A Calgary company has joined the call for better cellphone service after months of no service and repeated dropped calls.
C Mac Mechanical Ltd. told Global News that his cell phone service with Telus has been spotty since he moved into his current location 15 years ago, but has been virtually non-existent since September.
Read more:
Albertans appeal to CRTC following numerous reports of dropped cell phone calls
“It’s not just one phone call a day,” owner Glen MacFarlane said. “It’s absolutely every phone call.”
“I can’t take a call, so I have to stop the call. I then have to get on the landline and then call the contractor or whoever back via the landline. It just drives me crazy.”
MacFarlane and C Mac’s director of operations, Trista Doherty, reached out to the telecommunications giant several times. They both told Global News they were told the business was located in a so-called “gray” or “dead” zone, and there was little Telus could do about it.
“They (Telus) are aware that there is a problem, but there is nothing they can do,” said Doherty. “It’s not a quick fix, so basically we’re SOL”
Calgary company in the so-called “dead” zone calls for cell restoration.
Tomasiya DaSilva
The plumbing and HVAC company took it upon themselves to fix the problem, including installing a wireless booster that costs about $4,000.
“We outsourced this booster, which we paid for, so it wasn’t cheap.” Doherty said. “We have also built towers on the roof of ours that are aimed at the towers to try to get better service.”
Read more:
Calgary communities are calling for help after months of cell phone calls being stopped
MacFarlane said the improvements worked for a while, but not for long. He added that this was unacceptable considering what he was paying for the service.
“I pay my Telus bill every month and it’s not cheap because it’s business,” he pointed out.
“So I pay a premium for a business plan and I pay my monthly bill or they’re going to cut me off – yet I get inferior service.”
Doherty added there was another cost to this whole ordeal: her time.
“Several days tied up for two hours to get hold of Telus. It is said that there is no solution and only a lot of waiting and a lot of time.”
Trista Doherty is trying to break through to Telus.
Tomasiya DaSilva
Global News reached out to Telus with C Mac’s concerns. A spokesman said it had since dispatched a technical team and was investigating.
Telus said it will work with the company in the coming days to analyze the exact cause of the challenges.
Doherty said Telus has reimbursed the company several hundred dollars since the issue began, but added it’s not nearly enough to pay for the costs C Mac has incurred so far.
She added that while it’s frustrating for everyone, employees have gotten pretty good at finding creative ways to get along.
“If we get a good spot, we fight for it. We’ll stand on an air conditioner or stand on a furnace — we do what we can to get the best service we can.”
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
