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LK
Leonardo K

1 reviews | Active since Feb 2016

19 Sept 2017, 18:44

Pay up, but expect nothing from us

I was away for a month on holiday, taking the home DSTV service with me. BIG MISTAKE. On my return I found that the Explora hard drive had packed up, although it was left unplugged from the electricity. I am told by one of the DSTV technicians that this is a frequent failure of the device, forcing you to either take expensive insurance or replace the unit at your own cost (if there is a latent fault when disconnected for long periods or when the system has to be re-loaded, it should be for the suppliers account). Once I returned home, I phoned Multichoice/DSTV to reconnect the unit at home. After several calls, amounting to over 1-1.5 hrs either trying to get through or resolve the problems, I had to take the unit to a service centre, where I had to replace it. However, the problems that the techs tried to fix where not related to the hard drive: I pay for the full package, but can only see one channel. My last call ended when the team leader (couldn’t get a manager), as he could not help me to resolve the problems, promised to get a tech from Extra View to call me back before the end of the day. Well, a call came eventually at 17h50. So many calls to get something so simple resolved? I tried to get a manager to talk to, following my 3 previous unsuccessful calls. No one was available!!! A PR person phoned me following the purchase of the new device. Not to find out whether it works, not to enquire whether I need help reconnecting it? No! Only to try to sell me insurance. What are all these managers doing, that they are forever unavailable to ever talk to a customer? You are always told that they are either in meetings or out. Where they ever taught that customer service and satisfaction, should be the backbone of their business? I am sure not! As with all non competitive and monopolistic businesses, management starts to believe that they are the focus of all attention and the clients are just there to satisfy their large egos and motivate their high salaries. DSTV and Multichoice are two of this type of companies. Shame on them. Customers using their services should not be under any different illusion! Poor, inconvenient and expensive service is all what to will get from these two companies.

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Replies (3)
DStv (MultiChoice)
DStv (MultiChoice)'s reply20 Sept 2017, 07:58
Official

Dear Leonardo

We acknowledge receiving your complaint. Feedback will be communicated as soon as possible.

Kind regards

DStv: Hello Peter Team

LK
Leonardo K's update20 Sept 2017, 10:54
Reviewer Update
Indeed it took several hours of unnecessary calls to get the service restored. Not acceptable, it should have happened during the first call. Untrained consultants!!. However, you failed to address how an Explora decoder packs up when being disconnected/unplugged from the main. I was told that this is a frequent problem of this explora device/model. We, as customers, do not need to pay for replacement of a unit that malfunctions when using the service of transferring it to a holiday place and then trying to reconnect. I was told by one of the DSTV technicians that this is a latent fault of these models and that it happens too frequently. If the device comes with a inherent fault, it should be replaced at NO cost. You seem to only answer to the items you like. You also did not address the fact that a salesperson called me to try to sell insurance, not to query whether I was happy with your service. Also you ignored the fact that no managers are ever available in your company to take customers' calls. Whether you acknowledge this or not, it is bad customer service!!! Your management has grown to fat and content with the profits the company makes to worry about the little man in the street!!
LK
Leonardo K's update20 Sept 2017, 17:16
Reviewer Update
It is unreasonable to ask for the DSTV tech's name. The only possible reason you might have is to punish him for being honest and possibly a whistle blower. The fact remains that I asked for the service to be transferred to a holiday home, and on my return, without doing anything except for plugging the unit back and ask Multichoice for re-connection, the hard drive stopped functioning. Obviously related to the service location switch as I was told by the tech. R700 is abusive for a faulty type of unit. By the way, I have also a surge protection plug for this unit. There is a fault with this Explora model, and it is unfair that the customer has to pay for its replacement. Regarding managers' availability, this is not the first time it happens. They are too busy to attend to customers, a team leader is the maximum that one can expect from Multichoice! I will try again next week, and I can guarantee that no one will be available. I will then send another letter to Hellopeter, but also refer all this problems to the written press.