BLOOMINGTON — Verizon's popular commercials with Paul Marcarelli playing "Test Man" who goes around the country asking, "Can you hear me now?" aren't rating very high for customers along Savage River Road in a southeastern Garrett County community.
In fact, said residents Fred and Maude Metz, there is no wireless service to be had. And landline service, for which the couple pays $62 each month, is intermittent.
Maude Metz said she believes the problems - the lines go down each time it rains - stem from an antiquated system. It's a system, she's said she's been told by Verizon workers, that is antiquated and will not be replace due to so few customers living in the area.
"God forbid we have an emergency," Metz said. "We have elderly, sick people on Life Alert."
Metz said up to two dozen homes and one business are impacted by the lack of reliable landline phone service. She said there are at least nine residents between the ages of 70 and 93 who live in the affected area.
Jim and Gerry Minogue have owned BJ's Convenience Store along Savage River Road. The bait-ammo-food store is located about 5 miles west of the Metz home. The Minogues have owned BJ's for 20 years. A lack of reliable phone service has been an issue since the doors opened, Gerry Minogue said.
Minogue estimated the store loses between $60 and $372 in sales each week from out-of-town customers who come into the store for various things but plan to pay for those items with a credit card. The store's credit card machine is tied into the phone line. No phone line, no sale, Gerry Minogue said.
"I apologize to them, tell them about the problems with the phone lines," Minogue said. "There's nothing we can do about it."
This is not the first time residents have advocated for improvement. In 2007, they lobbied the state Public Service Commission for help.
Read the complete story in Saturday's Times-News. Email staff writer Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.
