The Telkom Blues...

[tec0]

Inevitably everyone will experience the Telkom blues; it normally starts with a voice stating that if you don’t pay them you will be blacklisted. Then you rip out your Telkom slips check the dates and YES you are up to date with your payments!

You pick up the receiver to phone Telkom only to find that there is no dial tone... Your line has been disconnected. From this stage you log on to the Telkom Site only to find that you cannot report a fault because you are entering and incorrect “Service Number” and it doesn’t really matter from this point forward because any number entered in that section is invalid “or so is my experience”

Next step is to load your mobile phone with R200 worth of airtime and then you phone Telkom and you are placed on hold indefinitely. Once your R200 runs out you get into your car and drive up to the local Telkom building. Now this bothers me as the people working at the Telkom building cannot log a fault on your behalf.

No... You must use an SMS and yes you pay for the SMS... the number in our aria is: 0123210212. You get an SMS asking what kind of fault is it you enter a number and there you go... BUT no...

24 Hours later you are still without service, and sadly you can’t fix it yourself because the problem is with Telkom and not your physical line and or phone. So now I have to ask; what can we as customers do to make Telkom’s life a living hell. After all we get to pay penalties, reconnection charges and our names get blacklisted but when they are at fault you don’t get credited or anything like that. So what CAN we do...?

Now I do own a nice chainsaw and there Telkom pole is on MY property...

Very tempting...

[murdock]

shut up...bend over and take it like a man...like we all do when it come to service in the new south africa...be it telkom...mtn...virgin mobile...etc etc etc etc etc et c

another joke is my water has been disconnected for 2 months now and i still get billed R80 per month which is apparently a standard service fee you just pay...it must be to cover the 6 kw of free water you recieve...sorry to hijack your thread but...i had to add this...i just laugh and take it like a man because no matter how much i jump up and down or whine on the web...nothing changes...you just pay.

[tec0]

Well Telkom got to know me a bit better now; I drove up to their head office and stopped inside the restricted aria got out walked into the office and behold the manager drinking coffee chatting to someone over his mobile.

A very loud excuse me, got his attention. I gave him the reference number and told him that he had 24 hours to fix my line. Now to make it clear I didn’t threaten him physically or mentally. I didn’t use bad language. I was in his face however. I repeated myself again stating clearly that he has no less than 24 hours.

I turned around and walked out slamming his door as loud as I possibly could slam it.

As of now a Telkom branded pickup is standing at our main Telkom Box conducting test. So perhaps a more “hands on” approach... Or maybe it is because it is Friday the 13th...

EDIT: *** My phone is working 11:46 am 13/05/2011 *** So I conclude that visiting the manager at his office is a good way to get service

[irneb]

Yep! Don't complain! You "wanted" to be born into this country of fodder for the big monopolies!

[Blurock]

I've cancelled our business landline with telkom. Now I've also cancelled my home landline and ADSL as the line has been off for 3 weeks with no repairman in sight.
I still get sales calls wanting to sell me new Telkom products, but every time I explain very nicely that I no longer have this service. The reason is POOR SERVICE!!!
Get it into your thick heads that the more people that cancel their service, the more your income will decline, which will eventually result in you NOT HAVING A JOB!!!
There is an alternative for every (non) service that government is supposed to perform.

[Houses4Rent]

The sales giys and many others just work there, Blurock, they do not understand that issue... Even if they do they have no authority to do something about it...

[HR Solutions]

The sales giys and many others just work there, Blurock, they do not understand that issue... Even if they do they have no authority to do something about it...

And thats exactly wherein lies the problem !! I used to be a big fan of Telkom LTE , but lately the device has gone downhill big time. Went to the store who can't do anything about it - said i must log a fault which takes 7-14 days for them to have a look at it !!!! WTF must our business just stand still for 14 days ??!!

[rawoke]

Well Telkom got to know me a bit better now; I drove up to their head office and stopped inside the restricted aria got out walked into the office and behold the manager drinking coffee chatting to someone over his mobile.

A very loud excuse me, got his attention. I gave him the reference number and told him that he had 24 hours to fix my line. Now to make it clear I didn’t threaten him physically or mentally. I didn’t use bad language. I was in his face however. I repeated myself again stating clearly that he has no less than 24 hours.

I turned around and walked out slamming his door as loud as I possibly could slam it.

As of now a Telkom branded pickup is standing at our main Telkom Box conducting test. So perhaps a more “hands on” approach... Or maybe it is because it is Friday the 13th...

EDIT: *** My phone is working 11:46 am 13/05/2011 *** So I conclude that visiting the manager at his office is a good way to get service

Brilliant !!!

[Blurock]

The sales giys and many others just work there, Blurock, they do not understand that issue... Even if they do they have no authority to do something about it...

I just hate poor service, but I try not to complain or get nasty to the lower level staff, they are just (not) doing a job. The problem can always be traced back to bad management; poor training, poor attitude, low pay, etc etc. The management is responsible, so they must take the rap!

[Electrode]

Telkom is the kind of company I wish will just go under. It is 2018 and the only landline internet access my family and I have is 56k Dial-up. The problem is finding a ISP that still actually supports dial-up while managing to keep a straight face.Mobile internet works but it is not cost effective. I gave up on home internet access and started to abuse the free WIFI at our local mall. It only cost me a coffee.

[AmithS]

I am also having fun with Telkom Mobile. Cancelled a contract with them. Received confirmation email and the works for contract termination. Using the reference number no one at the call centre can tell me the date the contract will actually be terminated on as I am still receiving accounts!