Cogeco customer headaches continue, still no service

Telecommunication company says it’s dealing with consolidation of its technical systems

Cogeco customers continue to be plagued by problems with the cable TV, phone and internet provider, leaving them frustrated and angry.

While a national complaints commission told The Spectator in late June it received 258 complaints from Ontario about Cogeco, it said last week it can’t say how many it has received since.

Spokesperson Monette Gavreau blames this on a large backlog of complaints and staff being too busy preparing an annual report for late November.

Gavreau, with the Commission for Complaints for TelecomTelevision Services, would not say whether the backlog is related to problems at Cogeco.

The commission is funded by telecommunications companies, including Cogeco.

The Spectator has received dozens of calls and emails from frustrated Cogeco customers both before and since a June 26 story on the problems.

Customers say they are having problems with the services, whether they be internet, TV, or phone — and that they are put on hold for hours when they call. When they do manage to speak to someone, they still don’t get a resolution, they say.

Cogeco spokesperson Gabriel Beausejour said only a small number of customers are still experiencing problems.

Call wait times are down to 20 to 25 minutes although this “is still not acceptable,” he said.

Cogeco has added more staff and technicians and is working hard to get back to the customer service levels that won it excellence awards in eight of the past 10 years, he said.

“We see improvement day to day.”

Some angry customers switched to another service provider, but others say they are stuck with Cogeco because there are no other providers in their area.

Hamilton Mountain resident Toni Iacobucci said her elderly parents have been without a phone for over a week after a Cogeco technician installed phone service at their home on July 31.

As of last week, her parents were still waiting for a dial tone.

Iacobucci was panicked because her dad, Walter Harbuzynsky, 95, and mom, Palmina, 87, had no other means of outside communication. Iacobucci, finally fed up after repeated calls to Cogeco and lengthy waits on hold, went out and bought them a cellphone.

This is not ideal, however, because her mom is sometimes confused on how to use it, but Iacobucci says it’s the best option since they say no one at Cogeco is helping.

“I had no idea it would be this difficult,” she said. “It’s ridiculous.”

Her parents live in Stoney Creek near Winona and rely on the phone to call her when they have health problems or have to go to the emergency room.

“I panicked. I’m 27 kilometres away. I have to depend on them being able to reach me. It’s just scary.”

Had Iacobucci known about Cogeco’s service problems, she wouldn’t have switched her parents’ phone, she said.

Cogeco’s Beausejour said problems started when Cogeco migrated 20 technical systems into one, intended to make Cogeco more efficient. Beausejour said the company planned for the transition, but “there’s always some uncertainty.”

Cogeco is still getting complaints, but Beausejour would not say how many because the information is confidential.

Patricia Valladao of the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) said her agency has received 151 calls from Cogeco’s Ontario customers since May 1. Of these, 135 were complaints on (poor) quality of service, she said.

One customer told The Spec they were advised it will take at least 30 days for the CRTC to look into their complaint.

Social media sites like Reddit and Twitter are also rife with complaints.

Brock Langley of Burlington said he has not been receiving some TV channels and has had issues with his bill since April.

“Over this time frame, I have called nine times and visited Cogeco’s Burlington office ... but (got) the same old ‘we are working to fix the issue and we have no date.’ A supervisor was to call me three weeks ago, but no call ... Very frustrating and unprofessional in my opinion,” he added.

Iacobucci echoed the sentiments of many other Cogeco customers who contacted The Spec.

“Something is not functioning properly within that company,” she said. “Something needs to be done.”