THE LATEST IMPACT of COVID-19 is the closure of retail outlets by Canada’s biggest telecom and cable companies, including Rogers, Bell and Telus. Smaller carriers are doing the same.
Starting March 18, Rogers is closing most of its retail locations until March 31. However, it’s keeping 93 store locations open across the country to deliver critical services only, including: phone repair and loaner phones, critical device activation, SIM card swap and replacements, modem and cable box swaps, and remote controls for Ignite TV. A full list of available stores can be found here for Rogers, Fido and Chatr.
“We are also putting in place additional measures in these stores to keep our teams and customers safe, including: reduced hours of operations at these locations from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. local time; limiting the number of people in our stores at one time; adjusting the layout of our stores to help promote social distancing; and adding strict new health and sanitation procedures,” reads the Rogers blog post.
The company is limiting the number of customers in a store to three and this announcement means Rogers is temporarily closing about 90% of its retail stores, and chose the locations primarily based on where stores were located, both geographically and in terms of helping to reduce health risks by closing mall locations. Rogers employees impacted by the store closures will continue to be paid, said the Rogers spokesperson.
Customers can continue to reach Rogers support through its self-serve platforms, chat options and call centres which continue to operate to meet customers’ product and service needs, the company says.
Bell posted a COVID-19 update on Tuesday, saying it is keeping a reduced number of retail locations open. Most of its mall stores and all kiosks will be closed as well as certain street front locations until March 31, Bell announced. Select street front locations will remain open on reduced hours to deliver essential services such as the following: device activations, SIM card swaps, phone loaners, modem exchanges, accessory purchases and in-store pick-up of online or call centre orders. Extra sanitation measures will be in effect and the number of customers in these store locations will be limited to three at any given time, Bell says. The stores staying open and their operating hours are published on Bell’s store locator webpage.
“For any support other than outlined above, please use our self-serve tools. They are the fastest and simplest way to manage your services and can be accessed here. We know the current situation can be unsettling and has created disruption for many. Rest assured the actions put in place by Bell and others are meant to protect your health and well-being, while continuing to deliver essential services,” Bell says in its post.
For its part, Telus is temporarily closing all of its Telus corporate stores and kiosks located in malls across the country. At stores remaining open, Telus customers can get repairs and loaner devices, swap SIM cards, buy chargers and other key accessories, swap Internet and TV modems, and activate new services for critical circumstances, says the Telus COVID-19 update.
“All retail team members affected by store closures will receive top-up payments to ensure that they continue to receive their average monthly wages during this challenging time. We are taking precautionary steps to protect health and safety by enabling a touchless experience. We have introduced rigorous cleaning measures and equipped team members with additional hygiene measures, sanitization and safety products,” Telus says in its update.
In an official statement emailed to Cartt.ca, Telus says it is temporarily closing all Telus, Koodo and Public Mobile corporate mall locations from today until March 31. Approximately 10% of its stores, located outside of malls, will remain open. These street front and strip mall locations can be found by visiting this link: stores.telus.com.
In addition, Telus and Koodo customers can get service support through online chat, social media (@TELUSsupport and @Koodo), and by phoning the call centre directly. Public Mobile customers can find support on their website and through its online Community, Telus says.
