Just a few years ago, Ma Bell used to be the only game in town when it came to phone service. Whether you live in a big town or the boonies, there was one provider and Bell was it, ever since Alexander Graham Bell invented that thing, some 150 years ago. If you needed any service, it was fast, on time and efficient. Well, times have changed.
A few years ago I actually fell for their promises. We switched back to Bell from another service provider. After “coming back” to Bell, our problems escalated. Not only did the service cost about three times what had been quoted by the sales rep, I could no longer make any call to some overseas connections. Despite talking repeatedly to various technical and higher level managerial people at Bell, the issue was never resolved. They simply claimed that any of our problems could not possibly be due to their system. Therefore, it must be the overseas system, and they had no way to control that.
After several months of trying to have Bell just look into the problem nothing was done or resolved. Finally, my only choice left was to break the contract with them and change the provider once again. Low and behold, from the second we switched, absolutely no problem calling my overseas parties, just as it was before I switched to Bell.
Countryside Land Lines
In the countryside, old-fashioned phones lines are still de rigueur. In Ontario cell phone coverage is poor, where it exists at all. A few miles away from major highways and you may as well be on the moon.
We still have a Bell land line at a countryside location. As the crow flies, this hideaway is only a hundred miles from the centre of Toronto. Clearly, it’s not exactly a remote location, though accessible by boat only. Getting there is half the fun. You are never far from land, but the numerous shoals make for a challenging passage. Unless you know your path well, close attention to the detailed nautical charts is advisable. Even then, the changing water levels can lead to unwelcome surprises. Every winter the lakes freezes over with about 3 feet of ice which is not surprising at -40 degrees. However, some channels with steady currents have spots of very thin ice, not enough to support a person, even in the dead of winter. That’s why we go there in summer only.
We started to build the place thirty years and have had a phone line with it all that time. Until recently, we rarely had a problem with the phone, and then only after major storms which took out some poles or lines. Also, any problems were quickly repaired, but not so these days.
So far this year already, without having had a storm, we required repair to the phone connection on three occasions. We usually notice that there is something wrong with the phone when we don’t get the daily calls promising free pizza if not delivered in 20 minutes. Perhaps we should go for it some time – as this place is about 40 minutes by boat just to the town dock.
Luckily, our next door neighbour is there most of the time and always willing to help. When you call the Bell repair service, they’ll usually promise a repair crew to arrive the following day between noon and 5 pm. However, it rarely shows up on the promised day. If you call Bell again the day thereafter to enquire about the repair, the lady from India apologizes and tells you about the repair crew’s inability to get here because of the ice on the water. Well, the only ice for hundreds of miles in any direction was in the freezer compartment and even that was dwindling fast – due to other reasons.
Cell Phone Service
In the last couple of years now, cell phone service in this area has improved, but not that offered by Bell. Other companies have filled the void and put up several towers in the area which provide a reasonable coverage. In contrast, Bell’s nearby tower, which has already been there for twenty some years does not allow any cell phone connection further than about three miles. A friend of mine, living about five miles away, could get neither a land line nor cell phone service. In fact, Bell’s recommendation to him was to install (as well as pay for and self-maintain) an expensive 1950-style marine radio-telephone system if he wanted any connectivity at all.
Oh, did I mention our rotary dial phone here? It has served us well for the last thirty-plus years. Bell claims it’s the only type of phone we possibly can have at this location and that we need to keep renting it from Ma. Is that really true?
Other Considerations
This area is prime natural habitat for a venomous pit viper, commonly known as rattlesnake. Especially at this time of the year, the males get the wanderlust and roam for long distances, both on land and via water. Without fail, you come up to one when and where least you least expected it.
Just yesterday one appeared at the bottom of our stairs; it quickly slithered into a nearby cedar thicket. Unless they are moving, their camouflage-type pattern makes them difficult to spot, even in daylight. Though non-aggressive by nature, you certainly do not want to step on one. That would invite a lightening-fast strike. So, you can understand that having a working phone is important to us – not just for non-existing pizza deliveries.
The Toil
On Monday morning I called Bell to let them know that our line was dead. Five days later, it still is. The crew which had been here on Wednesday, without inspecting the junction box on our pole, quickly concluded that the cable from here to the next pole needed replacement. They did not have any of that cable along but promised that another crew would arrive in the morning to install it. However there was no one from Bell anywhere near here all next day. Enquiring in the afternoon about the lack of service, the lady from India assured me that the problem was being worked on as we spoke.
Stringing a new cable between two adjacent poles must be a daunting task. Actually, I don’t even think that it is required at all. Calling our number from another phone produces a busy-signal for the caller. If there had been a physical break in the cable, I think it ought to be producing a regular ringing tone for the caller, not a busy tone.
Needless to say, I am having nightmares envisaging the Bell repair people braving the beautiful summer weather and calm waters on the bay on their way to restore our service. Perhaps their progress is still hampered by ice on the lake. Or could it be our punishment for having paid our bill for several months in advance? Whatever the case, I am sure they’ll fix the system by the time the ice is naturally reappearing on the lake.
Well, late on Friday afternoon the promised other repair crew came by. Like the one before them, they went up the neighbour’s pole and concluded that the piece of cable needed replacement. Of course they did not have a new cable with them. Instead they promised to return the next day (Saturday) to fix it. Being part of a long weekend (Labour Day weekend), I am sure their union contract specifies a hefty overtime rate of pay then. They just might show up with the new cable on Saturday.
Low and behold, the Bell boat came again on Saturday around 10 am and went straight to another neighbour’s pole. From there they went on to yet another pole on a property around the corner. After an hour or so, they left again, without any visit here or at our immediate neighbour. But our phone was still dead.
About another hour later, surprise, surprise, our phone rang. It was the Bell crew calling to let us know that the problem had been fixed. It was not a physical break in the line after all, just a wrong connection somewhere in the system. Let’s hope they did not disconnect someone else while re-connecting our line.
In any event, rest reassured the Bell toils for you.
