A BLACK hole in telecommunications coverage has nearly sent one Gympie CBD business broke.

Advantage Screens and Blinds owners Warren and Debbie Bradford say landline phone and internet problems have cost them tens of thousands of dollars, as Telstra and NBN claim it is no longer their responsibility to provide a phone service.

“This time it all started with a crackle on our phone line.

“That cost us $30,000,” she said at the couple’s Reef St premises yesterday.

The Bradfords tell a story of a Telstra technician coming out and saying he could only repair so much, because the rest belonged to the NBN.

Then the NBN came out and said some of the problems were with Telstra equipment.

And Telstra said some of that equipment wasn’t theirs, even though it had been purchased through Telstra.

“Usually we have 25 telephone inquiries in a week, but this week we’ve only had two and last week, three,” Warren said. “Our average sales at this time of year are about $25,000 a week, but the last week, nothing.

“So we are losing a lot of money, thanks to Telstra and NBN.”

“Telstra said they couldn’t get anyone out for three days, then he said he wasn’t authorised to do any more because only one fault had been reported and there was more than one fault needing repair.”

Mrs Bradford became emotional as she told of the effect of the phone and internet crash.

“I can prove from Facebook that a lot of people are in the same boat,” she said. “People think we’ve closed down.”

And they say their mobile service is just as bad, at home near Cootharaba Rd.

The same goes whenever Warren is out on a job, quoting or installing.

“I carry Optus and Telstra mobiles and often enough can’t get reception on either of them,” he said.

Their receptionist, Widgee resident Sue White, says she is glad to have a landline, as the new mobile tower near her home turns out to be not quite the blessing it may have seemed.

“Once I had to leave the phone on the window sill to get bad reception,” she said yesterday. “Now I can get bad reception all around the house.”