Repair & Troubleshooting Services

For help with information on repairs, you may dial 611 from your home phone, or contact us at (406) 541-5000 to talk to Blackfoot’s Customer Resource Center. Another great option for immediate help is our Live Help option to the right.

24-Hour Repair Services Phone Number
Blackfoot's Customer Resource Center
6-1-1 or (406) 541-5000

(Call the numbers above to report trouble with your line and/or any damaged lines, pedestals or poles.)

Locating The Problem
Telephone service problems can be caused by your equipment, the wire and jacks in your home or Blackfoot’s network.  We encourage you to follow the troubleshooting tips before you call our Repair Service to determine if the problem exists with the equipment and wiring in your home or with the network outside your home.

If the problem is found to be in the outside lines or telephone company switches, the repair would be completed at no additional charge to you. 

If the source of the problem is your equipment or inside wire and jacks a charge may be assessed.  A charge applies when Blackfoot Telecommunications Group dispatches a technician who travels, at your request, to your home or business and finds the trouble to be in customer provided equipment or inside jacks and wiring.  This is a fee for travel time.  Repair of the equipment or wiring is based on the length of time the repair requires and the cost of materials used for repair.  By subscribing to Blackfoot’s protection program called LineBacker, you can prevent many repair charges. Contact Customer Sales and Service Representative for more information or to add Linebacker to your service.

Troubleshooting
You may be able to resolve the problem by checking several things yourself before entering a repair request. By taking an extra step and following the information below, you could avoid possible service charges.

• Check your equipment (i.e. cordless phone, answering machine or fax), by unplugging everything from the phone jacks and power sources. Then plug in one piece of equipment at a time.  Sometimes resetting your equipment will restore service.
• Make sure all of your phones are hung up.
• Do a visual inspection of all exposed wiring and connections for damaged or loose connections.
• If you have more than one outlet, check each instrument at each outlet to determine if operation can be obtained from any outlet.
• To isolate jack or house wiring problems, move a working telephone to each jack in the house to find which location is causing the trouble.

In some cases, a test point device (Network Interface Device) may have been installed where your telephone wire comes into your building.  The test point will help determine whether the trouble is with your wiring or with the telephone company’s equipment.  Open your protector and follow the instructions on the cover to use the test point (NID).  After testing a working telephone at the NID, if dial tone is reached, the trouble will be isolated to the inside, either in your equipment, jacks or wiring.  If no dial tone is reached, then the problem is in the telephone company’s equipment, and it will be repaired for you as soon as possible.

LineBacker
Blackfoot’s optional protection program helps you avoid costly repair charges if you have trouble with interior phone jacks or in-wall wiring. There is a small monthly charge for the plan and you can add it to your residential or small business service at any time. The plan includes the diagnosis, repair and/or replacement of inside wiring and/or jack.  See below for exclusions.

Exclusions and Conditions

• Damage to wiring and/or jacks due to natural disasters or acts of God;
• Customer negligence, excessive abuse and/or additional wiring placed by the customer, which does not meet company standards;
• Repair of defective telephone cords, phones or equipment such as fax machines, answering machines or computers;
• Recreational vehicles, and other temporary or moveable structures are not covered;
• Lines terminating to a Key/PBX, ISDN line or other non-basic lines;
• The following may not be covered: Leased commercial facilities, multi-dwelling units (apartment buildings, nursing homes, etc.)  The telephone company will provide maintenance to the protector at these locations.  It may be the responsibility of the management of these facilities to monitor and notify each tenant of this policy;
• If you subscribe to more than one line, you must subscribe to LineBacker on all lines in order for them to be covered.