Telephones won't ring, test fine, otherwise OK, can call out and receive calls. See below for details.?

Question

I have two phones, a wireless and a regular. Both have caller ID windows. The phones both quit ringing. I have dial tone. Can call out and receive calls. Have tried unplugging phones separately. Have DSL w/phone line modem, works fine.
Tried both phones, a phone at a time, in both jacks. Replaced batteries in regular phone(old batteries tested as still having lotsa juice). Phone calls come in; if we see the Caller ID window light up we can answer the phone. Transmission is fine. Both ringers are turned on. Verizon wants $91 to come out and check it. Verizon sez that line tests fine, prob is in house. Phones ring fine in other houses.
Help! (Thanks!)

Answer 1

Check the towers and the phones themselves, you might have accidentally switched the "Ringer" OFF, look for that switch on the Phones, usually on the side of the phone, it should be a small switch that says "Ringer" and then switch it to "ON" look carefully, that is the only thing that I can think of right now, if you can make calls and receive them than I dont see anything else

Answer 2

Take a phone that you know works and has a working ringer. You can make sure it rings by going to a friends house and trying it there. Now take that phone outside to the network interface box. Disconnect the line coming from the street and hook your phone directly to it. Modern network interface boxes will have a bypass jack you can do that with. Otherwise, you'll have to sacrifice a phone cord and strip the wires and connect it up that way (the red and the green to the two wires coming from the street). Hook it up temporarily with wire nuts or twist together and use some electrical tape. Call your land line with your cell phone. Does it ring? If not, then it's Verizon's problem and they will NOT charge you for a visit. They only charge if its a problem with your wiring indoors and if you disconnect it at the network interface and you still have the problem, then that's their responsibility and should be covered free of charge. From the box out is all their responsibility. Next time you call, tell them you did this test. They'll do the same test with a lineman's handset and take care of whatever the problem is. If your phone DOES ring, then you know you've got something else going on inside your house, whether it be the wiring or some of the devices connected, but you've done some pretty good troubleshooting against it so far so I doubt that'll be the problem. Just disconnect at the interface and try it. They can't argue with that.