PEOPLE in Denshaw say they fear for the worst after being left without a mobile phone signal for weeks.
Those living in Saddleworth’s most isolated village have found themselves unable to call or send messages from their devices.
Now they have had enough and want a solution – before an emergency happens.
Alan Hulme says he has been left without a mobile signal in his house for nearly three months.
He said: “We’ve had no mobile phone signal since late December.
“We’re with Asda Mobile, which piggybacks on Vodafone. Neither has been in the least bit helpful with updates, just two stock replies in all this time.
“Like many who have fast broadband, we no longer have an old fashioned landline and now no mobile signal either.
“We have been struggling along by using mobile Wi-Fi calling, which links our mobiles with the internet.
“But if we get a power cut – we’ve had two during this period – we lose everything.
“If we had an emergency of some kind when this happened, we’d have no phone, no Wi-Fi and no idea when power might be restored.
“It is very worrying and the phone companies seem in no hurry to sort it out.”
One resident has reported they have been told the issue is due to a part that is coming from China, which has caused the delays.
And another told how two complaints to Vodafone’s online chat facility resulted in: “They just keep saying we have to wait and be patient.”
The problems appear to be related to as many as three masts in the area, but a lack of information and no resolution is exacerbating the issue.
Saddleworth North Cllr Garth Harkness, in whose ward Denshaw sits, said: “Unfortunately, regulator Ofcom doesn’t give a fixed time for the suppliers to resolve the issue.
“They do give residents a formal route for complaints after two months, which suggests that this really should have been fixed by now.
“There are two schemes for complaints, and residents should check which one their supplier is signed up to and definitely raise a complaint.”
Liberal Democrat colleague Cllr Sam Al-Hamdani has also written to some of the mobile phone suppliers on behalf of residents.
He added “This is simply not good enough.
“Denshaw is an isolated village, and people cannot be left without a signal for this length of time. It’s not just poor service. It’s potentially a safety risk.
“Affected residents need to complain about this to their mobile phone supplier – or the resolution scheme.
“They should also be checking their contracts to see what compensation they are eligible for.”
Affected people can find out which resolution scheme their supplier is signed up with at: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/service-quality/adr-schemes.
Saddleworth Independent has approached Ofcom for comment.
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