Bell recently sent workers over to repair 82-year-old Sandra Ferguson’s carpet after an installer slashed it up during a fibre optic internet installation all the way back in May 2021 — reports The Record.
During the installation, the contractor asked Ferguson if he could cut the old cord for her since there was no longer any use for it. She agreed, and the contractor cut the cord — but also left a 60 cm (23.6 inches) long gash in her carpet that she discovered last month.
Ferguson, who lives in Waterloo, Ontario, has been a Bell customer since 1959. She had been asking the company to repair her carpet — or at least send someone over to look at the damage — for weeks without success. While a Bell representative originally told her that they would help, a second representative told her that the company doesn’t “do business two years after.”
It wasn’t until the media picked up Ferguson’s story that Bell got in touch with Ferguson and initiated an investigation into what happened.
Unfortunately, some of the public reactions to her story left a bad taste in Ferguson’s mouth. Some people responded by calling Ferguson a liar, while others alleged she was trying to pull one over on Bell or drag the multibillion-dollar telecom company’s name through the mud.
“It’s hurtful, you know. You’re just trying to get something done, and there’s always someone there trying to pull you down,” said Ferguson.
A lot of good also came out of Ferguson putting her story out in public, though. She got Bell’s attention, highlighted an issue that anyone could potentially encounter, and was also approached by a good Samaritan — the owner of Kitchener-based Source Flooring, who said he would fix the carpet for her free of charge. She didn’t have to take them up on the offer, though, since Bell was already on it.
“I feel disappointed about the reaction I got from the public, as if I was trying to lie or steal something that wasn’t rightfully mine,” she said. “That’s exactly how I feel, I feel a little hurt. But there are good people out there.”
Last week, Bell called Ferguson and assured her that they would pay for the damage and send someone to fix her carpet. Workers were already at Ferguson’s apartments by Saturday, fixing her torn carpet.
“It really looks quite good,” she said after the workers repaired her carpet. “The man was really quite nice, and kept commenting on how much he liked the place and the area.”
It only took about 20 minutes to fix Ferguson’s carpet, and she didn’t have to pay a dime. Once the damage was dealt with, she was asked to sign a form confirming her satisfaction
“All things considered, I’m glad I decided to say something,” Ferguson concluded.
