BRINNON — Many CenturyLink customers in the Brinnon area were without phone service for over week, and though the problem has been partially resolved, locals say outages persist.
Brinnon Fire Chief Tim Manly said CenturyLink customers, including the fire department, were without phone service since last week, and that attempts to contact the company were not productive.
On Friday, Manly said he notified the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management and service to the fire department and several other homes and businesses was restored later that day. However, Manly told Peninsula Daily News Friday afternoon that some areas were still without service.
“Duckabush is still out,” Manly said. “I just checked with neighbors in that area, they’re going on 10 days with no service.”
In an email Friday, Kerry Zimmer, senior lead communications manager at CenturyLink’s parent company Lumen Technologies, said that the company was working to restore services.
“We are not aware of any sustained landline outages in the Brinnon, WA area, but we do have a voice service interruption for a small number of customers in the area due to extreme water damage,” Zimmer said.
“Our team made repairs earlier this week and services restored, but the water damage persisted,” she added.
Zimmer did not specify when or where or how the water damage occurred and did not respond to additional questions about it.
Manly couldn’t say when the issue first started but said he’s attempted to contact CenturyLink at least seven times over the past two weeks.
“What they do, they treat it as if it’s the first time they’ve ever heard from you,” Manly said. “They’re not even logging their own phone calls.”
Manly said he was concerned about some of the area’s older residents, many of whom do not have cell phones and their landline is their only means of communication.
Additionally, Manly said remote devices such as Life Alert — which are worn on the body and can automatically contact emergency services at the push of a button or if they detect a fall — are dependent on landlines to operate.
“We are coming on 10 days now,” Manly said. “We’re wondering if there’s somebody we’re going to find that’s fallen and can’t get up.”
Manly said firefighters did house checks Thursday on about six older individuals known to the department but there may be others who are unable to contact emergency services.
Calls to several Brinnon businesses Friday morning were met with a busy signal.
Justin Matheson, a Brinnon Fire District commissioner and owner of the Halfway House Restaurant, said his business has been dealing with the issue for at least three weeks.
“Ours has been off and on for like three weeks; we’ll call them, they said they were working on it,” Matheson said. “We just can’t really get any answers.”
Matheson said he and his wife purchased the businesses recently, taking possession on Oct. 5, and have been having phone troubles ever since. The previous owner also reported having issues with the phone service.
Between himself, his wife and the previous owner, Matheson said at least eight calls have been made to CenturyLink, but the company only reported receiving one call regarding internet service.
Customers trying to place to-go orders have been redirected to cell phones and social media, he said, but all the business’s advertising displays the non-working number.
Alicia Simmons, administrative assistant at the Brinnon School District said the district doesn’t use CenturyLink phone service but she’s had trouble reaching out to students and their families.
On the Brinnon Community Facebook page several customers voiced concerns.
“My family member is 102 years old next month, has a medical alert system hooked to her Century link phone which has not worked in over two weeks,” said one. “What if she falls! no one to alert.”
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
