The global computer outage on Friday morning interrupted the day of many Quebecers. Here is how our readers experienced it.
A reassuring reminder
Our lives are digitally dependent on too many aspects. Our personal information, such as our RRSP and other retirement savings and investments, our communication tools, the news… My immediate thought around 6 a.m. this morning was: “Do I have enough gas and cash? Will I be able to work at the office?”
Lucie Morin
Cash only
We went to Rona this morning and had to pay cash only. Several other businesses as well. We are back in the days where cash is king!
Hustle and bustle in Rome
I heard the news of the computer outage as my flight landed in Rome on Friday morning. Everything seemed to be going smoothly from my passage through customs to my connection to the city center.
Once we arrived at Rome Central Station, the station was packed. Everyone was jostling in the sweltering heat, many seemed worried, it was really unpleasant. All the trains were stuck on the platforms, and some were even delayed by more than 3 hours! For my part, I was very lucky, because my train was one of the only ones to leave on time.
Justin Paradis
Waiting in Alicante
We are in Spain in Alicante waiting for a flight to Porto in Portugal. The airport is full and the check-in counters are operated manually. We find it strange to see flight numbers written in paper format on the displays to check in our luggage. And then the flight is delayed. We wait.
Amélie Swijani-Préfontaine
Rude awakening
Minor problem: we were woken up by the alarm system ringing, which had lost contact with the control panel.
Michel Cayer
A failed trip
A friend from Arizona was visiting Quebec for the first time. Stuck in her transfer in San Francisco, she turned back to Phoenix and abandoned her vacation plans here…
Francine Masson
A domino effect
Right now, I still can’t send my reports. I’ll have to ask my colleagues to wait. That means they’ll be missing a tool to complete their own tasks. This outage really has a domino effect.
Danielle Chalifoux
Long wait in Chicago
I arrived at Chicago O’Hare Airport at 5:00 a.m. for a 7:00 a.m. flight to Montreal. The TV stations were already on. To my surprise, United continued to check in passengers and baggage as if nothing had happened while claiming to have no idea when the flights would be able to take off.
Arriving at the gate, I saw a few people getting discouraged and leaving, saying they would take a flight when the situation calmed down. I would have done the same if I had not checked my baggage. After four hours of waiting, I am finally in my seat and my flight is about to leave.
Amélie Chollet