17 Year customer relationship down the drain

We've been a customer of Cell C since 2003. We've NEVER missed any payment. Our monthly Cell C bill varies between R350 and R500 per month for two contracts. Today I received a phone call from Cell's head office by a woman called Thuli/Tumi. She told me Cell C was going to cancel my current contracts and replace them with the Pinnacle 2GB top up contracts which after she explained would be a better option for us. Financially it wouldn't make a difference because the amount would be R179 per contract which totals R358 per month. Only the benefits (data & minutes) would be better. So when the verification questions came I told her I'd rather go to a cell c shop to do the change. Thuli/Tumi then told me I could only get this offer with the month to month option as I currently have if I would get the package through Cell C's head office. I agreed and went through all the verification questions. I accepted the conditions of the new package and was told she'd contact me again if the credit department had any questions. After about two hours I was contacted by Thuli/Tumi again telling me they wanted my workpermit. I told her I don't have/need a workpermit since I am a South African (permanent) resident. Thuli/Tumi then asked me for my ID number which after verifying if she was really from Cell C I gave to her. I then was put on hold so she could talk to the credit department. After about 5 minutes Thuli/Tumi came back on the phone again to tell me they wouldn't put me on the Pinnacle 2GB package since I don't have a credit rating.

HOW DOES THIS WORK: YOU INSULT A CUSTOMER WHO HAS BEEN WITH YOUR COMPANY FOR 17 YEARS, WHO HAS NEVER MISSED A PAYMENT BY TELLING HIM YOU CAN'T GIVE HIM A PACKAGE WHICH HE DIDN'T EVEN REQUEST BUT WAS OFFERED BY YOU, TELLING HIM YOU DON'T TRUST HIM OR WANT HIS BUSINESS.

No wonder Cell C is not doing well. If you treat you're paying customers as trash, they will do the same to you. For me this was the ultimate proof Cell C isn't interested in building up long term customer relations or interested in customer retention.