Since the transfer of ownership of Sun Country Cablevision to Shaw Communications on June 30, to say things have been busy is an understatement.
Hearing of the transaction but lacking any notification from the company, hundreds of customers from the Shuswap, Enderby and Armstrong have been attempting to contact the Sun Country office in Salmon Arm for information. Many are being met with a near-constant busy signal.
“I guess the main message is that there will be no interruption of service for any of our customers,” says Chris Kucharski, vice-president of communications for Shaw.
“We have had some difficulty with our phone capacity, but we are working to have that fixed right away. Very shortly, within the next day or two, people can expect letters in the mail welcoming them to the Shaw family and giving them more information about how they can make payments, new account numbers and numbers to call if they have questions.”
Kucharski says some communications to clients may have been disrupted by the postal strike. Customers can also expect a phone call in the next few weeks to speak with a Shaw representative about their service and options.
The office on Harbourfront Drive remains open, the only noticeable difference being the staff are now sporting Shaw Communications logos on their clothes.
Kucharski says all 12 of Sun Country’s front-line customer staff and service technicians have joined Shaw.
“We have not let anyone go,” Kucharski said, adding, “I know that before this deal was complete, Sun Country had made the decision to cut back on their administrative and management positions.”
Terms of the sale are not being disclosed.
Sun Country began operations in 1984 and has expanded to provide television, phone and Internet service to its customers.
“We are very pleased to join forces with Shaw,” said Michael Hall, managing director of Sun Country in a press release. “Shaw has a reputation of providing exceptional and innovative products and services to their customers.”
Kucharski says while customers throughout the Salmon Arm, Enderby and Armstrong regions will not see immediate changes, there will be a transition period as the Sun Country systems are connected to the Shaw network.
“We’ve been through these types of transitions before, so we work to make any changes very smooth.”
He adds there will be new services available, including the highest speed Internet in the region, video on demand, and satellite direct-to-home services.
