Verizon FiOS makes its way through Northwest Philly

A red tent glowed in the dark on a quiet residential Northwest Philadelphia street Monday night. A generator hummmed while blue flames blew from a portable heater. The refuge beckoned weary commuters coming home to stop for a bit of warmth…and a look at new internet, television and phone service.

In Wissahickon, Verizon FiOS representatives are pitching their service packages to local residents and if you live on the odd numbered side of Kalos Street, where the tent was situated, you can sign up now.

Joanne Weill-Greenberg did just that. After calling Comcast and reaching the Retention Department to see if they could match FiOS’ price she concluded “they could not retain us.”

But it was not just about the money.

“They have SOAPnet, so now I will be able to get back to watching Beverly Hills 90210. That’s very important to me,” she added, “and we can still get Comcast sports, which is important to our family.”

Weill-Greenberg also got some free ice skating tickets, but for those who did not sign up, there were typical sales tent giveaways—a refrigerator magnet clip and tote bag—more familiar to summer street fairs than lonely winter nights.

Once in the tent, salespeople made their case to potential customers pointing to value, resolution, weather resistant clarity, and other advantages. Walking away, an impressed boy told his father, “it’s better than an antenna.”

Last week, the promo tent was on Rochelle Ave. across from T Hogan’s bar. Verizon workers at the Kalos Street tent did not have a schedule for where they will be next, but if service is available in your neighborhood, you will find a flyer in your mailbox and the luminous sales booth will soon appear nearby.

FiOS is coming to the area incrementally as its fiber optic cables make their way through the neighborhood and red tents pop up to offer Comcast customers another option.