Redding area small business owners are counting their losses after an internet outage cost them up to a full day of work on Tuesday, July 25.
Vandals caused the outage when they cut lines in south Redding early Tuesday, knocking out service to Spectrum-Charter Communications customers throughout Shasta County, according to the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office.
Spectrum crews from across Northern California came to work around the clock to repair and reconnect more than 650 fibers, restoring internet to the last customers late Tuesday afternoon, said Spectrum Senior Director of Western and Northwest Communications Dennis Johnson.
By then, some business owners in Redding had turned away customers because they couldn’t accept credit and debit cards or access online accounts.
Some business owners reported only losing connection for a short time on Tuesday.
Spectrum phone and Internet service was down until 9:30 a.m., said Rolan Dillion, owner of the Flag Center on south Hilltop Drive.
Dillion said he’s not sure if he missed any phone orders during the first 30 minutes his store was open Tuesday morning, but “I had my old receipt pad ready” to take orders from walk-in customers.
Other business owners in Redding reported losing most of the day’s revenue.
Cris Hillman, a Spectrum customer and owner of Janine’s Jewelry on Yuba Street, declined several credit and debit card payments because she couldn’t process them. She was also unable to place orders with distributors until service was restored around 3 p.m., she said.
For other companies and their customers, the outage was more of a time inconvenience than a financial loss.
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Staff at some medical offices reported being unable to access patient records online, or having to ask patients who paid medical bills with plastic to call back later in the week.
Those problems were not limited to Spectrum customers.
Although their Eureka Way office uses a different internet provider, employees at family physicians Jack and Sheila Finch were unable to access Spectrum patient records Tuesday, said Shannon Carter, a staff member at the office.
Businesses that had backup Internet services fared better or were unaffected.
“We had a backup Wi-Fi network, so (the outage) didn’t affect us at all,” said Cameron Hull, assistant manager of downtown Redding clothing store Apricot Lane Boutique on Market Street.
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Asked whether Spectrum is offering business owners refunds for the loss of service, Johnson said the provider is “working directly with customers who were affected by the vandalism that caused the outage.”
The Spectrum Business Services customer line is 800-314-7195. Ask for billing, an operator said.
The outage comes on the heels of Spectrum’s announcement that it will raise monthly internet service costs by $3 this summer. “While our services have been impacted by rising costs, we strive to keep prices as low as possible,” Johnson said.
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As of Friday, there are no suspects in custody in connection with the cut wires that caused the outage, according to Shasta County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Tim Mapes.
Investigators are examining evidence found at the scene of the severed wires at Highway 273 and Canyon Road, Mapes said.
Asked about Spectrum’s plan to protect cables from vandals in the future, Johnson said, “We don’t comment on the security of our network.”
Jessica Skropanic is a reporter for Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news. Follow her on Twitter@RS_JSkropanic and inFacebookJoin Jessica on the Go out! not even lime Recreation Facebook Group. To support and sustain this work,Please subscribe today. Thank you.
