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Protesting Bell - Now With More Wiretapping!
A note for Yvonne: Yvonne, you are mistaking public comments on this entry for the entry itself. Nowhere did I call you paranoid or delusional. The comments form, that you personally used as well, is open to anyone, and as such anyone can share their opinions. Some people think your story is delusional, others do not. It is their choice and right to publicly agree or disagree with you, should they choose to voice their opinions. --END NOTE--
I ran into Yvonne Montague as she was standing outside Bell's Bay Street offices picketing all by her lonesome. Asking her why she was standing in the cold with three signs, she gave me a long and twisty little story that started when she was wrongly dismissed from a data-entry position at Scotiabank in July of 1991.
It was a story filled with mystery, intrigue, wiretapping conspiracy, and most importantly it was a story about how much Bell sucks the jam in your toes.
--
Yvonne experienced a series of accidents that meant she was unable to perform her duties at Scotiabank between 1990-1991. After a series of back and forths, Scotiabank dismissed her, claiming she'd abandoned her position. Her case was a topic of discussion in 2004 when it was all finally said and done, as lawyers recommended that companies, well, not treat their employees like shit.
However, during the beginnings of her suit against Scotiabank, originally filed in 1991, Yvonne says her phone line had been wiretapped. She isn't sure exactly who tapped it or who ordered it to be done, but she suspects Scotiabank's lawyers (not the company itself) ordered the installation in order to track her and make sure she wasn't lying about her injuries.
Sketchy, I know, but this is what I was told, and now that it's on the internet, it must be true.
Not liking the situation, Yvonne called Bell to come and install a second line in her house, so she could circumvent the suspected wiretap. A bell contractor came, and performed a really shitty job of installing the line. Yvonne took pictures, which she showed me, and it almost looked like it was on the same line. She says when one line would get a call, both lines would ring and that she could hear other people's conversations when she picked up the phone.
So Yvonne complained. Bell listened, then promptly decided to not give a shit. So she complained some more, and louder. Finally, Bell sent some sort of management-person to tag along with the contractor who told him to tear all the wires out of the wall. Another piss poor job ended up being done, this time with the contractor getting Yvonne's new "line" from the neighbor's house.
Problem was that the house was being rented, so her neighbor's really didn't have any say in what was being done. The contractor did it anyways.
Around this point the story started to get a bit harder to understand. It seems that a contractor came back, let him or herself into Yvonne and the neighbor's back yard, and redid a bunch of the wiring. This involved digging a trench next to the neighbor's house to access underground lines, all of which was not authorized by Yvonne or the neighbor (who, again, doesn't even own the property).
With all this in mind, Yvonne is relatively certain that whoever contracted the wiretap had the saboteur come back and re-fuck-up the wiring to either regain or get further access to Yvonne's phone lines. She thinks it could easily have been a phone worker that was normally contracted by Bell and therefore wouldn't raise any suspicions from working on the equipment.
Yvonne is quick to say that she understands that these contractors working for Bell are just that, contractors. They aren't necessarily owned or managed specifically by Bell, but Bell nonetheless is in charge and has to take responsibility for the worker's actions. She's seeking reimbursement for, stuff (not sure what) and also punitive damages in result of having undergone undue mental stress for over a decade.
I'm not so sure about her chances, but here's to Yvonne; stick it to'em! I fucking hate Bell, specifically their horrifically overpriced cellular service plans (omg, I was charged $15 once for sending two cell-phone pics to a friend!), and their unwillingness to provide internet access to those without a regular land line phone plan. Assholes. Anyways, if you see Yvonne on Bay Street near the mall, say hi to her and let her know how much you think Bell sucks, regardless of whether or not you believe the whole wiretapping conspiracy.
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It sounds like Yvonne has a classic case of paranoid delusional disorder. I've had to suffer through this up-close so it seems very familiar to me. I know Bell are assholes and are one of the shoddiest companies in Canada (I've experienced this first hand with Internet installation) but that doesn't mean the crazy wire-tapping conspiracies are true.
It'd be irresponsible to encourage her, I think.