Buyer beware

Dear Mr. Behan:
On Thursday, May 3, I, along with other vested parties (ISP operators, large business, local media, etc. that have strong need for reliable high-speed Internet access), was invited to the Bell Canada informational meeting at the Civic Centre.
Based on the press release, we assumed the public meeting would address the serious and persistent Internet access issues which coincided with the recent Bell Canada “upgrade.” As such, we were prepared to itemize the long list of service and quality deficits.
At the last minute, the venue was changed to “closed door” and the media, including a Shaw camera crew from Channel 11, were denied video or audio taping. We also were informed the meeting was supposed to be “optimistic” and “forward looking,” and if any mention of the service difficulties or anything else negative were brought up, then Bell Canada would leave the meeting.
Of course, Heaven forbid if we offend Bell Canada after the dismal failure of their recent “upgrade!”
Instead, we were forced to sit and listen to a nauseating and contrived Bell Canada PR spiel about how wonderful the recent “upgrade” was and how Bell couldn’t find any problems: how dare we complain! We don’t know how good we have it!
About the only solid fact retrieved from the PR spiel was the disturbing comment from Mr. Blake that Bell makes no guarantee whatsoever about Internet connection, quality, or speed over their network. Sort of like buying an unreliable new car with no factory warranty or dealer support.
In hindsight, the recent “upgrade” is a solid example of Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware) as service has actually declined for the ISP operators, who are still blamed for the problems. In the continuing Bell Canada saga, we appear to have come out on the losing end.
Given our geographic location, spatial distribution of population, cost of current systems, and lack of telecommunications infrastructure, there are few realistic options left to explore that still involve Bell Canada.
Sincerely,
Jerry Korman