Toronto
The head of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says some small businesses lost thousands of dollars Friday, when a Rogers Communications Inc. outage hampered their internet and phone services.
Dan Kelly says the outage was frustrating for small business owners who were unable to process online orders, use food delivery apps and even process debit or credit card transactions because Interac was using Rogers.
Kelly feels business owners should be given a free month of Rogers service to make up for the losses that came just as companies were trying to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Elektra Simms estimates her Morning Parade Coffee Bar in Toronto lost a few hundred dollars because many customers went in search of another place to work from since the cafe Wi-Fi was impacted.
With debit services down too, Simms told many regulars who couldn't pay they could cover their purchase next time they visited.
Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri has apologized for the outage that lasted almost all of Friday and stretched into the weekend for some. He promised customers would be credited for the downtime.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2022.
Feature image - A Rogers wireless store in Toronto is shown amid a countrywide outage of the telecommunication company's services, Friday, July 8, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston.
