Customer Support with no Service

<p>Early in April 2017 I received a call from the "Internal call centre" of MTN (CCISA).</p> <p>The lady explained that I could renew my contract quickly and painlessly telephonically, that the transaction were voice logged, that I did not need to visit a branch to renew, and that the phone and related documentation would be couriered to me within the next few days. Contrary to my conviction and practice not to respond to telemarketing calls, I decided to give it a try as I only had good experiences to date with MTN and what could go wrong?!!! I explained to the lady that the courier need to call me when he arrives, as I had no bell at home, and access is restricted.</p> <p>A few days and a confirmation SMS later (with reference number OF ********** ), I received an SMS confirming the date of the delivery of the phone. On the specified date, a lady phoned, confirming delivery and documentation that I had to have on hand. I waited the whole day, no delivery. When I had time again, a few days later (+-20 April), I enquired telephonically, and was informed that the courier returned the phone undelivered to the warehouse, as it seems he was unsuccessful in the delivery. I must assume that he tried to deliver, but probably was not informed of the need to phone me from the gate. I then requested the lady to arrange for me to rather collect the phone from a local branch or agent, as it seemed futile to again try to explain to a nameless courier via the callcentre the need to phone me from the gate, rather that try to get my attention by blowing his carhorn! After exacting a promise from the callcentre lady that she would let me know where and when I could collect my phone, I asked for and received a ref number UV ********** . I then patiently waited, to no avail.</p> <p>After approx. 2 - 3 weeks on Friday 12 May 2017, I went to the MTN branch in Centurion Mall to find out if I could resolve this whole issue by arranging via this branch to speak to a more authorative person to resolve the inaction and zero communication of MTN and to rather arrange to collect the outstanding phone and finalise the paperwork (ID, proof of address and signature) directly at the branch. The lady at the counter gave me the distinct impression that she thought I was pretty brainless and gave me a very good redition of a long suffering parent's treatment of a unreasonable petulant child. Recognising that I am wasting my energy on a uncaring, uninterested and unresponsive consultant, I phoned the call centre again. This time a gentleman, Deven, attended to me. Now firmly convimced that I am being ****med by this internal branch of MTN, I requested them to cancel the verbal agreement we made, as they did not deliver on their part of the agreement, and despite several unsuccessful attempt on my side, I still did not receive any service from MTN to conclude their part of the agreement. Deven, the consultant, then undertook to immediately send a mail to their cancellation department, promising that he personally would phone me back on Monday 15 May to confirm that the cancellation in fact happened, and that I could return to a branch to complete the renewal.</p> <p>Late Monday 15 May I again phoned the call centre, this time the operator confirmed that the mail has been sent, but that I could only expect to receive an answer -7 work days later. As Deven told me on Friday that it would take a day at most, i insisted to upscale to a supervisor. After two unsuccessful attempts to find a supervisor, the operator re-iterated that I need to wait for 5-7 days for the cancellation to take effect.</p> <p>It seems that everytime I phone and speak with an operator, their answers evolve into someone else giving answers somewhere in the distant future. I now need to wait for 5-7 workdays, to probably not received the promised service again, and expect some new excuse to surface yet again.</p> <p>I would like to send a urgent warning to all MTN customers due for an update, do not utilise or trust this "Internal Call Centre" of MTN. Like me, use them at your own risk. You are likely to be treated like a *****, you will probably wish you had rather changed to a different service provider when your renewal became due, and after such an experience of *********** customer (non-)support / service, you would in all likelyhood never use them again.</p> <p>They are their own worst enemies.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>