DS
Darryl S
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2016
14 May 2018, 16:21
Customer Service Worse than Telkom
After contacting AfriHost several times last week with my request/query still unresolved, I contacted them today with the simple request to speak to a manager. All of the team leaders and or supervisors refused to speak to me. Pinky **** to me. Sphe tried but Kuvashni refused. Nick tried but his supervisor refused to speak to me. Vanessa (reception) tried, but the acting manager (Mark) has still not made contact with me.
If you ask to speak to customer complaints, you get put through to an agent. If you ask for an escalation channel, you are told to email a specific email address which will distribute the email to ALL the managers, only to find out later that the email actually goes to the agents. There is absolutely no customer escalation process to deal with dissatisfied customers.
As a result I will be taking my business elsewhere, even if it means paying more. This includes an ADSL line as well as a LTE package.
For a company that prides itself in treating its customers as a priority with 18 years of awesome service, I have concluded today that, sad to say, but AfriHost's customer service is worse than Telkom's. And that is quite an achievement (if that can be considered something to be striving for).
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Replies (4)DS
Darryl S's updateReviewer Update
15 May 2018, 10:53So!!! Afrihost billed/invoiced me for a product/service that I have not yet received. When I spoke with Nick yesterday informing him that I cannot get through to accounts and that the callback system that they push you to, is clearly not informing them to call me, he then lodged an internal escalation to accounts. I ACTUALLY RECEIVED A PHONECALL FROM AN ACCOUNTS AGENT THAT AFTERNOON at about 3pm.
He acknowledged that I had been billed for something that I had not yet received but said that because it had been dispatched, I would receive it within 48hrs. THIS TURNED OUT TO BE A LIE as upon phoning the courier service this morning (the next day), I was informed that I would ONLY receive the item on Friday (4 days after dispatch). i told him that I was not happy with that as I should not have to pay for something that I will not be utilising. He said that if I wanted to, then I can lodge a dispute for a credit.
Whilst this is reasonable, it is unacceptable that I must go through ANY additional effort to get money that has been taken without my permission. SURELY this is against the Consumer Protection Act!?
Then, after NOT getting a phonecall from the acting manager (Mark) yesterday or today, and still not having received any follow up email or call from the several emailed escalations (24hrs later), I again phoned the receptionist (Vanessa) to tell her that Mark did not call me. She tried to call him again but he did not answer. So I asked her for the next level up, who is the director, only to find that he was not answering calls either.
I then expressed my dissatisfaction that there seems to be a culture within the AfriHost organisation that is completely counter to their advertised philosophy of giving awesome service. I consider myself a lenient person, allowing organisations what should be sufficient time to resolve an issue. So for me to resort to social media and complaints portals, is at the peak of my frustration. The last time I did this was several years ago with MTN.
After informing the receptionist that I had lodged a hellopeter negative review and suggested to her to email the director that Mark had not yet phoned me, I was quickly telephoned by Damon (only a team leader) who was asked/instructed by Mark to phone me as he (Mark) was too busy to phone. As I said to Damon, it was again apparent that I was not important enough to warrant a phonecall from a senior management person.
This seems to be the customer service culture at AfriHost; take your money, but don't deal with the problems.
As all the agents before him have done, Damon apologised forthe poor service. But verbal apologies are in reality hollow and in vain without any tangible results.
Damon has said that he will phone back by 11am. Let's see.
DS
Darryl S's update15 May 2018, 10:53
Reviewer Update
So!!! Afrihost billed/invoiced me for a product/service that I have not yet received. When I spoke with Nick yesterday informing him that I cannot get through to accounts and that the callback system that they push you to, is clearly not informing them to call me, he then lodged an internal escalation to accounts. I ACTUALLY RECEIVED A PHONECALL FROM AN ACCOUNTS AGENT THAT AFTERNOON at about 3pm.
He acknowledged that I had been billed for something that I had not yet received but said that because it had been dispatched, I would receive it within 48hrs. THIS TURNED OUT TO BE A LIE as upon phoning the courier service this morning (the next day), I was informed that I would ONLY receive the item on Friday (4 days after dispatch). i told him that I was not happy with that as I should not have to pay for something that I will not be utilising. He said that if I wanted to, then I can lodge a dispute for a credit.
Whilst this is reasonable, it is unacceptable that I must go through ANY additional effort to get money that has been taken without my permission. SURELY this is against the Consumer Protection Act!?
Then, after NOT getting a phonecall from the acting manager (Mark) yesterday or today, and still not having received any follow up email or call from the several emailed escalations (24hrs later), I again phoned the receptionist (Vanessa) to tell her that Mark did not call me. She tried to call him again but he did not answer. So I asked her for the next level up, who is the director, only to find that he was not answering calls either.
I then expressed my dissatisfaction that there seems to be a culture within the AfriHost organisation that is completely counter to their advertised philosophy of giving awesome service. I consider myself a lenient person, allowing organisations what should be sufficient time to resolve an issue. So for me to resort to social media and complaints portals, is at the peak of my frustration. The last time I did this was several years ago with MTN.
After informing the receptionist that I had lodged a hellopeter negative review and suggested to her to email the director that Mark had not yet phoned me, I was quickly telephoned by Damon (only a team leader) who was asked/instructed by Mark to phone me as he (Mark) was too busy to phone. As I said to Damon, it was again apparent that I was not important enough to warrant a phonecall from a senior management person.
This seems to be the customer service culture at AfriHost; take your money, but don't deal with the problems.
As all the agents before him have done, Damon apologised forthe poor service. But verbal apologies are in reality hollow and in vain without any tangible results.
Damon has said that he will phone back by 11am. Let's see.
DS
Darryl S's updateReviewer Update
15 May 2018, 11:06Got the phone call from Damon. Well done! . . . . He will be tracking personally and will initiate a credit note without me needing any further intervention. Well done! . . . . He's waiting for the courier service feedback. So who knows? Maybe there will be more good news. Well done! . . . . . . . . . . . . But the question remains! Why did it require ALL of this intervention, stress and financial cost on my part to eventually get the service that they profess to be giving as their normal way of business?
DS
Darryl S's update15 May 2018, 11:06
Reviewer Update
Got the phone call from Damon. Well done! . . . . He will be tracking personally and will initiate a credit note without me needing any further intervention. Well done! . . . . He's waiting for the courier service feedback. So who knows? Maybe there will be more good news. Well done! . . . . . . . . . . . . But the question remains! Why did it require ALL of this intervention, stress and financial cost on my part to eventually get the service that they profess to be giving as their normal way of business?
DS
Darryl S's updateReviewer Update
16 May 2018, 12:34After informing AfriHost that I had lodged a hellopeter negative review, people started jumping through hoops to give me the service that they claim. I received my router ahead of schedule. Well done. But it still irks me that I had to go through so much emotional turmoil to get this right. I will be changing this rating from 1 to 2. That is a 100% improvement. I am happy with the eventual outcome. But completely unimpressed overall.
DS
Darryl S's update16 May 2018, 12:34
Reviewer Update
After informing AfriHost that I had lodged a hellopeter negative review, people started jumping through hoops to give me the service that they claim. I received my router ahead of schedule. Well done. But it still irks me that I had to go through so much emotional turmoil to get this right. I will be changing this rating from 1 to 2. That is a 100% improvement. I am happy with the eventual outcome. But completely unimpressed overall.
DS
Darryl S's updateReviewer Update
11 Jun 2018, 08:40I am sorry to say but AfriHost remains *********** and incapable of dealing with customer support. I received an email on 10 June querying my open ticket dated before 16 May. The email was not to try and resolve the open ticket but to chedk if it had been resolved. If AfriHost was at all competent to any degree, they would have followed up with each of the persons who had touched on the query to determine if the issue was resolved or not, not ask me the client if it was resolved. I rep**** to the email highlighting that my initial ticket logged was addressed to a teamleader, but responded by an agent, to which I directed to the teamleader, of which I have to date not received a call or an email. And now with the open ticket follow up email, unfortunately just highlighted AfriHost's complete incompetence. All the best with the future AfriHost. My time with you is limited.
DS
Darryl S's update11 Jun 2018, 08:40
Reviewer Update
I am sorry to say but AfriHost remains *********** and incapable of dealing with customer support. I received an email on 10 June querying my open ticket dated before 16 May. The email was not to try and resolve the open ticket but to chedk if it had been resolved. If AfriHost was at all competent to any degree, they would have followed up with each of the persons who had touched on the query to determine if the issue was resolved or not, not ask me the client if it was resolved. I rep**** to the email highlighting that my initial ticket logged was addressed to a teamleader, but responded by an agent, to which I directed to the teamleader, of which I have to date not received a call or an email. And now with the open ticket follow up email, unfortunately just highlighted AfriHost's complete incompetence. All the best with the future AfriHost. My time with you is limited.