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GLR
Guy Le Ray-Cook

1 reviews | Active since Jul 2022

21 Jul 2022, 12:21

Cell C - will "Change your world" - with abusive sales people and poor connectivity

Before you consider a Cell C contract bear my experience in mind:

1. The poor connectivity is true, only have at best a 3G connection for over 15 months until miraculously my contract move to pay as you go (whilst I was cancelling it) when I got LTC coverage for my last month. 2. The constant (every other day) calls from their sales department when your are due for an upgrade, I wrote to them, made sure my Cell C app said no marketing calls, registered myself with SA marketing commission as a person not wanting to get cold calls. It appears that Cell C see themselves as above the CPA and will relentlessly call you at any time of the day to try and get you to sign on for another 2 years. It has become a total abuse of my private life. 3. When trying to port the contract now, they block the porting and need certain paperwork which changes on every visit to your local Cell C store or customer services centre. At this point in time despite providing them with the paperwork required including an FICA documents and an affidavit, they now want a police affidavit (not a commission of Oaths), no doubt I will gain more requests when I go back. Conclusion - Poor product, suspicious ability to improve connectivity on packages that charge per unit but reduce connectivity on fixed contract, abusive culture from sales personnel, apply rules and laws to why you cannot exit but they themselves ignore the CPA common laws. No one at call centre who can make decisions

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Replies (11)
Cell C
Cell C's reply21 Jul 2022, 15:17
Official
Dear Guy Le Ray-Cook,

Thank you for reaching out to Cell C.

We have received your review regarding the service you have experienced.

Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience you have experienced with your queries. We will investigate and contact you for assistance.

^NZ


GLR
Guy Le Ray-Cook's update25 Jul 2022, 12:00
Reviewer Update
I did get a call back from Cell C on the 22nd July, promising on the one issue in my original shared experience - the release of the number so it can be ported, would be dealt with by the morning of 25th July, and I would get a call. Well no called and I have contacted Cell C's Canal Walk store again and they said they had also contacted 5 different people at their own head office and none of them were willing to assist. Still hoping they can release my number so it can be ported, I have provided Cell C with Affidavits, proof of residence, ID's and everything they have asked for and taken a lot of my time with but still no performance their end, not even an update.
GLR
Guy Le Ray-Cook's update27 Jul 2022, 11:05
Reviewer Update
The update and process from the start (to share experience of trying to port a number from Cell C if there is any kind of complication:

I have been attempting to port a Cell C number (was on contract, I gave 30 days’ notice and it moved to pay as you go on the 30th June 2022) since the 1st July. Here is the sequence of events:
  • 1st July attempted to Port to MTN (at the MTN Canal Walk store)
  • Port was rejected by Cell C
  • 20th July – Tried to port again and it was rejected. After much investigation we learnt the reason for the rejection was due to my ID number having changed when I became an SA citizen and the contract was signed on the old number
  • I phoned the Cell C call centre, they said go to the Cell C shop (Canal Walk) and show them the ID and proof of residence and the ID number can be changed there
  • Got to the shop and they could not do the change, so phoned they Cell C care centre themselves and was told I needed an Affidavit explaining why my ID had changed (I had both ID books with me and they had sent his to the head office)
  • I phoned Cell C myself and spoke to a supervisor and he said this was the only option – I said I would use the commission of oaths at my office and he said this would work
  • Came back with Affidavit the same day which was duly sent to the Call Centre by the Cell C Canal Walk. The Porting department at the call centre rejected the affidavit as they stated it had to be done at a police station
  • Came back on the 22nd July with a new affidavit done at a police station and Cell C Canal Walk sent this to the head office, this still didn’t work
  • I reported the frustration on Hello Peter
  • Cell C call centre now stated that they could not access my number as it needed MTN to reject the port as the port was in process
  • Was told to go to MTN to ask they reject the port. Fortunately Aashieyah Jacobs (Cell C Canal Walk) took the initiative and called MTN to find out this was not correct and MTN had already cleared the Port process
  • Aashieyah said she would try and see who could help at the call centre to resolve (now I had spent over an hour at the store, this third time of visiting it)
  • The evening of 22nd July I got a call from the customer care stating they had got my Hello Peter complaint and we discussed the situation, I was promised a call back on Monday but this never happened
  • I called the call centre on the 26th July and explained once again to the Porting department that I was still not being allowed to port my number. The lady told me that the ID number could be changed at any Cell C store, so I said to her that I would walk to the Cell C store now as it was below my office and let them explain that they couldn’t. The Cell C customer care agent duly hung up on me!
  • So I went back to the store on the 26th July and was told by Aashieyah she had spoken to 5 different people at the customer care and porting department and was unsuccessful but was trying to see whether she could get someone from Cell C to talk to MTN to see why the two systems had a different status on my number. She suggested that Cell C had said that MTN must call them, but she explained this would be complicated as a security check would be needed and this would not work.
  • Aashieyah spent another 45 minutes with me on hold to customer care and then the porting department with the same story each time, she believes the problem lies perhaps solely with Cell C and not MTN, please note she has been the only professional person from Cell C through out the process and has never bad mouthed her company but only gave frank views of the difficulties she was also facing in trying to assist me.
  • I have two numbers with Cell C and the one number has now been successfully assigned with the correct ID number
  • Aashieyah said that I would get a call from Cell C today but as per all promises to date when the customer care centre is involved at Cell C, this has yet not happened and I still need to go to MTN before the end of the week to set up my new contract and port with them.
My conclusion is that Cell C’s customer care centre is simply not willing and or not competent to allow my number to port and I have run out of options of how to get them to allow this.
GLR
Guy Le Ray-Cook's update27 Jul 2022, 18:35
Reviewer Update
Apologies accepted, but when will Cell C be able to resolve and allow me to port the one number?
GLR
Guy Le Ray-Cook's update27 Jul 2022, 18:36
Reviewer Update
Would be good to get a call back as promised from customer services as promises last week Friday, even if just an update.

GLR
Guy Le Ray-Cook's update28 Jul 2022, 16:21
Reviewer Update
Hi you wrote:
"28 Jul 2022, 15:41

Hi Guy Le Ray-Cook

We are following up on the matter."

Please can you give me an update? This is the fourth response from Cell C suggesting following up but nothing apparently happens, is this just a standard response and then you leave the matter?

Please can I kindly ask for no more apologies or promises of follow up, but just take the necessary action to release my number so it can be ported. I have done everything you have requested in order for this to happen.

Many thanks


GLR
Guy Le Ray-Cook's update02 Aug 2022, 05:21
Reviewer Update
Dear NZ,

Not sure why you cannot reach me, I had one missed called yesterday. The Port confirmation was submitted on Saturday 30th at 12.00 you are correct. However as of today 2nd August, I am still waiting for the port to go thru (now 4 days later). I understand the weekend may have been a delaying issue but no reason why it did not go thru on Monday 1st August? So it has taken now over 32 days so far to try to port my number.

Guy
GLR
Guy Le Ray-Cook's update02 Aug 2022, 09:48
Reviewer Update
Hi

I phoned Cell C customer care this morning and was told that as I had a new sim I cannot port for 60 days!!! The new port was issued last week as your solution to over come the problem of me not being able to port the old number. Cell C issued me the SIm so I could port immediately. I have had that number with Cell C for 6 years but more importantly this highlights Cell C’s total inability to implement their own solutions to the end. Please could someone take this issue to the end and ensure the port is completed.
Cell C
Cell C's reply02 Aug 2022, 10:35
Official
Hi Guy Le Ray-Cook

A port request was resubmitted and it's still processing.  
^NH
GLR
Guy Le Ray-Cook's update02 Aug 2022, 11:00
Reviewer Update
Hi

So Cell C customer care informed me incorrectly this morning? Why is the promised 4 hours to port now 4 days and counting? Your detailed response will be appreciated. Many thanks.
Cell C
Cell C's reply02 Aug 2022, 15:54
Official
We will enquirer with the porting regarding your profile and revert.

^NH