Contract ******ion
<p>After being a customer to Altech Autopage for fifteen years and paying a ludicrous amount on a monthly basis for my contract, I was forced to move across to MTN.</p> <p>I went to the MTN store at the V&A in Cape Town and thought the lady I dealt with was fantastic according to the deal she had told me about. A contract with the same airtime, 500MB less of data and half the price I paid at Autopage. No brainer right??</p> <p>Wrong!! Five months later I go into the MTN store in Knysna to query a debit order that has gone off my account amounting to R400 less of what I was paying at Autopage...something wasn't right. I had not received one itemised bill and on every single statement I received did not even have a breakdown of what I was paying for. The latest statement received stated I had an outstanding amount of R5500! I asked the lady at the counter why and was informed that I've exceeded my data bundle. Fair enough but how am I supposed to know this if I do not get itemised billing and my account breakdown is non existent? Never mind the fact that according to the lady at the Cape Town Waterfront the new contract I signed would be beneficial and less expensive.</p> <p>I have a problem with these cellphone companies who do not explain a contract properly to you. Even the lady at MTN Knysna when asked whether I was exceeding data or phone usage, blatantly told me I only exceeded on my data. She printed out my statement and there, in plain English, showed that I had gone over on my calls as well. I then asked her why she hadn't informed me of this after I'd asked her twice to which she rep**** "I don't recall telling you that only your data had been exceeded". A blatant lie.</p> <p>Employees of these cellphone companies do not relay information to clients and their communication s****s are absolutely appalling, to such an extent that they do not even acknowledge you when you are speaking to them. The lady at MTN Knysna barely glanced in my direction when I spoke to her and I spent over an hour at the store; I had phoned the MTN customer service number three times the previous day as well as in the Knysna store and obviously could not get through.</p> <p>MTN need to up their game and train their employees. Communication is key to any business and I find it severely lacking.</p>
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MTN South Africa's replyOfficial
11 Oct 2016, 16:38Good Day Ms Lara Murphy,
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
Please accept our sincere apologies for the delayed response and for any inconvenience caused. Kindly note that the reason you were not receiving the Itemised Billing is because you did not have it as a service on your account however we noticed that it is now added. MTN's aim is to provide the most effective, efficient and the friendliest customer service. All our consultants were trained to offer the very best of customer service, we truly are disappointed to hear about the kind of service you received from our store.
Internal disciplinary processes will be followed with the consultant that assisted you. We urge you not to consider this kind of service as a reflection of what MTN is about.
Rest assured that it is not our intention to displease you and we look forward to continue improving on our service delivery to you.
Kind Regards,
Itumeleng
REQ:***
Best regards,
MTN South Africa's reply11 Oct 2016, 16:38
Official
Good Day Ms Lara Murphy,
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
Please accept our sincere apologies for the delayed response and for any inconvenience caused. Kindly note that the reason you were not receiving the Itemised Billing is because you did not have it as a service on your account however we noticed that it is now added. MTN's aim is to provide the most effective, efficient and the friendliest customer service. All our consultants were trained to offer the very best of customer service, we truly are disappointed to hear about the kind of service you received from our store.
Internal disciplinary processes will be followed with the consultant that assisted you. We urge you not to consider this kind of service as a reflection of what MTN is about.
Rest assured that it is not our intention to displease you and we look forward to continue improving on our service delivery to you.
Kind Regards,
Itumeleng
REQ:***
Best regards,
's updateReviewer Update
11 Oct 2016, 17:06Good day,
Thank you for your response. I do understand where you are coming from however, due to the lack of communication from MTN staff as well as them providing inaccurate information regarding contract packages, I am now left with an exorbitant account to be paid.
Not once, in the last eleven years with Autopage did I ever exceed on calls or data. By downgrading my contract (R600pm less than Autopage), as suggested by one of the MTN staff members at your V&A Store in Cape Town, I have actually ended up paying more than I ever did with Autopage!!! Seriously, an outstanding amount of R5500 is ******ion!
The only reason I now have itemised billing is because after this saga, I demanded it. Never mind the fact that each and every invoice I received did not, as stated above, show the breakdown of what was owed.
I am furious. Your staff need to inform customers of exactly which contract they are buying into. It is MTN's responsibility to do so and no matter how many apologies I receive it does not change the fact that I now, literally, have to pay for this.
's update11 Oct 2016, 17:06
Reviewer Update
Good day,
Thank you for your response. I do understand where you are coming from however, due to the lack of communication from MTN staff as well as them providing inaccurate information regarding contract packages, I am now left with an exorbitant account to be paid.
Not once, in the last eleven years with Autopage did I ever exceed on calls or data. By downgrading my contract (R600pm less than Autopage), as suggested by one of the MTN staff members at your V&A Store in Cape Town, I have actually ended up paying more than I ever did with Autopage!!! Seriously, an outstanding amount of R5500 is ******ion!
The only reason I now have itemised billing is because after this saga, I demanded it. Never mind the fact that each and every invoice I received did not, as stated above, show the breakdown of what was owed.
I am furious. Your staff need to inform customers of exactly which contract they are buying into. It is MTN's responsibility to do so and no matter how many apologies I receive it does not change the fact that I now, literally, have to pay for this.
's updateReviewer Update
18 Oct 2016, 20:17Well MTN I can now see why your staff do not provide "the most effective, efficient and the friendliest customer service" as I have not received a response from you in a week nor did you actually take the time to read my first review properly.
Needless to say it is just as frustrating dealing with your call centre. I have contacted them three times since Sunday, the gentleman I spoke to on Sunday, Brandon, reference number 243 053 439, did not even bother to email me what I asked for after a 20min conversation. I have accumulated dates, times, names, reference numbers and duration of calls in order to keep track of your utter incompetence.
It has now got to a stage where I am considering leaving MTN. Over a decade with Autopage and not once did I have to resort to such appalling service, or rather lack thereof, as I have been forced to put up with in the last seven months at MTN.
's update18 Oct 2016, 20:17
Reviewer Update
Well MTN I can now see why your staff do not provide "the most effective, efficient and the friendliest customer service" as I have not received a response from you in a week nor did you actually take the time to read my first review properly.
Needless to say it is just as frustrating dealing with your call centre. I have contacted them three times since Sunday, the gentleman I spoke to on Sunday, Brandon, reference number 243 053 439, did not even bother to email me what I asked for after a 20min conversation. I have accumulated dates, times, names, reference numbers and duration of calls in order to keep track of your utter incompetence.
It has now got to a stage where I am considering leaving MTN. Over a decade with Autopage and not once did I have to resort to such appalling service, or rather lack thereof, as I have been forced to put up with in the last seven months at MTN.