How do you call to report your phone is out?

  Calling The Phone Company!
  After my nearly 4 hour drive home
from Wildwood Friday night I was not
very pleased to find my telephone
wasn't working.
  I'm speaking of my "land line"
telephone. For those of you who still
trying to figure out what I'm talking
about it's a telephone actually connected
by wires to an entire network of similar
devices around the world.
  At least it "should be connected."
  Mine was not (and up till this writing
is still not).
  Of course, like most people these days,
I have a cell phone. I decided to use it
to call my provider, Verizon, to report
my problem.
  I began that effort at about 12:30A.M.
  For the next hour and a half I was
traded back and forth from one Verizon
department to another. Most were
automated.
  Each time I tried to tell the machine
I was calling to report my phone service
was out I was questioned, again by an
automated "person" to tell "it" what
operating system my computer uses!
  I did, of course have a loss of my
on line services.....but that's because
my phone, which provides them, was out!
  Eventually one helpful agent waited
on my cell phone with me until a woman,
said to be with the phone repair department,
took over my call.
   It was nearly impossible to hear her!
   My speaker helped enough to listen as
she explained that she had checked my
line and verified I had no service.
   That's what I called to tell them
nearly two hours before!
   She did say the problem was not in my
home but "outside" somewhere.
    She said someone would be dispatched
to try to correct the problem but she
couldn't say when. I got the feeling from
her voice that it might be days!
    I'm also wondering if their long "hold
process" is really a money making scheme
to get callers to use up as many cell
phone minutes as possible!
    Where's old "Ma Bell" when you need
her!
    For now I'm finding new ways to get
my Blog out to you.
    They may be later than usual and could
be missed. But I hope to try to keep up.
    If you're worried, however, don't call
me! You can't. Verizon tells me my phone
isn't working!!! Thanks Verizon. For a
minute I thought it was just me! (Not!)
    Fact is I had a lot less trouble with the
Remco phone my buddy and I had wired
from house to house when I was 10!
    Hope you're got a dial tone and that
all your NEWS is good!