Absolutely disgusting service and attitude

I lost my phone on the 23rd of January and went in to an MTN store the same day to blacklist the phone. The consultant apparently blacklisted it and gave me a reference number, ********** 80.

I then reported it at the police station and gave my case number and ITC reference number to my insurer. A few days later, the insurer tells me it is not a valid ITC reference number.

On Monday, 29 January, I went into a MTN store to find out why the reference isn't valid only to be told they can't do anything only the person to did it can find it on his log on. Only one person in MTN will be able to check?

So I phone 808 and eventually someone managed to tell me that he didn't blacklist the phone, only the sim. So I asked her to blacklist the phone. And now the absolute non-service begins.

She tells me that they can't find my info on the system even though I have a contract that MTN debits every month. Apparently this happens when a number is ported (horrible excuse). So she sends an email to another department to get my info uploaded saying turn around time is 2-24 hours. Reference, ********** 32.

I phoned back later on Monday but still wasn't done so I waited until Tuesday. On Tuesday I called, still nothing. I was told that all he could do was send another email and would take another 2-24 hours because they can only email that other department. Asked for him to escalate it which he couldn't so asked to speak to someone else.

I was put through to a manager, Clinton Pillay. He told me basically nothing he can do because he can't call that department. But he said he will try to find a way to escalate it and get it done and will call me by 7pm because that's when he's leaving for the day.

Didn't hear back from him so called back after 6pm. The consultant said my info still isn't there so he can send an email and another 24 hours. So I told him to put me through to Clinton. Clinton had left for the day without bothering to call me back. So the consultant emailed him to call me back and copied me in on the mail. I rep**** to that mail telling him how unhappy I am with his and MTN's service.

Today, Wednesday 31 January, I still haven't received a call or reply to my email by 10am. So called again and got the same story from the consultant, info not there he can send an email, 2-24 hours. So I tell him to put through to Clinton again. Turns out,Clinton isn't in, he's on leave. So I ask for another manager and I get put through to Nadia Ali. Reference, ********** 85.

She tells me that all she can do is send another email but now it'll take 24-72 hours (extending turn around times to deal with incompetence?). She says that should be the turn around time even though every other person says 2-24 hours.

I tell her it's not acceptable and that she needs to tell them in the email (because other communication in MTN doesn't exist) that it needs to be done today because MTN have messed me about for over a week.

She tells me she can't to that because it'll be "too harsh" to tell them to do it today. So it's "too harsh" to tell them to do something that should have been done already, she'll rather be polite to MTN staff and continue to inconvenience a current, paying MTN customer. Even if it was 24-72 hours it should have been done today but no, I must give it until Friday (two weeks since I initially requested to blacklist my phone). But we can't even give them a deadline because it's "too harsh", to hell with you as a customer and how our quoted turn around times have messed with you and your insurance claim.

If this is the service and attitude of MTN's managers then there's no wonder why MTN just takes customer's money and provides no service, they just don't care.

An irate customer