ISP of the Year - But not when it comes to support.

Afrihost and Zoom Fibre

I am severely disappointed by the level of service provided by both of your companies.

I lodged a complaint about packet loss on my fibre line on the 25th of July, and explained that since I work remotely (with the agreement being that I have a stable working internet connection), it's currently affecting my ability to stay connected to meetings.

Keep in mind, I have a background in Network Engineering, I've been in the field as a network / hardware technician, and troubleshooting is a part of my day-to-day at work - I know my hardware is not at fault.

I was told that the ONT unit at my property is faulty - or rather, Zoom couldn't find it on their system (but I've had internet since we've moved in?), and Zoom was scheduled to replace the ONT.

On the 30th of July, two and half hours late without any communication from Zoom, the technicians arrived and replaced the ONT - but they were not able to assist with the packet loss / line issues.

I immediately tested once the ONT was active, and lo-and-behold, the packet loss persisted - So an unnecessary replacement of hardware was done without conducting prior testing or proper troubleshooting - very professional.

I reached out to Afrihost and informed them my issue was not resolved. I've been following up via e-mail, I've been phoning Afrihost Support, and all I'm being told is that it's being escalated.

Now, I'm not sure if escalation means the same thing at every company, but usually you get a same-day response if you escalate someone due to a lack of feedback - Doesn't appear to be the case with Zoom since they're just ignoring every escalation.

Currently it's Friday morning, the 2nd of August. First attempt at contacting Afrihost, held for 40 minutes, gave up. Second attempt - I've been holding for 32 minutes, and still holding.

Being the client, it should not be my responsibility to chase for feedback - especially not from the "ISP of the Year" - Tell us another joke.

Another slap-in-the-face is the fact that Afrihost technicians only reply to certain parts of your support complaint - I've asked what I need to do to ensure priority support, is there a business package, but no answer was given.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this article from MyBroadband (https://lnkd.in/d6y9BP4i) - where an Afrihost / MetroFibre customer had to reach out to MyBroadband, that reached out to Afrihost, and only then his issue was resolved within a day.

Is this the new trend in service delivery? The customer who shouts the loudest / contacts the most people gets priority support, while your loyal customers who follow the ticket logging process gets left in the dark.

Perhaps it's time to explore other ISP's.