The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum / Hell's Bell(s)! Service OUTAGE in Toronto with Customers SOL

**Posted by betaylored** July 11, 2025 3:36 pm

Midtown/downtown Toronto businesses and homes that use Bell are SOL this afternoon. Phone systems are hamstrung with companies unable to transfer incoming phone calls to extensions, stores can't process customer purchases, home owners can't access their WiFi and on and on.

I'm with Rogers but use Bell WiFi so I'm not totally out of luck but there's a lot of businesses losing much needed income on a busy Friday afternoon.

Guess someone in Bell senior management didn't want to spend the money to build safeguards.

And the old chestnut Always Carry Cash is still a smart move for when our smartphones aren't.... smart?

Last edited by betaylored (July 11, 2025 3:42 pm)

**Posted by Easily Amused** July 11, 2025 3:43 pm

betaylored wrote:
Guess someone in Bell senior management didn't want to spend the money to build safeguards.

They blew their budget with Bell staff calling me repeatedly after I cancelled my fibre optic service. To repeatedly offer me deals that they claimed they couldn't when I was a customer. 🤔😇😁

**Posted by mace** July 11, 2025 4:15 pm

betaylored wrote:
Midtown/downtown Toronto businesses and homes that use Bell are SOL this afternoon. Phone systems are hamstrung with companies unable to transfer incoming phone calls to extensions, stores can't process customer purchases, home owners can't access their WiFi and on and on.

I'm with Rogers but use Bell WiFi so I'm not totally out of luck but there's a lot of businesses losing much needed income on a busy Friday afternoon.

Guess someone in Bell senior management didn't want to spend the money to build safeguards.

And the old chestnut Always Carry Cash is still a smart move for when our smartphones aren't.... smart?

Cash is King for me. Yes I have a debit card for bank id and a credit card for gas and major purchases. I was taught by my parents that needs come before wants. If you can't afford your wants, save up your money until you can. Banks don't like me. I always pay my credit card bill on time every month.

**Posted by betaylored** July 11, 2025 5:01 pm

https://x.com/Bell_Support/status/1943771047225917917?t=ROEpavJnhVtxMW1Sq7QyOQ&s=19

full restoration of service won't be until tomorrow apparently but the photo of where the outage occurred sure is nice 😑

**Posted by Binson Echorec** July 11, 2025 5:53 pm

Interesting. No Bell issues in Etobicoke.

**Posted by tvguy** July 11, 2025 6:10 pm

I switched from Bell Fibre to Distributel and saved nearly $70 per month including free wifi extenders.
Guess what? Distributel is owned by Bell. The installation guy was from Bell.

Oddly I'm in midtown but not impacted by the Bell outage. Internet running well all day.

Bell kept calling me to tell me not to switch to Distributel telling me it was not reliable. Ha!!!!!
The guys calling me didn't even know that their company owns distributel.

Not surprising given the top tier management of Bell.

**Posted by cash** July 11, 2025 6:21 pm

I switched from Rogers to Bell in Sept 2023. The service has been great all around.

**Posted by RadioActive** July 11, 2025 7:40 pm

betaylored wrote:
https://x.com/Bell_Support/status/1943771047225917917?t=ROEpavJnhVtxMW1Sq7QyOQ&s=19

full restoration of service won't be until tomorrow apparently but the photo of where the outage occurred sure is nice 😑

Another reason why it pays to have a back-up internal antenna! If your phone and TV service are both kaput due to an outage, you can still watch something on the tube. Otherwise, you're pretty much out of luck for the night - unless you have an old DVD player hanging around somewhere for tonight's entertainment or have a radio to listen to the Jays game.

If not, you're pretty much shut out. Not that you'll be able to read this until tomorrow...

**Posted by RadioAaron** July 11, 2025 7:54 pm

I download the current season of everything I'm currently watching for travel purposes.

**Posted by PwrSurge** July 13, 2025 4:53 pm

Even better to have a backup internet connection! Assuming you live within their fixed wireless coverage area, SkyChoice offers a $10 / month backup residential Internet service which includes 1 day of usage and unlimited data usage.

https://www.skychoice.ca/servicedetails/1213

RadioActive wrote:
betaylored wrote:
https://x.com/Bell_Support/status/1943771047225917917?t=ROEpavJnhVtxMW1Sq7QyOQ&s=19

full restoration of service won't be until tomorrow apparently but the photo of where the outage occurred sure is nice 😑
Another reason why it pays to have a back-up internal antenna! If your phone and TV service are both kaput due to an outage, you can still watch something on the tube. Otherwise, you're pretty much out of luck for the night - unless you have an old DVD player hanging around somewhere for tonight's entertainment or have a radio to listen to the Jays game.

If not, you're pretty much shut out. Not that you'll be able to read this until tomorrow...

**Posted by RadioAaron** July 13, 2025 5:28 pm

Huh. They must have agreements with at least two of the big providers.

PwrSurge wrote:
Even better to have a backup internet connection! Assuming you live within their fixed wireless coverage area, SkyChoice offers a $10 / month backup residential Internet service which includes 1 day of usage and unlimited data usage.

https://www.skychoice.ca/servicedetails/1213

RadioActive wrote:
betaylored wrote:
https://x.com/Bell_Support/status/1943771047225917917?t=ROEpavJnhVtxMW1Sq7QyOQ&s=19

full restoration of service won't be until tomorrow apparently but the photo of where the outage occurred sure is nice 😑
Another reason why it pays to have a back-up internal antenna! If your phone and TV service are both kaput due to an outage, you can still watch something on the tube. Otherwise, you're pretty much out of luck for the night - unless you have an old DVD player hanging around somewhere for tonight's entertainment or have a radio to listen to the Jays game.

If not, you're pretty much shut out. Not that you'll be able to read this until tomorrow...

**Posted by betaylored** July 14, 2025 6:38 pm

RadioAaron wrote:
I download the current season of everything I'm currently watching for travel purposes.

Smart idea RadioAaron. I've started buying my top favorite tv shows on dvd. I rewatch The Newsroom, Law and Order, Billions, Fringe etc. every couple of years and owning them it gives me the same satisfying, almost gleeful feeling buying an album did, and does.

Last edited by betaylored (July 14, 2025 7:33 pm)

**Posted by betaylored** July 14, 2025 6:46 pm

RadioActive wrote:
betaylored wrote:
https://x.com/Bell_Support/status/1943771047225917917?t=ROEpavJnhVtxMW1Sq7QyOQ&s=19

full restoration of service won't be until tomorrow apparently but the photo of where the outage occurred sure is nice 😑
Another reason why it pays to have a back-up internal antenna! If your phone and TV service are both kaput due to an outage, you can still watch something on the tube. Otherwise, you're pretty much out of luck for the night - unless you have an old DVD player hanging around somewhere for tonight's entertainment or have a radio to listen to the Jays game.

If not, you're pretty much shut out. Not that you'll be able to read this until tomorrow...

I had and used my Chatr data so was just fine watching YouTube etc until the Bell WiFi came back. And I do have an old Sony dvd player that weighs a ton and still works like a charm so my back-up had back-up. Good thing too to because I'm strictly a hockey fan, baseball is several innings too long ... but if and when I get a tv I'll definitely get a back-up internal attena, thanks for the suggestion RA.

Last edited by betaylored (July 14, 2025 6:48 pm)