Poor service and no transparency

To whom it may concern,

I am writing this review to raise awareness about a service provider that seems to believe it has power over its customers.

Cool Ideas took over our fibre service from Mind the Speed last year. I originally signed a one-year contract with Mind the Speed at a cost of R1,085 per month. After the takeover, my monthly fee was suddenly increased to R1,135 without any new agreement being signed. While the amount itself is not the issue, the principle of changing contracted pricing without consent is unacceptable.

My contract with Mind the Speed expired at the end of August 2025. No new contract or agreement was provided by either Mind the Speed or Cool Ideas.

In June last year, during home renovations (painting), the fibre line was damaged. We contacted Cool Ideas to repair it. At no point were we informed of call-out fees or costs in writing. We specifically asked the technician what the charges would be and were told it would be approximately R1,000 and that the service provider would invoice us.

In November, we received an invoice for R3,650 with no breakdown — only a vague “call-out fee” listed. Shortly after, our internet service was suspended, despite our monthly service fees always being paid on time.

I contacted Cool Ideas requesting a detailed invoice to explain the R3,650 charge. To this day, no proper breakdown has been provided.

At the end of January, I requested cancellation of the service, as there is no active contract and due to the repeated service suspensions. When I logged into the billing portal, I noticed the invoice amount had suddenly been reduced to R1,725 — again with no explanation or itemised charges.

I attempted to resolve this with multiple consultants, but received no meaningful assistance. Instead, they are now attempting to impose a cancellation fee equal to one month’s service, despite confirming that their services are on a month-to-month basis and that no contracts exist.

If the service is truly month-to-month, there is no justification for a cancellation penalty.

I have requested that the service be terminated with immediate effect as of the date of my cancellation request.

This experience has been extremely frustrating, unprofessional, and lacking transparency. I strongly advise others to carefully consider their options before dealing with this provider.