07 May Dear Aliant, oh how I hate to write

Our friend in New Brunswick has been channeling Pat Boone:

Dear Aliant,

It’s not me, it’s you.

We’ve been through a lot together. Land lines and cell phones. Dial-up, high-speed, wireless Internet sticks and now, fibre-op. I’ve treated you well. Sent you hundreds of dollars every single month. Tried to keep the lines of communication open. We’ve talked and talked – never more than during my recent move to New Brunswick. In fact, we just got off the phone with one another, marking our tenth call related to my move from Nova Scotia.

I called you just now because I was alarmed to receive a bill for nearly $800. This happened for a few reasons: I lost track of my last bill during the move, so there was an outstanding balance (sorry about that). But there was also more than $100 in long distance accrued over just a couple of days. The phone at my old house wasn’t disconnected on the date I had requested, so I continued to make calls. What I didn’t know was that my long distance plan had been disconnected, on schedule… without my knowledge.

Over the past couple of months I’ve talked to lots of your employees. I’ve helped them understand that when you move from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick you end up with two separate accounts listed in different places in their computer system. I’ve been calm and understanding when things have not gone as planned – technicians not showing up on the scheduled day, information already provided not being recorded in my file. Your business is a complicated one with lots of moving parts, and I get that.

And you’re right – when we were in Baddeck, you were really the only game in town for cell service with reliable signal. You offered the most attractive options for bundled high-speed and land lines. I feel like I really tried. I mean, I have three accounts with you alone.

But the thing is, Aliant, now I live somewhere with more choice. It’s been some time since I’ve felt like things were really right between us, and I owe it to myself to see who else is out there. It’s a big world, and I need to explore it.

So, Aliant, I just want to say good luck, and I’m sorry it didn’t work out between us. It’s been fun, sometimes. Keep in touch, okay?

Love always,