FERGUS – Many cell phone customers in Fergus are reporting hit-and-miss coverage in town and telecom companies say they are working to address this issue.
Sarah Albano is one of those let down by poor reception when she needed it most.
Albano, a customer with Bell-owned Virgin Mobile, said in the summer her husband was sick and she needed to book a doctor’s appointment over the phone.
“They kept saying ‘we can’t hear you, we can’t hear you,’ and I’m running outside and I was just so frustrated because he was so sick and I needed to get ahold of them and it was my only means of communicating,” Albano said, adding it worried her about what would happen in an emergency situation.
She said they switched from Bell after problems with their bill but have had nothing but problems with reception in town.
Originally, Albano said she thought it might have been her own issue but when she asked if others experienced this problem on a community Facebook group, she learned others have this same issue.
And it’s not just limited to one company. Dozens of commenters noted they too had problems with dropped calls and overall poor data coverage in Fergus with Bell, Rogers and related sub-brands.
“I’ve been dealing with this problem for a few months now and I didn’t realize that a bunch of others were experiencing this too,” said John Mifsud, a Rogers customer in Fergus.
“We have some of the highest cell phone rates in the world and it’s pretty ridiculous.”
Mifsud noted his girlfriend just switched from Rogers because of how unreliable the service was.
“She went to Bell and it’s just been a bit better,” Mifsud said.
“She had to cancel her plan, spend hundreds of dollars to switch over just because of bad service.”
Representatives from Bell and Rogers both said the companies are currently working to improve coverage in Fergus.
“We are aware that some customers in the Fergus area are experiencing cellular coverage issues and are working on solutions including cellular tower upgrades,” said Vanessa Damha, senior manager of Bell media relations, in an email.
Rogers spokesperson Zac Carreiro stressed the company is focused on delivering reliable wireless coverage in Fergus with enhancements expected in the coming months.
“(We) are currently upgrading our existing towers in the area as well as building a new wireless site near the intersection of St. David Street and Black Street to improve existing coverage throughout the community,” Carreiro stated in an email.
Neither spokesperson gave a technical reason why customers in Fergus may be experiencing these problems.
Albano said Virgin Mobile rebated her $300, or three months worth, for the trouble she experienced while her husband was sick.
She was surprised by this when she called to complain but stressed it wasn’t money she was after. She said she’s happy to pay for good service but isn’t interested in constantly being rebated for poor service.
“I need to know my phone is going to work,” Albano said.
