What a disgraceful experience with Cool Ideas.

I’ve been a loyal customer since 2021, but the service I’ve received over the past two weeks has been nothing short of appalling. The revelations that have come to light are deeply concerning and completely unacceptable.

Cool Ideas is my Internet Service Provider, and Linteg is the Fibre line provider. Since 2021, I’ve tolerated the occasional downtime—mostly after long hours of loadshedding—because at least the issues were resolved when reported. But what I’ve experienced from 12 to 25 July 2025 has crossed the line.

I work from home full-time and rely entirely on a stable internet connection. For two weeks, I endured intermittent connectivity that made it impossible to do my job. I was forced to spend over R1000 on mobile data just to stay online and meet my work obligations. On top of that, I had to constantly buy airtime just to report the issue—over and over again—with no proper resolution. The connection only improved slightly midweek, and then, to my shock, my line was completely cut off on Friday—with no warning, no explanation, nothing.

When I contacted Cool Ideas, I was told the line had been cut by Linteg. I then called Linteg, only to be told that my line was cancelled in 2024—which means Cool Ideas has been billing me monthly for a service they were not even paying for. This is not just poor service—it’s dishonest and exploitative.

What recourse do I have as a paying customer who has been misled and mistreated like this? Who will reimburse me for the money I’ve spent on data and airtime? And what about the stress, lost productivity, and damage to my professional reputation caused by this negligence?

I expect answers—and accountability.