TELUS apologizes to Highway 8 residents, promises to credit anyone mischarged after floods

SPENCES BRIDGE, B.C. — TELUS is apologizing to the displaced residents of Highway 8 near Spences Bridge, after the company sent out bills for internet and cellular service no one received.

On Monday, CFJC reported that displaced residents of Highway 8 near Spences Bridge are receiving bills from TELUS for internet and cellular service for the months of November and December.

However, after the Nicola River Flood on Nov. 15, residents of Spences Bridge and its surrounding areas did not have any cellular or internet service for more than a month.

If anyone wanted to simply check their email, they would have to drive 18 kilometres out of town for service — but many evacuees didn’t have a car.

“The last thing we wanted anyone to worry about was their bills,” said Chelsey Rajzer, Senior Communications Manager at TELUS.

“An error in our system recently billed some customers for the months of November and December, which should not have happened. We are incredibly sorry for this error and for bringing additional stress to an already difficult situation,” she told CFJC News.

Rajzer says TELUS is working on rectifying the situation with all affected customers.

“No one in the community of Spences Bridge will pay a TELUS bill during the months they were evacuated or unable to use their services,” she said.

Rajzer says TELUS is doing its best to identify customers and proactively credit bills, but anyone who isn’t credited within the near future can call 1-888-811-2323.