Poor Service from Cell C

Dear Hello Peter,

I am writing to express my frustration and dissatisfaction with the service I received from Cell C.

On 18 October 2024, I purchased a new SIM card with the intent to port my Telkom number to Cell C. I followed all the necessary procedures, but Cell C sent an SMS instructing me to RICA my new SIM card. Assuming the porting was rejected but I still waited a full day before using the new SIM card incase they had decided to port!

On 19 October, around 12 noon, my Telkom number was still active, so I decided to use the new Cell C SIM card, as I had already purchased airtime. I was allocated a new number, and at 17:37, I loaded airtime and purchased a 1GB data bundle, valid for seven days. To my surprise, by 21:00 that same evening, my data had already run out, despite only using WhatsApp and briefly accessing Facebook.

I then loaded an additional 3GB data bundle for 14 days, and this time, I took a screenshot as evidence. Although the airtime was deducted and data was allocated, when I checked the balance, it showed 0:00 kB. Confused and frustrated, I contacted Cell C customer care and was directed to an agent named Gcinani. Unfortunately, he was unable to assist me and refused to provide his full name, citing company policy. He informed me that the porting process was still in progress and that any airtime or data I had purchased would not be recoverable once the porting was complete.

I explained to him that I used the SIM card after waiting a day, assuming the porting was rejected, and he suggested that I should have gone to a Cell C store for assistance. I informed him that there are no Cell C stores in my town, as the one in my area has closed down. His response was dismissive, stating that I should have called before porting. This response was rude and unhelpful, as the porting instructions are clearly provided on both the internet and the SIM card packaging.

Gcinani further advised me to call back on Sunday or Monday to speak with another agent, which was completely unsatisfactory. I have ported numbers before and never experienced such issues or lost airtime in the process.

I regret ever choosing to port my number to Cell C, as the experience has been nothing short of disappointing. Instead of providing the service I paid for, Cell C has effectively ****** my airtime, while their agents offer no meaningful support. I will be porting my number back to Telkom and will never recommend Cell C to anyone.

I hope this post serves as a warning to others who might consider using Cell C. Their service is unreliable, and their customer care team is both clueless and rude.