Union Telephone Sold

[Just Sold]

For those of you in the Alton, Barnstead, Farmington, Gilmanton, New Durham and Strafford areas Union Telephone has been sold:

Fosters Daily Democrat

Wisconsin company buys Union Telephone
<SCRIPT>document.title = unescape("Wisconsin%20company%20buys%20Union%20Telephone") + " - Fosters";</SCRIPT>
By John Quinn (jquinn@fosters.com)
jquinn@fosters.com
Thursday, December 3, 2009
FARMINGTON — Union Telephone Co. became part of a Wisconsin telecommunications company after the sale was finalized Tuesday, but customers will not experience any difference in their service at this time.

TDS Telecommunications Corp., based in Madison, Wisc., announced it had purchased the privately held telecommunications company based at 7 Central St., which provides service to all or parts of Alton, Barnstead, Farmington, Gilmanton, New Durham and Strafford.

"We look forward to the opportunity to serve the customers of Union Telephone Company with the same level of outstanding customer care and communications expertise that our existing TDS customers enjoy in the Granite State today. Union Telephone is an excellent company and a strong, strategic addition to our service area footprint in New Hampshire," David Wittwer, president and chief executive officer of TDS, said in a company release on Tuesday.

Officials from TDS and Union Telephone could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

TDS entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Union Telephone Co. in August. The transaction includes more than 8,500 access line equivalents, covering 150 square miles in the eastern part of the state

Area residents within Union's service area with worldpath.net Internet domains will eventually be converted to tds.net addresses in a few months, local phone "customers will not experience any immediate changes, nor will they need to take any immediate actions," according to the release.

"We will work with the employees of Union Telephone Company to ensure a smooth transition for each of our customers," Wittwer said in the release. "Thank you in advance for your patience as we begin the hard work of carefully converting account information and transitioning critical infrastructure to the TDS platform."

TDS customers will be notified and fully prepared for the ISP transition in advance of that change in 2010, according to the release.

TDS Telecommunications — a subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems Inc. — provides phone, broadband and digital television service in 30 states and already operates five phone companies in New Hampshire. The company will expand its communications services through this acquisition by offering more phone, Internet, and online security options. DISH Network digital satellite television services will be added shortly, according to the release.

[Argie's Wife]

As a Union Tel customer I hope this means there will be some changes for the good...

[tis]

They offered the dial up "worldpath" one of the first available on the East side of the lake. Did the DiPrizo's own Union?

[old coot]

Some years back, they bought out the Contoocook Valley Telephone Company which was the phone company serving Melvin Village.
Up there they became known as Tedious Telephone. It's hard to believe a company would call themselves TDS on purpose.
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[mg2107]

No , the Thayers who also use to own Farmington National Bank owned Union Tele.

[Argie's Wife]

Union Tel is no picnic to work with....They have some anti-competition clause in their contract for my area that makes it impossible for us to get Metrocast's digital phone server or switch our phone number to a VOIP option. Just their basic bill - no frills and no long distance - runs about $30 a month. We use our landline ONLY for incoming calls and local calls. We'd save a significant amount each month if we could get Metrocast's 3-in-1 tel/cable/internet deal.

Then there's their shut-off policy - learned this one the hard way - had a brain fart one month and forgot to pay the bill... the next month, we had a $63 bill. Time to pay it came around and hubby thought I'd paid it and I thought he'd paid it. No notice at all - our phone was shut off. I'll take my knocks when I have them coming - yes, we should have paid on time - but a shut off on a $63 bill? And no notice? C'mon! Found out their policy is that anything late 2x months over $25 results in a shut-off. (Edited to add this: we'd been customers of theirs for 9 years before this happened - you'd think someone would have called or mailed a reminder? It's not like we've ever stiffed 'em before...)

Office hours for Union are 9-4:30, Monday-Friday... calls for assistance when there's been computer wiring problems (not my home - business related) have waited two days (48 hours) for a response...

Hoping the new company is better... a lot better.

[upthesaukee]

I was told by someone who works in the Rochester Metrocast office that all the negotiations for being able to get triple play in Union's territory is back in the hands of Metrocast's lawyers. Do not know how this latest development will play out.

I agree...we could save around $30 per month with Triple play.

Sure wish I could use my cell phone reliably at my house :rolleye2:.

[RLW]

I was told by a third party that the main reason that metro wasn't getting into the phone business with Union is, Union would not allow them to use their phone numbers so Metro had to issue customers all new numbers.:)

[wifi]

It gets back to the FCC, which exempted small carriers from LNP, so as not to cause them financial harm by forcing them to buy equipment. There is no reason Metrocast couldn't give you a Wolfeboro or Laconia number (other than your local incoming dialing area wouldn't be the same). With TDS coming into the picture this will change, but I wouldn't expect truck loads of gear to be rolling into the Lakes Region this week :)

There are many articles on the net about it, HERE (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PJR/is_10_3/ai_n13250878/) is one of them

[tis]

No , the Thayers who also use to own Farmington National Bank owned Union Tele.

Ah, thank you, I was trying to remember!

[CrawfordCentury]

I'd thought this was a done deal some time ago.

I'm in their service area but this has zero impact on me. $30 or $40 a month before making a single call for the privelege of having a phone...got old fast. Got one of those newly fangled cellulite phones and ditched the land line.

On the positive side, TDS already has a presence in NH. Used to have an office in Eagle Sq Concord and more recently moved to Chichester. Hopefully a good sign for anyone concerned about getting Fairpointedhttp://www.arboristsite.com/images/smilies/censored.gif

[Argie's Wife]

A few weeks back when I had to talk with Union Tel customer service to straighten out the phone shut-off issue, I asked if they knew if there would any policy changes.

The customer service rep said they found out about the sale in the newspapers. Ouch.

I hope the new company preserves and maybe even creates some new jobs... and I hope employees are better-informed this time around... :)

[Wolfeboro_Baja]

Here's a link to a list from the TDS website of all the NH towns they currently serve. All of these acquisitions were through acquisitions of small, independent telephone companies over the years.

http://www.tdstelecom.com/Residential/NH?r=%2fSelfService%2fMenuStatic.aspx&f=

I live in Hopkinton and have had TDS for 6+ yrs (I think, probably more). I think they're adequate (although my wife hates them); they offer DSL service and partner with DISH Network for TV service so I can combine my landline phone, internet and Dish bills together ($5 discount on the Dish bill for combining their bill with TDS). They also allow you to pay your bill online if that's something people are interested in doing (saves writing a check and a stamp to mail). There have been instances where you have to keep after them to get something done. I haven't encountered this problem but my wife has through her office (that's why she hates them).

On the plus side, after the ice storm last December, we lost power and phone due to a large tree limb coming down on the lines between the pole and our home. When I called TDS to report the outage, they immediately offered to forward my home phone calls to my cell for the duration of my outage. And, they arrived pretty quick to re-string my line and get me reconnected. I had my phone back before I had power back!! So, let's say I'm satisfied with their service for now. :)

[jmen24]

To expand on WBaja's post.
We have TDS at our office for phone and internet.

The DSL speed at my office is far faster than my Comcast at home. We have the highest available speed/size that they offer. That allows me to email DWG format files (Autocad, i.e. very large) without much issue, only once in a while do I get a kick back message telling me to downsize.
Could be that our speed are so fast because the local hub office is located directly next door to my office.

We had DSL at home but Comcast was cheaper and we were able to go to VoIP. Overall TDS customer service is fine, we have not had any issues. But like I said they are right next door and we are a commercial account, shouldn't make a difference but I am sure it does.

When I closed my telephone and internet account, I realized that I left a bunch of emails behind and after a quick phone call to the IT department at TDS, they opened my account back up for a couple of hours to allow me to transfer all my emails into my new Comcast account, I thought that was really top notch as one of the emails was super important.

As far as overall value, I do not think that they are the cheapest trick on the corner, but overall not to bad. Home telephone and internet was in the range of $80-100/ month (local and long). Office is just under $500 with 5 lines and max DSL (local and long) and it never moves up or down (at least in the last 11 years).

[Argie's Wife]

Good news!

Just got a call from Metrocast and they can now offer phone service in Alton AND you can keep your phone number! YIPPPEEEE!

This is going to save us at least $200/year.

We've opted for the cable/internet/phone service through them (VIP package)... and the installation is 1/2 price this month.

Finally...!

[upthesaukee]

We had to wait about 9 days for installation, but well worth it. Great services, and the two I really like is the voicemail on the internet, and call forwarding.

Besides dialing a code from your phone and then having to go through a few menu choices, you can also go online to Metrocast Phone login (I have it saved as a favorite on my keyboard favorites- 1 button and I am at the login), type in the password, and you can see how many messages you have and from whom. Select the VM tab, and you can play the messages in any order, choosing the one(s) that are most important to you.

Call forwarding is nice, and I use it around town when I am out so that if anyone calls the house, I can usually answer on my cell. Also, if I go upstairs in the garage and work out, I have my cell with me and don't miss calls there either.

Like AW, we figure we will be saving at least $200 per year, and with two kids in Manchester and a good friend in Mass we talk to alot, the savings will be even more. Thanks, Metrocast, and thanks AW for the heads up.:)

[joey2665]

I have had the Metro Cast Triple Play deal for two years and it is excellent. However there is one thing you need to know. The telephone line comes in via a cable modem and when you lose power you have no telephone and you do not have the abitility to plug in and old princess style phone into the wall that does not need electric to reveive phone service as you can with the telephone company, also if you have no electric the alarm in your house will not work either since it needs a telephone signal.

Other than this issue the triple play is an excellent deal.

[upthesaukee]

I have had the Metro Cast Triple Play deal for two years and it is excellent. However there is one thing you need to know. The telephone line comes in via a cable modem and when you lose power you have no telephone and you do not have the abitility to plug in and old princess style phone into the wall that does not need electric to reveive phone service as you can with the telephone company, also if you have no electric the alarm in your house will not work either since it needs a telephone signal.

Other than this issue the triple play is an excellent deal.
Metrocast replaced my old modem with a new one, which includes a battery back-up good for up to 9 hours of standby. It does nothing for a cordless phone when the power is out, but you can plug in a "princess" (corded) phone and you will still have power. Talk time reduces the battery life dramatically, but you can still call and receive calls with a corded phone.
joey2665, I would be talking to Metrocast if you do not have a new modem. My new one is a black Arris, and has 8 LED lights, with the last three being telephone 1, telephone 2, and battery.
Installer asked if we had an alarm, and I said no, so he didn't go any further.

[jmen24]

I have had the Metro Cast Triple Play deal for two years and it is excellent. However there is one thing you need to know. The telephone line comes in via a cable modem and when you lose power you have no telephone and you do not have the abitility to plug in and old princess style phone into the wall that does not need electric to reveive phone service as you can with the telephone company, also if you have no electric the alarm in your house will not work either since it needs a telephone signal.

Other than this issue the triple play is an excellent deal.

Joey, you should have a remote dialer on your alarm system to protect you against phone lines being cut or a power failure. If you were to have an electrical short in your panel that caused a fire, your home would still be able to call for help, call your alarm company, get this set up, for the cost of the alarm system it is peanuts to add on. You should also have battery backup for your alarm. If a power failure kills the alarm, there is really no point in having it, someone just needs to send a bat through your meter, then they have full access to the place.