Gunnedah residents are frustrated and angry following the abrupt closure of the town's Telstra store.
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Customers were notified by a sign in the window of the Conadilly Street shopfront that the store would cease operation after Wednesday, June 22.
Resident Barb Heath said the closure of the store was just another blow for Gunnedah.
"It's a bit like Gunnedah having no doctors," she said.
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"We don't have many options here, there's no Optus shop, so what else do we do?"
Customers were instructed that their closest store would now be either Tamworth or Narrabri, both more than an hour away.
"Fancy having to go to Tamworth just to have your phone looked at," Ms Heath said.
"I can't afford to do that with the cost of fuel at the moment."
A spokesperson for Telstra said the closure was due to a lack in demand.
"Over the past few years we've seen a significant decrease in the number of customers using the Gunnedah store, so unfortunately we've had to make the difficult decision to close the store on 22 June," they said.
"Closing any store, particularly those in regional locations is not a decision that we make lightly and we apologise for the inconvenience this may cause our local customers."
Colleen Fuller, who often visits isolated residents as a Meals on Wheels volunteer, said she thought the move from Telstra was "selfish" and "greedy".
"Older people aren't always up to date with all this technology," she said.
"This is just another kick for Gunnedah."
Ms Fuller said for many of her Meals on Wheels clients, travelling to the Gunnedah store was already not an option, let alone one in Tamworth or Narrabri.
"When we go to their houses they'll say to me 'can you take this and pay this for me'," she said.
"Some of our volunteers pay rates for them and telephone bills in person, which is not our job but we do it because we are concerned about our clients."
And getting help over the phone is not seen as a solution as Ms Fuller said wait times can often exceed an hour.
"You can't run a business like that," she said.
Gunnedah local Annette Eveleigh, who has been with Telstra for more than 50 years, said she felt "pure frustration" about the store permanently closing.
Ms Eveleigh said her and her husband visit the store at least once a month to top up on pre-paid credit.
"We're just going to have to find some other solution because 100 kilometres each way with the price of petrol just to get credit for your phone is ridiculous," she said.
"It was so good to be able to go there and speak to somebody and get help."
Staff from the Gunnedah store will be offered redeployment within the Telstra network, which includes transferring to other stores or working remotely.
Apart from visiting Tamworth or Narrabri, Telstra customers will also be able to access online and phone assistance.
"We also have help available 24/7 online or via phone 13 22 00 where all calls are now being answered by Telstra team members in Australia," the spokesperson said.
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