Quebec senior without landline phone for 2 months as provider, Hydro-Quebec blame each other

A 92-year-old woman in rural Quebec has been without a phone for two months as fingers are being pointed as to who's responsible.

A 92-year-old woman who lives near Sainte-Martine has been without her landline for more than two months and says she’s caught between Hydro-Quebec and Bell — with each company blaming the other.

Jean Furcall’s home is in a wooded area about 45 kilometres southwest of Montreal with poor cellphone reception.

“I depend on the telephone,” she told CTV News. ”Every day, usually, more than once a day for sure.”

But for more than two months, all she hears when she tries to make a call is a dial tone.

“I just feel very isolated and don’t feel safe,” she said.

She says the phone stopped working when water damaged the equipment on the telephone pole in early June. Bell told her the pole was unsafe for crews to access because it was rotting and Hydro Quebec needed to repair the pole before Bell could fix the box.

Both companies have come to the property several times, but the problem is still not fixed.

“Everybody has a little version of what needs to be done, what could be done, what should be done. But nobody’s actually gotten through,” Furcall said.

“It’s just gone back and forth and back and forth.”

For now, her daughter, Valerie, has been handling the logistics for her mother and she’s concerned for her mom’s well-being.

“I’m the only one talking between Bell and Hydro,” Valerie said. “The frustration has been worrying about my mother’s safety and security.”

Living in such a rural area means access to a phone line is imperative, in case something were to happen, like a fall or a medical emergency. The fact that it hasn’t been operating for nearly 70 days is extremely concerning for the family.

Furcall uses a device called a lifeline, which automatically calls 911 if she needs medical attention but it only works when it’s connected to the phone.

“I’m really at the mercy of whatever happens here, which is scary,” she said.

In a statement, Hydro Quebec says: “We are sensitive to our customer’s situation. The case is being handled by our teams, in collaboration with our partner Bell, in order to fully understand what happened and ensure that the customer’s telephone service is restored as quickly as possible. Significant work has already been carried out by our teams, and further work will be carried out as soon as possible within the next two weeks to resolve the situation.”

Bell, the parent company of CTV News, also provided a written statement about the repair.

“In this case, the delay to repair stems from a hydro pole that has been deemed unsafe. As a result, Bell technicians are unable to safely access our equipment to perform the necessary repairs to the customer’s phone line. Bell reached out to Hydro-Québec to request the required work on the pole so that we can proceed with the repair,” the statement reads.

“We continue to follow up with Hydro-Québec and are now actively exploring alternative solutions to help accelerate the restoration of service. We are committed to resolving this matter as quickly and sincerely apologize to the customer and her family for the inconveniences causes by this situation. Bell will be crediting the customer for the time she’s been out of service.”

Meanwhile, the family is waiting by phone for the problem to be fixed.

AN UPDATE TO THIS STORY:

Since CTV Montreal reported on this, Bell Canada managed to reconnect landline service.

Furcal’s daughter Valerie told CTV News that before 9 a.m. Wednesday, a Hydro-Quebec team was on site installing a new utility pole.