Internet outage drags on for weeks for Imperial couple

IMPERIAL, Mo. (KMOV) -- Steve and Kelly Schwalbert get their internet and television service through AT&T at their home in Imperial, Missouri. The service went out on December 30, and despite their repeated efforts to get the service restored, it still hasn’t been fixed.

“It’s beyond frustrating,” said Kelly Schwalbert.

The Schwalberts said they were told by an AT&T technician that the problem stems from a road widening project on Old Lemay Ferry Road. Apparently, their service line has been cut and spliced together more than once, but none of the repairs have restored the service.

“And even if you don’t have the answer, I’m okay with that. Be upfront and be honest. Don’t tell me you’re going to do something and call me and never call back,” said Schwalbert.

Schwalbert said she works from home two days a week but can’t now without the internet. She said she’s fortunate her employer lets her come to the office on those days.

She said they’ve been unable to watch any of their favorite programs lately or watch the local news.

“We like to watch TV. News Years’ Eve we watched a movie on my phone. That’s how we entertained ourselves that night. So it’s very frustrating,” she said.

Schwalbert said the company gave the couple a one-week credit on their bill. But they’ve been told it could be a couple more weeks before the problem is fixed and they can watch television and access the internet from their home again.

News 4 reached out to AT&T to get answers. A spokesperson said in a statement that “We looked into this, and our technicians confirmed this outage was caused by third-party damage. We are doing all we can to restore service to the Schwalbert’s home.”

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