Telkom's World Class Service

[popayetwo]

On their new web pages, Telkom says it wants to be a world class service provider. Well, they have a l-o-n-g way to go. Consider the following:
1st Feb: All international Internet sites blocked - only local available. There are NO notices put out by Telkom about this problem.
Tried to report a fault using the Telkom site which is LOCAL bandwidth. The site asks for certain details like name, phone number etc but then FAILS to get past step 3 WITHOUT GIVING ANY REASON for the failure. (All mandatory fields filled in)
In any case all the fields relate to TELEPHONE faults, they have never heard of Internet.
Next,Tried to report a fault to 10210. Went through the extremely tiring process of pressing 1 or whatever in answer to the l-o-n-g process (with that DREADFUL muzak on hold) and then after 45 minutes I was cut off. (engaged tone)
Next tried to report a fault using the SMS facility. It is ONLY for telephone faults, not Internet related faults.
Now I am waiting....and waiting....and waiting.
Will the WORLD CLASS TELEPHONE COMPANY call me back? I won't hold my breath. But as I said they have a VERY long way to go before they can hope to achieve even third world standards.
(I seem to remember them making this same promise about 15 years ago. Remember Danie Du Toit?)

[Dave A]

My folks live on a nature reserve, and the Telkom telephone line is a real bugbear. It's 7km of bare twinned line on insulators installed roughly in the '60s. Goes faulty all the time (which of course takes many days to repair each time), and has a maximum dial-up data transmission speed of 2.8kbps on a really good day when the farm next to the exchange doesn't have its electric fences switched on. Any "reasonable" level of internet access is quite simply not an option.

My folks have also been advised that in terms of Telkom's service policy for the area, if a section of the telephone line is ever cut out and stolen, Telkom will not be replacing the line.
Ever.

There will be no telephone, and there is no cellphone reception.

So I guess that's the way it happens around the rest of the world then.

[popayetwo]

My folks live on a nature reserve, and the Telkom telephone line is a real bugbear. It's 7km of bare twinned line on insulators installed roughly in the '60s. Goes faulty all the time (which of course takes many days to repair each time), and has a maximum dial-up data transmission speed of 2.8kbps on a really good day when the farm next to the exchange doesn't have its electric fences switched on. Any "reasonable" level of internet access is quite simply not an option.

My folks have also been advised that in terms of Telkom's service policy for the area, if a section of the telephone line is ever cut out and stolen, Telkom will not be replacing the line.
Ever.

There will be no telephone, and there is no cellphone reception.

So I guess that's the way it happens around the rest of the world then.

So basically, Telkom is taking their money and PROMISING them NO SERVICE if the current pathetic service breaks down? That smells of fraud to me. Nut being a semi-government company they are exempt from normal business practice rules?

[popayetwo]

Wonderful news!. Telkom now has a message on their fault reporting site saying they have a problem with International bandwidth. This a mere 22 hours after the fault occurred.
Of course, they haven't FIXED it, but at least they KNOW about it and their "technicians" are working on it. Yeah, right. Do they have any of those left? And are there any alternate routes?
And do they have automatic switches? Maybe the earth connection came loose on the morse telegraph line and nobody knows how to mend it?
As I said before, the have a VERY LONG way to go before they even qualify for a third-world class service.