Jul. 3--There were a few hiccups when FairPoint Communications took over Verizon's telephone and Internet service last year. But things got dramatically worse when FairPoint moved to its own system in January.

From April 2008 to January 2009, the consumer affairs division of the state Public Utilities Commission received an average of 300 calls a month related to FairPoint, according to Amanda Noonan, director of the consumer affairs division.

But once FairPoint switched over to its own system, calls to the Public Utilities Commission doubled. They peaked in March at 1,720. Since then, the number has dropped off. There were 600 FairPoint complaint calls in May and just under 700 in June, Noonan said.

Most of the calls were related to billing problems and delays in new service installation, she said.

There are still plenty of disgruntled customers in Southern New Hampshire. Most of them are upset with FairPoint's billing and customer service.

Paul Quartarone of Atkinson said he was double billed for phone service and couldn't get anyone to resolve the issue.

He said he's so fed up he's about ready to drop his land line and rely on his cell phone -- and never deal with FairPoint again.

"It's been a horror show with everyone I've spoke to," Quartarone said.

FairPoint Communications, headquartered in North Carolina, bought phone and Internet service in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont in April 2008. It bought the service from the much larger Verizon and used that company's system until January.

The change -- and the problems that came with it -- frustrated many FairPoint customers.

"It generated more calls to the call center than we were expecting," company spokeswoman Jill Wurm said yesterday.

Norma Frechette of Pelham was one of those callers.

She said her problems started with a slow Internet connection, but escalated when she looked at her first bill in May. She wintered in Florida and said she was surprised to see how much her telephone and Internet bills had gone up with FairPoint.

When Verizon was her provider, Frechette said, she paid $15 a month for Internet and $39 for telephone service. When she received her first FairPoint bill, those charges had jumped to $25 for Internet and $51 for telephone service.

That was just too expensive for Frechette so she called to complain.

"We're struggling like everybody else to keep our heads above water," she said.

After multiple calls and waiting on hold for up to half an hour each time, Frechette said a representative told her he would be able to lower the price if she signed up for a year's service.

She agreed.