Setting Up Your New Home

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Once you have signed a lease for your apartment, you will also need to choose and activate your telephone service, and arrange to have your utilities such as gas and electricity switched to your name or turned on. You may be asked for your SSN, and if you don’t have one yet or are not eligible to receive one, you will probably be required to pay an extra deposit, which will be returned once you have an SSN and/or have established your reliability as a customer by paying your bills on time. Be sure and inquire with your new landlord about turning on your utilities.

Telephone Service

In most cases, you will be responsible for activating your own telephone service. Local telephone service and long distance services must be ordered separately. It is possible to get your long distance service from the local telephone company, but you must request it. Shop around for the best long distance service and rates before choosing a company. You may decide to only get local service and then use telephone cards for long distance service, to stick to a tighter budget and easily and frequently shop around for the best rates. Whenever you are making international calls, always be sure you understand the costs, since pricing can vary greatly.

Local service. Local telephone service is available through AT&T. When you order local service, you will most likely have to give them a deposit (especially if you don’t have an SSN), which will be refunded when you cancel your service. Keep in mind that activation of your service can take a few days to a week to be turned on. To register for service, dial 811 in New Haven. Get details about services and various calling plans on their website at: www.att.com

Long Distance service. Long distance providers have become very competitive, and many companies offer service. Shop around for the best rate, and remember to inquire as to whether or not they can offer you a special discount for frequent international calls to your home county. www.lowermybills.com is a Web site where you can search and compare to find the best deals for your calling area. Some of the more established companies are AT&T, MCI and Sprint, but most students and scholars choose to shop around. You would need to contact a long distance provider directly to order service.

Cell Phone Service

If you have just arrived and have no established credit history in the U.S., you have two options for obtaining cell phone service. You can buy a pre-paid plan, said to be a bit more expensive than regular service, or you can put down a large deposit when you sign your contract. This deposit will be returned to you when you close your contract, provided that you pay your bills on time and don’t owe anything.

There are quite a few companies that offer cell phone services, and they vary widely in the products, service and deals that they offer. Always carefully investigate and compare before signing a cell phone contract, which is generally a binding agreement for one to two years. If you break your contract by canceling your service before the end of the agreement, you will most likely be required to pay a hefty cancellation penalty fee, which can be as much as $200 or more. A pre-paid service is good if you don’t have established credit or if you plan to be here for less than a year. With pre-paid service, once you use your minutes, your phone ceases functioning, so you would want to carefully calculate your usage when purchasing minutes. In the U.S., you don’t pay by how much you call. Cell phones in the U.S. charge for both incoming and outgoing calls. You are charged by your overall airtime, or minutes and not so much money per call. For example, you pay $X for 500 minutes, or 1000 minutes or 3000 minutes.

University Mobile has been recommended as one company that does not require a huge deposit for those with no credit history: www.universitymobile.com.

Utilities

If utilities are not included in your rent, you will need to arrange to have the gas and/or electricity activated before you move in to your new place. Call to set up your services as soon as you sign your lease.

Cable Television

Without a cable television connection, you will only be able to receive approximately three to twelve channels maximum with your external TV antenna. If you decide to get cable, Comcast is the only Cable TV service in New Haven. Although they will try to sell you the basic service, the very least expensive option is called limited basic service which may be suitable for your needs. You will have to make an appointment for them to come to your home to connect it. For questions about fees or to make an appointment and order cable TV call Comcast at (800) 266-2278. You can also access their website at www.comcast.com

As an alternative to cable, AT&T, the local telephone company, offers a DISH Network Satellite package. You can get more information on their website at www.att.com. Be sure and inquire as to whether or not you will be able to receive local stations with a satellite connection.

Internet Connection

New students are assigned a Net ID, which will give them access to Yale’s computer network. If you have any problems with or questions about your Net ID, contact the ITS User Accounts office at 221 Whitney Ave, 432-6627.

On-campus: A no-cost ethernet connection is provided in each Yale dormitory room. If there are problems with the connection, contact the computing assistant in your residence at www.yale.edu/cas

Off-campus: Here are some of the possibilities for connecting to the internet off-campus:

  • Yale’s system - Connect to Yale’s system for a small fee. For details, go to the Student Computing website at www.yale.edu/sc or call them at 432-5242.
  • ADSL (High Speed Connection) - AT&T offers an ADSL connection. Call for details at 811 or go to www.att.com.
  • High Speed Cable Access - Comcast offers this service in some parts of the New Haven area. Call them at 865-0096 or visit www.comcast.com
  • Free internet connection - There is an online directory to free ISP’s (Internet Service Providers) at: www.all-free-isp.com

 

Practical Matters

Van & Truck Rental

If you purchase large furniture items or are planning on moving within the U.S. it is sometimes necessary to rent a van or truck. Make sure that you get a reservation confirmation number, and the names of the people you speak with. For more resources related to moving, go to the Leaving Yale section.

U-Haul
116 WhalleyAve
562-3177
www.uhaul.com
Truck and trailer rental. Moving and shipping boxes and supplies.

Budget Truck Rental
323 George St
786-6584
www.budgettruck.com
Truck and trailer rental.

Setting up Resources

Telephone Service

AT&T
1-800-453-7638
www.att.com

MCI,
1-800-444-3333
www.mci.com

Sprint,
1-800-777-4681
www.sprint.com

Cell Phone Service

AT&T
2100 Dixwell Ave
Hamden
407-1113
Bus J2

Sprint
80 Church St
772-4059

T-Mobile
109 Church St
789-8231

Verizon Wireless
555 Universal Dr N
North Haven
234-0574
Bus C

Verizon Wireless Yale Discount
Call Jen Palmer at 258-2198

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Electricity

United Illuminating
1-800-722-5584

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Gas or Heating Oil

Southern Connecticut Gas
787-6121
www.soconngas.com

Santa Fleet Service (Oil)
670 Ella T Grasso Blvd
782-0304

Sid Harvey Metro (Oil)
75 Hamilton St
787-0251

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Trash & Recycling

New Haven Public Works:
946-7700

All towns have weekly trash collection and regularly scheduled collection for recyclables - glass, paper and cans (sorted). For regulations and current collection schedule, contact the Department of Public Works in your town.