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How to get phone wiring or jacks repaired

If you've determined that you need phone wiring or a jack repaired, learn more about who is responsible, and how to get repairs done, including our maintenance protection plan option.

Who is responsible for what - inside and outside

Generally, equipment inside your home is your responsibility, and equipment outside your home is our responsibility.

If signal isn't getting to your house, then the problem is outside your home. If, however, you have a dial tone on at least one of your jacks — even if it's faint, unclear or intermittent — the problem is most likely inside your home, and your jack(s) and/or inside wiring need to be repaired.

To figure out whether signal is getting to your home, learn how to troubleshoot for no dial tone on your phone.

Indoor Outdoor House Cutaway

For repairs inside the home

If you have a problem with your inside wiring, it's your responsibility to get it repaired, including paying for the repairs. It's not required that you have CenturyLink make the repairs — you can hire any experienced professional, or you can do the work yourself if you know how.

Without a protection plan (described in detail below), we charge:

  • $95 to isolate the problem (exact fees may vary based on where you live)
  • If you hire us to do the repair, we waive the isolation fee and only charge you for labor and material costs. Because these fees vary based on what needs to be repaired, we can't give you a ballpark figure here, but we do provide a written estimate — and a satisfaction guarantee — before beginning work.
Did you know? If you live in an apartment, equipment repair and installation may be included in your rental agreement — which means it probably won't cost you anything. Ask your building manager before you pay for repairs.

Inside Wire Protection maintenance plan

CenturyLink offers a maintenance protection plan that provides repair work to subscribers. For a flat monthly fee ($11 per line/per month, or $132/year for one phone line or offered with some Price for Life packages), we can repair most inside jack and wiring problems. 

This plan covers inspection and repairs to existing lines and jacks inside your home, including:

  • Charges for a technician to visit your home and isolate the problem
  • Fee for a technician to professionally repair/restore your service
  • Cost of materials needed to fix the damaged jacks and wiring

You can start a protection plan at any time. Contact us to get set up for immediate coverage. And you can cancel at any time.

Protection plan exclusions

Customers typically find these plans are a good deal and provide peace of mind. To avoid surprises, it's good to understand what's not covered by the plan:

  • Installation of new jacks and wiring
  • Repair of pre-existing conditions
  • Rewiring of nonstandard jacks and wiring
  • Inspection, installation or repair of personal equipment (e.g., the telephone itself, computers, non-CenturyLink certified modems, gaming devices, connector cords, TDD equipment, etc.)
  • Damage due to natural disasters
  • Damage due to abuse or neglect caused by you, your visitors, occupants or animals

Note: The list above includes the most common exclusions. If you'd like to know the full list of exclusions, contact customer service.

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