P.E.I. summer resident tuned off

George Adams frustrated by treatment Bell Canada has given him the past two years

One of P.E.I.’s summer residents says Bell TV needs to do a better job handling temporary accounts.

George Adams of Boston, Mass., spends up to seven weeks every summer in the Fort Augustus area.

He contacted The Guardian this week explaining that he’s been fighting with Bell Canada, which operates Bell TV, for the past two years over setting up and suspending his P.E.I. account. He felt it was an important message for other summer residents to know.

“Two years ago I signed up for the satellite dish . . . and it took me an hour and five minutes to conduct business on a pay phone. They came out and hooked me up, and everything went good,’’ Adams explains.

He was told to return the receiver when he suspended his account, but Adams says Bell never sent him the proper paperwork so he could mail the receiver back. That was two years ago. When he went to hook up again last summer in P.E.I. Bell refused, saying he failed to mail back the receiver. After getting the issue sorted out, he got set up and, a few weeks later when he was preparing to return to Boston, Bell failed to send him the proper paperwork so he could mail back the receiver.

“I thought maybe this was standard practice because it happened last year and they knew about (the first problem).’’

So, Adams asked his cousin to take the receiver and television and store it for him.

Adams was then told he had an outstanding bill, one which grew from $15 to $500, due to non-payment, reaching $1,052. He was eventually contacted by a collections agency and told his credit was in trouble.

All through the process he kept explaining to Bell that he didn’t have the proper paperwork to return the receiver.

“I worked 44 years in the post office. I mean, my record is as clean as could be and here we are . . . and it’s big pissing contest.’’

He was told by Bell if he returned the received, the bill would be wiped clean. He sent it by Purolator.

Adams is now trying to get hooked up again at his P.E.I. summer home but Bell won’t set him up until it gets the receiver.

“I’m totally frustrated that they can treat people like that. I paid my final bill and they knew the account was shut off after the summer and they didn’t do their part two years in a row.

“All I want is cable. All I want is some TV so I can find out what’s going on.’’

Jacqueline Michelis with Bell Canada said the customer care team is looking into the matter.

DAVE STEWART/THE GUARDIAN George Adams of Boston, Mass., gives Bell TV one big thumbs down. He has spent the past two years fighting with Bell over setting up and suspending his temporary P.E.I. account for a few weeks in the summer.