Latest news with #MainStreet
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Glaring' NBN issue exposed as Aussie left without internet: ‘Frustrating'
When I switched internet providers six months ago to take advantage of a better offer, I expected the process to be relatively straightforward. After activating the new connection, I hooked up my modem — only to find it was still connected to my old service. While calling my new provider to ask a few questions, my neighbour knocked on my door to tell me their internet had been disconnected. My neighbour and I share nearly identical addresses — think 25A and 25B Main Street. Both homes were built at the same time, and it turns out the NBN had somehow wired the houses backwards on the network. RELATED Telstra customers threaten to boycott after third price hike since August Top 10 superannuation funds revealed as Aussies receive 'double-digit' returns Compensation sought for millions of Qantas customers hit in major cyber data breach This was confirmed when my neighbour called to restore their service, and mine was cut off. As we had clearly identified the issue, you might imagine this would be a simple problem to fix. You would be wrong. At this stage, with both my neighbour and I disconnected from the NBN, we contacted our ISPs. My ISP, Superloop, said they could register the issue with the NBN and swap the addresses, but it was best to keep both connections offline while the request was processed. My neighbour called their ISP, who said they could not lodge an issue with the NBN unless he already had an active connection. After consulting, we decided to wait for Superloop to resolve the issue for both of us. Days passed. Despite repeated assurances from Superloop that they would return my calls and fix the problem, communication was one-way only. After more than a week without internet and several calls, my neighbour proposed a solution: why don't we get connected to the opposite addresses — the ones not matching our house numbers but actually connected to our homes — and then ask our ISPs to correct the addresses later? I called Superloop again to ask if we could do this and was told, 'No problem'. So, I cancelled my pending order and created a new one for my neighbour's address. This all worked quite well. I was connected to the NBN within about three hours, and it worked perfectly. Weeks later, hoping for closure, I contacted Superloop again to have my address corrected officially. Frustratingly, I was told I would have to close my account and start fresh by calling the sales team myself. Exasperated, I refused. A sympathetic representative promised a callback and personal oversight. Two months later, I had still not received that callback. At this point, I reached out to Superloop with some questions and began writing this article. That initiated a series of events which finally solved the issue, and encouraged the ISP to change their customer service process. Frustrating problem finally leads to a solution When I asked Superloop why they couldn't directly update incorrect addresses in the NBN registry without forcing customers to close and reopen accounts, they explained that the NBN Co, as the wholesaler, owns and manages the registry. This centralised system ensures all providers work from a single source of truth, but only NBN Co has the authority to make amendments. Address corrections require active services to be disconnected first, which complicates the process for customers caught in errors like mine. I also questioned why Superloop initially said it was fine to connect to the 'wrong' address and fix it later, only to change their stance when I went ahead. They acknowledged this was poor communication and said they've since introduced a governance forum with NBN's Connections Team to escalate and resolve such issues more swiftly. When asked why resolving a simple error involved calling multiple departments who refused to speak to each other, Superloop's Head of Process & Customer Experience, Grant Caldwell, replied: It shouldn't, is the simple answer. Since your experience, we've formed a 'Proactive Solutions Team'. Their objective is to identify customers in distress — that's a customer who calls multiple times with an issue. This team then takes on and owns that relationship until the issue is resolved, proactively calling and keeping the customer across the steps we're taking to avoid the frustration you experienced. This team was soon put to the test when I was referred to them. Resolution Expert Amila called me the same day and explained that he would guide me through the process of fixing the address. This involved sending photos of my NBN box (for the third time), closing my existing account and opening a new one (for the second time). But rather than having to call repeatedly, Amila promised to manage the entire process and call me back at each stage — and I'm happy to report he did. Within 10 days, my home was successfully switched over to the correct address, and the broadband service has remained solid and speedy since. For their swift action here, Superloop — and Amila in particular — are to be commended. But one 'glaring' issue remains As someone who regularly reports on customer service issues in the media, it's refreshing to see such proactive and effective support rather than the usual apologetic dismissal. Superloop emphasised their ongoing commitment to continuous improvement through regular internal forums and new tools designed to prevent these frustrations, reinforcing their focus on a 'customer first' culture and better service delivery moving forward. However, one glaring issue remains: if a customer has a problem with their NBN connection wiring, they cannot deal with NBN Co directly. Instead, they must sign up with an ISP using the wrong address, only to later close that account and open a new one to fix the problem. The solution is simple — allow customers direct communication with NBN Co for complex technical and administrative matters. Until then, many more frustrating calls lie ahead for consumers with issues and less obliging ISPs.
Fast Company
4 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Can't get a business loan? This new credit card might change that
Entrepreneurs and prospective business owners, looking for ways to finance their budding companies, often run into a problem: Their personal credit scores are low, making it difficult to access the loans they may need to lease a storefront or buy equipment. A solution may be on the way. Fintech company Nav is launching new features to its signature credit card to help entrepreneurs build their personal and business credit simultaneously. The card—called the Nav Prime Card—is designed to help small business owners get their operations off the ground. Many of those entrepreneurs rely on their personal credit, at the very early stages, to get those operations going. As such, it's a product designed for 'Main Street' small businesses, rather than startups or those seeking VC or investor financing. The Nav Prime Card itself actually launched in 2023, and the features that allow for simultaneous credit-building (which are optional) are launching this summer. In effect, the Nav Prime Card helps those small business owners build their own credit scores and the credit profile of their businesses at the same time, and there's nothing else like it on the market, says Nav's CEO and co-founder, Levi King. Subscribe to the Daily newsletter. Fast Company's trending stories delivered to you every day Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters A credit product born of small business experience 'The whole thing was born from my experience as a small business owner,' he says. 'I started out fixing electric signs,' he says, and found issues trying to get the equipment he needed—such as a truck—due to his business having a small or no credit profile, and his personal credit not quite cutting it for lenders. So, the idea was born to help small business owners in similar situations get access to the credit they need, and boost their personal and business credit profiles. 'When you start a business, the credit bureaus have a record that you exist, but you'll appear 'high-risk' because you're brand new and have no credit history,' he says. So, Nav developed the Prime Card, creating something that didn't yet exist, and in a sort of gray area that many other fintech leaders weren't paying attention to. 'I could see the opportunity before other people,' King says, referring to his days operating an electrical sign business. 'If you're in Silicon Valley, you get an MBA at Stanford, you're not looking at small businesses. My background, as a small business owner, helped me see a future that others couldn't.' A big potential impact There's a big potential pool of customers, too, who could be interested. Nav cites data that shows almost 70% of small business owners have a credit score below 670. And people are starting businesses like never before—the most recent Census Bureau data shows that almost 5.5 million new businesses were launched in the U.S. during 2023, which is an increase of almost 57% from 2019. So far, too, King says that the people who have tried the card 'love it.' Investors love it, too. Randy Komisar, a member of the Board of Directors—and a Silicon Valley heavyweight who founded Claris and TiVo, was also the CEO of LucasArts Entertainment and Crystal Dynamics, among many other things—says that King's vision presents a big opportunity and solves a real problem for small businesses. 'I want to use the power and resources available to me to try and solve this problem: How can we make the small business sector stronger and more viable, and use technology to help?' he says. 'When Levi came to me with his idea,' he continues, 'I saw it as an opportunity to have a similar impact to Intuit—for what Intuit did for bookkeeping.' While it's unlikely that Nav will grow to the mammoth scale of a company like Intuit, Komisar believes the company's future is bright, as it aims to address 'real' problems for small business owners. 'I'm very enthusiastic about a plan that uses credit information to allow small businesses to manage their growth and sustainability in a way that they're ill-equipped to do with the tools today,' he says.
CBC
6 days ago
- General
- CBC
Saint John's Main Street project brings fresh change, corrects old mistakes
One of the largest Saint John construction projects of the season is nearing completion. The Main Street project brings the city its first protected bike lane and corrects decades-old mistakes, city staff say.
CBC
7 days ago
- Automotive
- CBC
Main Street project fixes decades-old errors in key Saint John road link
An upgrade of Main Street and the Main Street Viaduct, one of the largest projects of the Saint John construction season promises major improvements — and corrects some old mistakes. When the work is completed in late summer, Main Street speed limits will have dropped to 50 kilometres an hour from 60, and the number of lanes reduced to four from six — two in each direction. Accessible infrastructure like audible traffic lights and tactile sidewalks are being added to the street, along with green space. "This is a really important connector for two major, very densely populated neighbourhoods in the city and not everyone has access to a vehicle," said city traffic engineer Jill DeMerchant. "We're also introducing other modes of transportation for folks who don't want to drive. So it's providing an equitable space for all of the mode users in the city." The biggest changes will be the city's first extensive protected bike lane, replacing the outer two lanes in both directions. Both sides will have concrete barriers dividing the bike and vehicle lanes. , Construction started in May with traffic reduced to one lane on each side for much of the summer. The project was announced in 2022 but delayed in 2023. When the city announced construction would start this summer, the plan received a range of feedback on social media, where the mayor and city staff posted updates related to the project. Some posters praised the project. Others said it should have been put on hold until Harbour Bridge repairs — now slated for a 2028 completion — were finished or called the project a waste of taxpayer money. Saint John currently has three other projects to increase accessibility at intersections and five that are including bike lanes and active transportation upgrades. The Main Street project comes at a cost of more than $3.8 million, including $1.76 million from the federal government. The province is providing $495,000. DeMerchant said the city's traffic data shows the lane reductions on Main Street won't have significant impacts on traffic. Project bigger than bike lanes, says cycling advocate Cycling advocate Nick Cameron said the bike lanes will make the street safer for cyclists, and the traffic-flow benefits will carry over widely. "I think sometimes these projects get characterized too much as a cycling only project," he said. "With these lane reductions, what you're doing is you're reducing the number of conflict points." Both DeMerchant and Cameron — who has previously worked in regional planning — said the viaduct was constructed to handle more vehicle traffic than it ever regularly sees. "Six lanes never made sense," DeMerchant said. "By reducing that, it's reducing conflict points for drivers, reducing the crossing distance for pedestrians and increasing sight-line visibility for everyone." Correcting history's mistakes DeMerchant said a big part of the project is correcting planning mistakes made in the 1960s, when the city "had a vision of what they thought the city was going to look like." "For that purpose , they decided to take Main Street … and expand that out to [six lanes] because they anticipated that the vehicle volumes would expand to a point where that would be necessary. Looking back on that now we see that that wasn't the case." Benjamin Peterson, a Saint John resident who researched Maritime urban planning history for his master's degree, said the 1960s were years of urban renewal in Saint John and beyond. The expansion of Main Street had consequences for what was once a thriving commercial area of the city. "You had these big programs with the federal, provincial and municipal governments expropriating houses, demolishing neighbourhoods to make room for transportation infrastructure for commercial development for these big projects," Peterson said. These developments included a wider Main Street, the Place 400 office building and the Lord Beaverbrook Rink among others. But many projects, Peterson said, didn't get built. "As we sort of come to terms with maybe some of these projects that were first dreamed up in the [1950s-1960s] as they didn't come to fruition or as things change, I think it's very reasonable to go back to the drawing board and to revise some of the infrastructure," he said. Cameron said the change will "activate the streetscape" just by opening it to more people, including those in vehicles. "But the more people we can get out of their cars — and not just passing through the area, but actually meandering — more businesses along those areas will have more of those serendipitous unplanned visits," he said.
Chicago Tribune
14-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Elgin's DNA hoping $100,000 grant will help pop-up vendors become downtown store owners
The Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin is creating a new business incubator program with a $100,000 grant from Main Street America. The nonprofit is one of three organizations nationally to receive the Small Business Accelerator Grant funded by The Hartford in partnership with Main Street America, DNA Executive Director Jennifer Fukala said. There are 150 vendors who operate pop-up businesses as part of DNA's weekly Downtown Elgin Market on the Riverside Drive Promenade, which opens for the season this Friday. They could all be potential candidates for the incubator program, Fukala said. 'We see an opportunity to develop a program to help them become full-time brick-and-mortar businesses,' she said. 'We've had some businesses make the jump, and we know it's a big jump. This program is going to help businesses be better prepared to do that.' DNA plans to have a 1,000-square-foot retail storefront and production space for eight to 12 businesses, which will revolve between businesses as owners work toward opening their own location, she said. Expected to open this winter, the space will be downtown in a location yet to be determined, Fukala said. Under the program, already-established small business owners will serve as part of a cohort to provide support and advice, including one component focused just on business development, she said. Ultimately, the goal is to help grow more retail businesses in the downtown district and set them up so they can thrive, Fukala said. DNA is a member of the Illinois Main Street program, and just became nationally accredited by Main Street America. With The Hartford being one of Main Street America's major sponsors, the local organization could eligible for additional funding in the future, Fukala said. Downtown is evolving, DNA Board President Brian Piñon told the Elgin City Council at a recent meeting where the grant was announced. 'We have over a dozen properties under renovation. We have seen properties change hands that haven't changed hands in decades to new property owners that are really investing in our community,' Piñon said. 'This grant represents a national recognition that our downtown has value. (The Hartford and Main Street are) investing in us because our downtown matters,' he said. '(Downtown is) really the heart of our community, and it's where we come together, where we go to see each other. It's kind of our communal living room. It's what DNA has been working hard to create.' The Downtown Elgin Market is one of the big attractions, drawing more than 22,000 visitors last year, according the DNA's annual report. Survey numbers indicate that 56% of those who went to the market also participated in other downtown activities, the report said. This year the market will open two weeks earlier than normal. Held from 3 to 7 p.m. every Friday through Oct. 10, the first day Friday will include a ribbon-cutting with Mayor Dave Kaptain at 3:30 p.m. 'Every year we are looking at how to dial it further or try different things,' Fukala said. 'There are some markets that have already started. We thought we would give it a try.' First Friday market days — with extended hours to 8 p.m. — will be held this Friday as well as June 6 and Aug. 1. It will be open from 3 to 8 p.m. on those days. Food trucks, chef demonstrations, live entertainment and educational programming from community partners are some of the activities offered.
