Roy Underhill is finally rid of a wire that connected his home to Rogers services he didn’t subscribe to or want.
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he → rid → services
His attempts to contact Rogers about a dormant cable that for 13 years ran across the top of his back yard on Kimberley Avenue left him believing it’s no mistake that he hit a brick wall.
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he → contact → wall
Underhill sent me a photo and a note that briefly summarized his efforts to have it removed, saying “this cable is less than eight feet above the ground.
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cable → send → ground
I can reach up and grasp it.”
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I → reach → it
He later told me the wire runs through a rotting pear tree in his back yard that needs to come down, which started his odyssey to persuade Rogers to remove it, along with a small equipment box on the side of his house, to which the wire was attached.
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wire → tell → which
“I am not a Rogers customer and do not want to become one,” he said in his note.
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he → want → note
“Rogers seems to have no way to accept a request to do anything about this cable.
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Rogers → seem → cable
“I visited stores.
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I → visit → stores
I called on the phone.
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I → call → phone
I tried several paths through their web page.
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I → try → page
Unless I can provide a phone number that allows them to find my account, they are unable to accept input from me (except possibly if someone wanted to become a customer.)
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someone → provide → me
“Surely Rogers has some obligation to allow people to inform it of such hazards.
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people → have → hazards
However, so far I have not found a way to get through to them.”
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I → find → them
Two visits to Rogers storefronts to report the wire were dead ends.
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visits → report → wire
He said the first store he went to was a “franchise,” where he was told they couldn’t help him, but he was encouraged to try a “corporate” store on Danforth Avenue.
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he → say → Avenue
At that store, a counter clerk logged into a computer and tried several times to create a service ticket but couldn’t find a way to do it, he said, adding that it was a “rather frustrating experience.”
It’s worth noting that Underhill is no dummy.
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Underhill → log → it
If he was stumped, the average Joe will fare no better.
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Joe → stump → ?
I sent a note to Rogers’ media communications staff last Tuesday, which included Underhill’s email to me.
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which → send → me
I also asked why it’s so hard for people to reach Rogers to report such issues.
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people → ask → issues
A reply from Christina Salituro on Wednesday said “we do have dedicated channels for people to report damage to outdoor equipment (online form and phone).
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people → say → equipment
She sent me a link that said “How to report an issue with outdoor equipment – Rogers.”
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that → send → equipment
She also said that “tech was already scheduled to visit this individual’s home this week to assess the cable.”
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tech → say → cable
I tried the link and it worked.
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it → try → link
Up came a page on the Rogers website that said “Report damaged outdoor equipment form,” which included many fields that can be filled in.
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that → come → fields
It also shows a tech support number — 1-888-764-3771 — “so we can address it quickly.”
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we → show → it
I then started from scratch and logged onto the Rogers website, which most people would try if they wanted to report a problem.
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they → start → problem
I went up, down and all around, looking for anything that would lead to the report form for which Salituro provided a link.
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Salituro → go → link
I found “Mobile, Internet, TV & Streaming, Home Security, Deals, My Offers and Support,” at the top of the home page, and lots of other swell services below, but no link to the form.
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I → find → form
Even under “contact us” at the bottom of the home page — and getting there involves much scrolling through the swell services — there was no link to the form.
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getting → get → form
Only when I entered “report damaged outdoor equipment,” in the search field at the top of the home page did I get lucky and connect to it.
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I → enter → it
How many people would think of that?
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people → think → that
The day after I sent a note to Rogers, Underhill said a technician arrived at his house to confirm that the wire was theirs.
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wire → send → house
On Thursday another technician took it down, along with the box on the side of his house.
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technician → take → house
It’s no stretch to say Rogers doesn’t make it simple to report problems like Underhill’s.
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it → ’ → Underhill
Given their dominant position in the communications business it should be a lot easier to find the report form.
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it → give → form
A good place to start would be at the top of their home page.
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place → start → page
The Aporia
