DStv Reconnection Runaround - impossible to reach PAYMENT PLAN DEPARTMENT

<p>I admit, we had fallen behind on our payments, but we did not notice that there was an issue, because there were no email messages to that effect on our decoder OR in either of our email inboxes. Then all of a sudden on Tuesday early evening 08Nov2016, no more DStv.</p> <p>We checked our statement online for the outstanding amount, and immediately paid the full outstanding amount of R5239 as shown on our statement, then phoned the help center in Port Elizabeth to let them know that the account was fully paid up, and to ask that they please reconnect our service. </p> <p>When we told them we paid the full outstanding amount, the consultant asked if we were aware that that was not enough, and that we should pay a further amount of R864. We paid that via EFT, even WHILE we were still speaking with the consultant on the phone. The consultant confirmed they could see the payments, and told us we would be reconnected within 45mins to 1hour.</p> <p>After 1.5 hours, still not connected, we called again. This time, we spoke to a different consultant, who said they would phone us back within the hour. We waited the full time, but when nobody called, we called yet again.</p> <p>This time, my husband spoke to yet another (now the 3rd) consultant, and after they had us check the signal strength and quality, reset the decoder to factory settings, we still had no picture. This 3rd consultant then told my husband that the other consultant should not have said that we would be reconnected within 45mins to 1hour, because the issue would have to be escalated to their PAYMENT PLAN DEPARTMENT, Mr Mothusi Mphuthi, under ticket reference number ********** 3#I32, and that they would get in touch with us within 24 hours. </p> <p>We received an email late Tuesday evening, confirming that the issue had been escalated, this time quoting reference number ********** 3-c1, and stating in writing, that we would be contacted within 24 hours.</p> <p>Then, yesterday, Wednesday 09Nov2016, when we still had not heard anything from them, we sent a facebook messenger chat message on the DStv page to inquire about the progress of ticket nr ********** 3-c1, but after not receiving a response back in the chat box for 1.25 hours, we resorted back to phoning the help center in Port Elizabeth yet AGAIN, to inquire about the progress of ticket ********** 3-c1. Since it was after 6pm already, the consultant told us that the PAYMENT PLAN DEPARTMENT had already closed, and that they would only be able to attend to the issue first thing this morning (Thursday, 10Nov2016).</p> <p>Again, patiently we waited all day, but when yet again we have not been contacted by DStv all day, we phoned the Port Elizabeth help center AGAIN this afternoon - we made sure to phone before 6pm while the PAYMENT PLAN DEPARTMENT is still open - hoping to be able to speak to someone there to assist with our query.</p> <p>I asked the first consultant to please connect me with the PAYMENT PLAN DEPARTMENT, and he placed me on hold, then transferred me to another consultant. Just to be sure, I asked whether I was speaking to someone in the PAYMENT PLAN DEPARTMENT, the consultant said that I wasn't. I asked to be connected with them instead, and the consultant said that they had another number, and that she could not connect me with them. I explained that we had already logged a ticket, and she said she could escalate the issue to the PAYMENT PLAN DEPARTMENT. I explained it had already been escalated on Tuesday, and it was now Thursday already, and we still have not been contacted. She then told me that if they haven't contacted us in 24 hours, then they would contact us within 48 hours. So, I asked, and if they don't contact us in 48 hours, how long will it be THEN for them to contact us? I also asked if we, as the subscribers, had absolutely NO WAY of contacting the PAYMENT PLAN DEPARTMENT, and the consultant confirmed this and said we can only wait for them to contact us. </p> <p>I told her I thought that this was utterly ridiculous, and I ended the call there, seeing that I wasn't going to get anywhere.</p> <p>That is EXACTLY what we have been doing, WAITING!! But no one has contacted us within the promised 24 hours. It already HAS BEEN 48 hours now, so WHAT remedy is left to us now at this point???</p> <p>This has been one of the most frustrating experiences, not being able to speak to the key persons at the PAYMENT PLAN DEPARTMENT, and having no recourse except to wait until someone at that department deems our money good enough to warrant a call back at their leisure.</p> <p>PLEASE, DStv, can someone help us? We messed up, I agree, but we made good again, and intend to keep it that way. WHY do you over-promise and under-deliver? And why is there NO WAY for us to follow up on queries logged, aside from phoning the call center, who can do nothing but send an email, which has already been done in our case, and which still has not had the desired effect?</p> <p>We would greatly appreciate someone attending to this matter as expeditiously as we settled our outstanding account!</p> <p>From a very disappointed, highly frustrated customer</p>