Calgary company caught in ‘dead zone’ calls for action from Telus

'I have to stop the phone call. I then have to get on the landline and then call the contractor or whomever back via the landline. It just drives me nuts.'

A Calgary company has joined the call for better cellphone service after months of no service and repeated dropped calls.

C Mac Mechanical Ltd. told Global News that its cellphone service with Telus has been spotty since it moved into its current location 15 years ago, but it’s been virtually non-existent since September.

“It’s not just one phone call that drops per day,” owner Glen MacFarlane said. “It’s absolutely every single phone call.”

“I can’t take a phone call so I have to stop the phone call. I then have to get on the landline and then call the contractor or whomever back via the landline. It just drives me nuts.”

MacFarlane and C Mac’s director of operations Trista Doherty have reached out to the telecommunications giant multiple times. They both told Global News they’ve been advised the business is located in a so-called “grey” or “dead” zone, and there is little that Telus can do about it.

“They’re (Telus) aware that there’s an issue but there’s nothing they can do,” Doherty said. “It’s not a quick fix, so basically we’re S.O.L.”

The plumbing and HVAC company has taken it upon itself to try and fix the issue, including installing a wireless booster that cost approximately $4,000.

“We outsourced this booster, which we paid for, so that wasn’t cheap.” Doherty said. “We also have towers on the roof of our building directed towards the towers to try and get better service.”