Our hotel has been without phone and internet since Storm Éowyn
A family-run hotel and wedding venue near Dumfries has been left without phone and broadband access for almost three weeks, after being hit by Storm Éowyn. The owners of Mabie House Hotel say they are losing business because potential customers cannot easily get in touch with them. Phillipa Carson said they were initially told the communications would be restored imminently but they are still waiting to be reconnected. BT Openreach said a fallen tree damaged a pole and part of the overhead network and engineers were working to restore the service as soon as possible.
The hotel lost power for about 24 hours when Storm Éowyn hit on 24 January, forcing them to turn guests away and throw away a large quantity of food. When power was restored the following day, staff realised the phones and wi-fi were not working. The hotel's telecoms provider diverted its phone number to Ms Carson's personal mobile but it is resulting in a lot of missed calls. The venue normally has three booking and inquiry lines but now, with just one phone to receive calls, some customers are just hearing an engaged tone. And when Ms Carson calls them back from her personal phone, she said some customers don't pick up as they do not recognise her number. "We had someone phone up just on Monday asking 'What's going on? Why are you shut? We've been phoning, trying to get through to you' and they've not realised. "We've tried to call back and they've not answered. They were wanting to book lunch on Sunday and they didn't. "They wanted to make sure they were ok to come next Sunday which we able to book them in for, fortunately. "But yeah, we're definitely losing business."
Ms Carson said it was also inconvenient for people staying at the hotel on business as they were unable to check their emails during their stay. "We explain the situation but it almost seems like we're making it up," she said. And the increased use of data on Ms Carson's phone is racking up additional costs for the business.
An Openreach spokesperson said: "A falling tree damaged one our poles and part of the overhead network, affecting services for around 11 properties. "The pole will need to be reseated or replaced, with new cable installed. "Our engineers are working to carry out the works as soon as possible. We're sorry for the disruption this is causing."They said the storm caused substantial damage to the network but the majority of people were back online. The spokesperson added: "We know how frustrating it is to lose your broadband and phone services, and we're working as fast as we can. "But the reality is that some repairs, like pole replacements, are very complex and do take time."
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