Nova Scotia campground blasts Bell following 12-day internet, phone outage

The owners of a Nova Scotia campground say they are frustrated and out thousands of dollars after it took about 12 days for their internet and phone service to be restored following post-tropical storm Lee.

Jamie Lee Arseneau of LaHave River Campground said it's an example of how rural customers of telecommunications companies like Bell are not made a priority.

"This is about big business not supporting small businesses and not supporting their clients' needs," said Arseneau, who purchased the campground in Newburne, N.S., with her partner Kalen Hamilton in August 2020.

"It's been the worst customer service we've ever experienced and we know we're not the only one."

Arseneau said their Bell Fibe cable came down on Sept. 16 as post-tropical storm Lee blew through the region, downing trees and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands across the province.

After spending hours on the phone with Bell for days, she said a technical crew finally arrived five days later. But that crew didn't have the proper equipment to fix the issue, even after Arseneau said she thoroughly explained the situation.

She was told a supervisor would follow up. That never happened.

"As a small business owner that relies on both internet and phone to make bookings and serve customers, this just put us in such a terrible position," said Arseneau, whose campground closes for the season on Oct. 15.

"If we don't make any money now, we won't make money for the next seven months."

Every day, she would get on the phone, trying to get a crew out to fix their cable. Arseneau said the representatives were even refusing to escalate the issue with a supervisor.

It wasn't until she made a social media post about their quarrel that Bell reached out, saying they were sending a crew. Her post has been shared more than 1,300 times.

"It shouldn't have taken a Facebook post blowing up to hold them accountable to providing a basic service to their customers," she said, adding that people in rural Nova Scotia have few choices when it comes to internet and phone providers.

"It's just disappointing that it takes rallying a community and getting angry to get basic needs supported, especially for a small business."

A Bell spokesperson provided a statement to CBC News but did not elaborate on why it took so long to restore service at the LaHave River Campground, and did not respond to a question about the customer service provided to Arseneau.

"Last Wednesday, our team repaired a downed wire at the LaHave River Campground and determined there was additional fibre damage that required specialized cable technicians to repair," Katie Hatfield said in the statement Wednesday. "This team is now on site and expect to have services restored today."

'The final hit'

Arseneau said they were back online by mid-afternoon on Wednesday.

She said while the financial losses they incurred during the outage are difficult to estimate, the total is likely in the thousands.

She noted they bought the campground during the COVID-19 pandemic sight unseen, moving from London, Ont., and encountering many unexpected issues upon their arrival that required extensive renovations.

After unprecedented rains in Nova Scotia this summer and other natural disasters, the campground has had a difficult year.

"It's just the two of us, and this was the final hit we really didn't need," said Arseneau.