May 2009 - test-neighbhorhood@test.highlandparkpa.com

[Highland Park] Fios service comments
by m h 01 Jun '09

01 Jun '09

Thanks to all who replied to my question about experiences with FIOS. Several people asked for the responses, so i've put them together for anyone who needs them: We had DSL and switched to FIOS. The phone service has never been a problem. If you're going to connect your PC directly to the router then switching to FIOS won't be an issue. If, however, you plan to connect wirelessly, router placement is key to get good signal strength. In fact we got just as good if not better wireless speed with DSL. With FIOS I had to buy a better router antenna to boost the signal because Verizon gives you some pretty lame equipment. Even with the antenna wireless speed doesn't seem to be as fast as wireless DSL was and setting up my wireless workstations was a royal pain in the neck. I had to take apart each of my wireless desktops and haul them to the router put them back together and plug them directly into the router before I could get the wireless settings to work. It took me the better part of two days to get it to work and even though I had been on the phone with to call Verizon tech support about 20 times, I had to start over in their queue every call which resulted in me spending hours on hold. Caveat emptor. ------ I love my FIOS internet - and use VOIP over it - but I do go through Full Service Network (reseller) to get both - prices are better. Although I do only buy the Broadband Regional Phone Plan at $14.99/month - any long distance calls are extra, but I don't really make any so it works for me. You can call them at: 1-888-347-6000 --------- My sister has it and hasn't had any problems. She generally likes the speed for the internet and had no problems with the phone systems. They are 'suggesting' we move also as we have verizon phone and dsl but it is more expensive for fios and I told them until the price is equal to what we currently pay I saw no reason to switch. Good Luck. ----------- i recently purchased their internet service. I already had the phone. Thus far I have not had any concerns; and, i've had the service of 3 mos. _________ I went through the same thing about 6 months ago. Once you managed to contact them, make sure of all the things, when they come, etc, it is definitively worth it. The actual process can be a little bit cumbersome. Once installed, the systems works very well (much better that the one we have at the University of Pittsburgh, I must say) and is quite fast. Be aware that you will have to change your international provider -if you have one- to Verizon, which we also did. Make sure that you talk about that and get one of the many plans they have, and then it will be good. Otherwise they will charge you about a dollar per minute.____________ we have it, and we love it! it is sooo fast, even wireless up on our 2nd floor - the box is in the basement! _____________ We switched to fios about 6 months ago, I don't notice a speed difference, but we've had a significant improvement in reliability. ______________ I took the cheaper deal and love it! (The $100 wasn’t bad either!) The internet is great, the high speed works (I teach university courses on line and it works for huge files, live classrooms, etc) and the I haven’t noticed a difference in the phone (except it is less expensive). _____________ We have it and love it. The speed far exceeds that of DSL, and we've never had any issues with it at all. The difference was notable. Since I work from home frequently, we used to get bogged down on the DSL when my computer would try to backup its work files to my company's network. We no longer have those issues. The set up takes a while; the guy was here for about 4 hours, I think, but he was pleasant and did a nice job. Ultimately, I think that we're spending less every month than we used to when we had DSL. It's definitely worth it. ______________ We have had FIOS phone and internet (10/2 Mbps) for a month now and have been pleased with it. The phone service is expanded from what we had before (caller ID, unlimited calling to US/Canada). It is hard to compare the price exactly, because we were using a calling card for long distance before. We also had the slowest DSL speed before. I sure we are paying somewhat more now, but the higher internet speed and expanded phone service seems to be worth it. Verizon has a pretty poor reputation for customer support and billing issues, but our first bill was correct (as far as I could tell--the change in phone service made it pretty complicated) and the only support issue I have had so far was handled well. The problem that required support was that the voice mail message alert (the beeping dial tone you get when there is a new voice mail message) was not working after the FIOS was installed. I submitted a problem report online and, surprisingly, the problem was fixed within a few hours. I have heard of others having this same problem, so if you can I would suggest testing it while the tech is still there after the installation (I didn't have time to check it out until later). I suspect that once Verizon gets its TV franchise in the city we will be inundated with offers to add the TV service. We do not have TV cable now, and have no intention of adding it, so we'll see how persistent they are. The installation tech did a good job with the physical installation and gave me some choices such as where to install the ONT (the box where the fiber comes in and is converted to phone/internet signals) and the router. He was less accommodating with the computer/router setup--I wanted the router set up with wireless disabled, but he left it enabled. It was not too big a deal for me to change it myself, but I am fairly computer literate. ________________________ We have had the Fios internet and phone for about a year. The internet service has been great. We have the least expensive Fios package (5mb?). The installer was very professional and capable – although the install took 6hrs for him to complete. A few months after the installation, the router malfunctioned and Verizon sent a new one in a couple days. I would highly recommend the internet package as it has been more reliable (and faster) than the DSL we had previously. _________________________ We have Fios and love it. Can’t wait for them to start offering Fios TV ____________________________ Got FIOS (internet only) after I moved to Penn Hills last month; everything seems to be working fine. _________________________ We have Verizon Fios and I would say we are 90% happy with it. Any problems that came up for us were promptly fixed by Verizon. __________________________ I have had Fios for almost two years and am very happy with it. _____________________________ It is cheaper but we have not had good experience—it is not very reliable _______________________________

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[Highland Park] basement waterproofing- your responses
by Ariana Mangual 31 May '09

31 May '09

Hello Neighbors, Thanks to all who responded to my query. Some of you wrote to ask that I share the responses and I've pasted them below. All best, Ariana *** Recommended: 1. We had our basement totally water-proofed last summer by some folks called "EverDry" - you can find them on the internet. They cleaned all the walls, and in our case dug french drains and put in a humidifier. It was not cheap but absolutely worth it - and they were the best workers I have ever had in my home. The whole house was positively affected by drying out the basement. I hadn't realized there was a such a musty smell seeping up from the basement till it was gone. I recommend these folks. They also clean everything up beautifully. 2. I own a home improvement company. I would be happy to come over and point out what I think needs done. Majority time I can remedy the source. And of course there is no charge to see the issues. Give me a call. I have plenty of references from the neighborhood. Tom OCEAN BREEZE H.I. 412-805-5602 3. 2 neighbors wrote the following: Several clients of mine have used Watershield - 412-761-9600. I usually have John come out for the consultation. Everyone has been very pleased. & We used the services of Watershield, 412-761-9600. It has been very successful. Not Recommended: 1. i would recommend you NOT use Ark basement, we had bad experience with them. good luck. 2. Don't use A Better Choice . ..I have had a terrible time with them. My basement is in worse shape now than it was before I had them do the work. Other Considerations: 1. For many of us with our older Highland Park homes, water in the basement is most often due to drainage and/or downspout problems. These are relatively easy to remedy. I’d recommend that you check these off your list before venturing into other possible solutions, as “waterproofing” can quickly get very expensive. 2. A couple of years ago I had water running through my basement wall every time it rained hard. I could see that the ground drain next to my downspout would not drain properly. I tried snaking it myself but without luck. I do not remember the name of the plumber, but they snaked my downspout drain and all has been well since. That may be all that is necessary for you.

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[Highland Park] found ring returned to owner!!!
by Eric or Sue Randall 31 May '09

31 May '09

Neighbors, Thank you to all who inquired about the white gold/ diamond studded ring I found on May 20th on the sidewalk 5500 block Avondale Place. The search for the owner is over and the ring is back where it belongs. I truly am sorry for those who have not yet found your missing rings. Perhaps sending out lost notices may bring your jewels to the surface for reunification? Susan Randall

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[Highland Park] Antique Carved Walnut Bed For Sale
by Athymeafterthyme＠comcast.net 31 May '09

31 May '09

Hi, We are in process of remodeling third floor and will be offering afew items for sale. Currently listed is a carved antique walnut 3/4 size bed. It has head and footboards as well as walnut side rails. Excellent Serta mattress and box spring included....both were never used. Mattress and box spring were made specifically for this bed. Would make wonderful bed for a child although an adult can sleep on it. I believe it is called 3/4 size because it is larger than twin but smaller than double. The length is standard for twin or full. Offered at $300. Call 362-0328.

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[Highland Park] Refrigerator Repair references
by elizabeth odoroff 31 May '09

31 May '09

Thank you to all those who send recommendations! It's a relief to keep frozen food frozen and cold food, cold ! Liz O. Sears-Liz thought too expensive to just even show up ***Most amazing appliance repair guy ever! Affordable Appliance Service Bob Spirko office 412-766-8585 cell 412-853-5176 If he can't fix it, he'll tell you. He's honest, reliable,nice, extremely accomodating. He's fixing my refrig right now. Design flaw for which he needs to get correction part! Clearly very experienced. Don Able, Able Appliance 412-606-8116 Perlas Appliances Swissvale Ask for Rocky Tell him Tom Morgan from OCEAN BREE Home Improvements told you to call Appliance Service Center 412-381-4104 Used many times with success

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[Highland Park] For Sale: Canon XL1
by Christy and Terry Valencheck 31 May '09

31 May '09

We are selling a good condition Canon XL1 video camera for $1200 *with stock lens *3 batteries: two 4hour batteries, one 2hour battery *Charger (AC adapter cable missing) *MA100 (XLR adapter) *Remote Control *UV Filter *Polarizer Filter Includes: KATA Quick-draw Soft case Bogen/ Manfrotto 3063 Tripod Head Bogen/ Manfrotto 3046 Tripod Legs Camera is fully functional and the tripod is like new. Photos can be seen on craigslist. http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/pho/1187287206.html E-mail Terry if you are interested terrylchristy(a)hotmail.com

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Re: [Highland Park] Mary Garden Statues
by Rick 31 May '09

31 May '09

They're gone ------Original Message------ From: Rick Sender: neighborhood-bounces(a)highlandparkpa.com To: neighborhood(a)highlandparkpa.com ReplyTo: rwatling(a)sunseri.com Subject: [Highland Park] Mary Garden Statues Sent: May 30, 2009 10:27 PM 2 Mary Garden Statues (plastic) available near corner of Winterton and Wellesley - free, but don't do anything sacrilegious. -- <http://lists.highlandparkpa.com/mailman/listinfo/neighborhood>

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[Highland Park] Lost Cat Update
by Heather Conrad 31 May '09

31 May '09

To everyone who emailed or phoned with sitings or suggestions: a big thank you! Our cat has been found! She turned up around the corner from our house on a neighbor's porch with an infected hind leg. This wonderful woman, Linda, who had not seen our signs, let our cat stay on her couch on her front porch, provided her with water and food (feeding her every couple of hours!!!) and a safe place to recover. A friend of her son's spotted one of our posters and she was able to contact us yesterday and I brought her home last night. Thanks to Linda's kindness and patience, her leg is healing and she is very happily at home again. If you happen to know Linda and David from Wellesley Street, just be aware of this amazing act of kindness from them and their neighbors, who kept a watchful eye on our cat for over a week, and were able to finally get her back to her family. Many, many thanks for such great neighbors! Heather and family Heths Ave.

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[Highland Park] Piano gone
by Abigail Owens 31 May '09

31 May '09

Thanks for everyone's interest! The 1920s Kimball has been taken.

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[Highland Park] Sunday June 7th - neighborhood events
by Kelly Vitti 31 May '09

31 May '09

The annual Highland Park yard sale will start at 9:00 Sunday so come on out and find some bargains and and start the festivities. Don't forget to stop at the Union Project as well for food and arts until 2:00. The Bryant Street Festival - Sponsored by the HPCC and Pittsbugh Fulton School - starts at noon and will run until 6:00 pm. There will be (free) children's activities, live musical perfomances all day and many artists and crafters selling their work - all Highland Park residents! Tambellini's, Smiling Banana Leaf, Park Brugge and an Italian ice stand will be on hand with some awesome food choices. What a great day to enjoy the beautiful neighborhood we live in!

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