone on the phone, he said, the service representative hung up on him.

Even canceling service has proven tough for some FairPoint customers.

Gerri Corwin of Salem said she wanted to cancel Internet service.

"It took me a week to get through, calling every day," Corwin said.

She finally did and thought she was finished with FairPoint. Then, three weeks ago, she received a bill for Internet service. Another one came soon after that.

Now Corwin doesn't know what to do.

One option is to call the Public Utilities Commission's consumer affairs division, Noonan said.

The Public Utilities Commission will step in, contact FairPoint, and try to resolve a customer's billing or service problem, she said.

The number of complaints decreased as FairPoint became more familiar with its new system. There were fewer billing errors and it improved at answering customers calls, Noonan said.

But the number of calls to the Public Utilities Commission are still troubling.

"There's no question this is significantly higher than it should be," Noonan said.SClBBut there are still plenty of unhappy residential customers out there and FairPoint acknowledged it is experiencing problems with its business customers.

Their services are more complicated, but Wurm said the company is working to fix those problems by adding more staff to field calls.

"There is still some room for improvement there," Wurm said.

Since the switch in January, FairPoint has had to report to the Public Utilities Commission on a weekly basis on a series of milestones that gauge the transition, Noonan said.

That reporting period has ended and the Public Utilities Commission is reviewing FairPoint's final report.

The Public Utilities Commission could recommend changes that range from fining FairPoint for failing to provide adequate service to requiring the company to change its management, Noonan said.

ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ

Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com.