Bell Canada is known for poor customer service, a long-standing problem that shows no signs of improvement.

The biggest problem is trying to get Bell’s customer service staff to resolve an issue, says Wendy Buckner.

“They just give you a number or email to try. Then, they ask, ‘Is there anything else I can help you with?’ when they haven’t helped you with the first thing.”

John Jackson, a Bell customer for 35 years, decided to switch to Rogers after trying fruitlessly to put his computer on a separate line from his phone to cut background noise.

“I’ve never done business with Rogers,” he tells me, “but I think it would be almost impossible for them to supply service that is worse than Bell’s.”

Bell’s reputation took a hit when an outsourced call centre, IQT Solutions, laid off 1,200 employees in Oshawa and Quebec on July 15.

“Doesn’t Bell have any responsibility for the actions of its subcontractors?” asks Dan Cooper, whose daughter-in-law lost her job, her benefits and about $1,600 in back wages when IQT closed.

Bell learned of the closing on July 15, along with the employees, says spokesman Jason Laszlo.

“We were able to adjust our various call centre operations that day to compensate. Happily, we have seen no impact on service,” he explains.

“We’ve also been able to accommodate many of IQT’s former employees — about 200 so far — thanks to overall growth in our business. And we’re looking into how we can accommodate more.”

Bell has 30 call centres across Canada, most operated by the company and some by outside suppliers, Laszlo says.

A new company-operated call centre will open next year in Brantford, Ont., near the historic site where Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1874.

If you want to find a telecom firm that uses exclusively homegrown staff, look no further than TekSavvy Solutions Inc. in Chatham, Ont.

Started in 1998 to provide web hosting to local businesses, the company has expanded into home phone service and high-speed Internet service through both phone lines and cable.

I recently visited the office, an hour’s drive southwest of London, Ont., which employs about 120 people. (The company also has 20 bilingual staff working at a call centre in Sudbury.)

Kate Do Forno, the public affairs strategist, and consultant George Burger gave me a tour of the crowded premises — including a dining area, where employees get free home-cooked meals every day.

TekSavvy had only 35 staff members when Do Forno joined 18 months ago. “It’s an awful lot to digest,” she says.

Luckily, Chatham is full of young people who want to get into telecom jobs. Auto manufacturing, formerly a core industry, has downsized drastically.

When I arrived, I walked into the wrong door and found myself in a lineup of people filling out employment forms and waiting for interviews.

TekSavvy’s growth spurt has resulted in a few customer complaints about installations gone wrong, I’ve found. But it’s a temporary blip, Burger says.

“We have a close relationship with our staff and keep them very engaged in the development of the business. This translates into a very important sense of engagement with the customers. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Without wireless phone service, TekSavvy can’t offer the low-cost bundles that giant rivals can. Its brand name isn’t well known, but is getting a boost from an advertising campaign in Toronto bus shelters and on subway cars.

I like the company’s focus on local hiring and keeping clients happy without long-term contracts. And I predict it will have a rosy future as it expands.

Ellen Roseman writes about personal finance and consumer issues. You can reach her at eroseman@thestar.ca.