We all understand that the holidays are a busy period for everyone, but that’s not excuse for Telstra – a multi-billion-dollar telecommunications company – to ignore the needs of our region’s towns.
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Two towns, Walcha and Werris Creek, were left without phone or internet service for up to two weeks after a storm rolled through the region on December 20.
Given it’s very close to Christmas, most people would understand if it took Telstra an extra day or two to fix the problem, with staff on holiday.
But Walcha had to wait 13 days before Telstra even sent a technician out to investigate the problem, let alone fix it.
Walcha mayor Eric Noakes was appalled and disappointed by the company’s sluggish response.
You could sense his frustration in an update he posted on Walcha Council’s Facebook page, nine days after the storm on December 29.
“The return of the 3G network has been delayed and as I understand it for a good reason – because nothing has been done,” Cr Noakes wrote.
“The frustration of not being able to contact and get a meaningful answer from someone in a position to help is exasperating. In this day and age for there to be no coverage for this amount of time is unacceptable.”
Cr Noakes told The Leader many businesses missed out on important holiday trade due to a lack of eftpos.
Walcha is a frequent stop for people travelling to and from the coast around Christmas and the new year – a coffee, a bite to eat, some fuel and some rest. But without eftpos, many potential customers just got back in their car and kept driving until the next town.
Earlier this week, the Leader reported Werris Creek had been left without landline service. Telstra said the problem had been rectified; however, we’ve had reports of people still calling the Werris Creek hospital, asking if staff can check on their elderly loved ones because they can’t get in touch with them.
Not good enough, Telstra.