Editor’s note: The following was received as an open letter to CityWest customers
Re: Problems with service the week of September 26-30.
This has been a trying week for our customers.
I would like to apologize first for the inconvenience we’ve caused you this week and second to offer some explanation.
We upgraded the software on our digital cable terminals overnight on the 27th. The upgrade is required to prepare to launch our Video On Demand service. Early Wednesday morning it was apparent that this upgrade had some unexpected consequences, and some Digital Terminals did not respond. The most common problem is missing audio on DCT 6200 boxes, which is correctable by adjusting the audio settings on the terminal. Our customer service reps are working through this with customers over the phone; the instructions for adjusting the settings are also available on our website under the “Service outages” section. Still, there are some other problems that are less easily solved, and our technicians are visiting customer’s homes to resolve. Our dedicated staff have been working long hours this week, and many will be working through the weekend to help customers through this; I want to recognize their efforts and thank them.
On Thursday, as we were working through these Digital Cable troubles, we were hit with an outage affecting cellular service and long distance calling services in the Prince Rupert area. Timing for an outage is never good, but if there was ever a bad time, this was it. The outage appears to have been caused by power fluctuations. Although we can’t plan for every contingency, this outage exposed a weakness in our contingency plan. The task now for us will be to implement plans that avoid or soften a similar outage in future.
My message is simple, when I look into the eyes of our staff and managers I see a group that wants to do better for our customers. When I look into the eyes of our customers I see a group that is loyal and patient, far more patient than any company can expect its customers to be. My pledge is to equip staff with the tools and knowledge they need to serve our customers.
As a group, our pledge at CityWest is to provide our customers with the service they demand and deserve.
Thank you for your past business and support.
Sincerely,
Bill Craig
CEO, CityWest