Laurel writes in to ask what Verizon means when they say their DSL is “full.” She’s trying to transfer her existing account to a house in the same zip code, but Verizon is saying “No.”

Hi Consumerist folks,

I just had a very strange conversation with Verizon and thought this was the kind of thing you only read about on Consumerist.

We currently have Verizon phone and DSL service. This is because we live in a town where Verizon is the only phone provider. We’re moving from our apartment to a house in the same zip code.

I call Verizon to transfer our service. Once I get through the hideous phone tree to a human being, I speak to the CSR, who is pleasant and helpful. She checks to confirm that we can keep our existing phone number (we can), arranges for the service transfer, gives me all the information about how long the transfer takes and when I can expect service, etc. Then she tries to change our DSL service over.

She tells me something’s very strange, as the new address is in their service area, but her system shows that DSL is unavailable there. She puts me on hold to go check with a supervisor.

When she comes back, she explains to me that DSL is not available at that location, even though the previous residents did have DSL. Something about the local center being “closed” and that area being “full” as far as DSL connections. Why they would run out of DSL in a residential neighborhood, especially when all we’re doing is MOVING our existing DSL, is not explained.

We’re checking to see if we can get another ISP, but since this is a ‘company town’, we may be stuck getting high-speed internet through Comcast (ugh. ugh, ugh ugh). Has anyone ever heard of anything like this before?

Thanks,
Laurel

Well, Laurel, we have no idea what this means, but we’re sure our commenters do. Can anyone explain why Verizon’s DSL is “full”?

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