MY CELLPHONE CIRCUS!

The story is as follows:

I was phoned (cold-called) and invited to upgrade on 17 November last year. MTN's records will show by which of your (out-sourced) suppliers

I was told my new phone would be delivered by courier the next week. I'd simply have to show the courier my ID doc + proof of address in order for them to hand over my new phone.

No phone arrived.

I visited the Grahamstown outlet of MTN to enquire some 5 weeks later. They checked. Records showed that I was indeed charged for an upgrade on 17/11/2017.

They phoned the supplier on my behalf.

They were told that the reason why no phone had been delivered was because the courier driver had been hijacked, and a 'case' was pending.

I said I wanted to cancel the online upgrade and rather work through the Grahamstown branch.

I was told this was not possible.

The MTN Grahamstown branch then sent an email on my behalf to the original "supplier" which was never responded to.

I went back to MTN Grahamstown in early January. They again phoned on my behalf. I was given a fresh run-around.

On each occasion the "blurb" leading up to someone responding to my call was that my call 'may' be recorded for quality purposes.

The MTN Grahamstown team then phoned MTN's head office no. to say I wanted to lodge a complaint.

Rather than dealing with the complaint themselves, MTN head office simply put me through to the original supplier (a company in Durban).

I started explaining my complaint. In the course of my AGAIN explaining the problem (to the original "supplier") the call was dropped.

This happened a number of times. (In passing, I would like it noted that the courtesy of the respondents on each occasion left a great deal to be desired.)

The MTN Grahamstown branch dialed again for me. Again the call was dropped. And so the circus continued. [On each occasion the "blurb" leading up to someone responding to my call was an automatized message that my call 'may' be recorded for quality purposes. I indicated (when responded to) that I hoped this recording was not simply for the suppliers' benefit, but also for mine. By then, as I am sure most normal people would sympathize with, my patience was rapidly evaporating.]

Eventually - after several re-connects by the very kind, efficient, and concerned staff in the MTN Grahamstown branch - I was informed by the original (Durban) "supplier" that my upgrade had been 'declined'.

I asked why then I had been earlier told the reason for the non arrival; of a new phone was that the driver had been hijacked. This was not the "right" question. So I changed tack, and asked why, given that I had been an MTN client, on contract since about 1998, my upgrade had been declined. I was told this was 'privileged' information, whereupon I asked for an assurance in writing that they (the "supplier") had no direct access to my banking account to debit charges. I got a verbal reply - the insistence that all charging took place via MTN head office - but no agreement that I could have this in writing via e-mail.

I handed the call back to the person who was trying to help me in the Grahamstown MTN office. Shen told the person (representing the original "supplier") that she would e-mail through proof of the "upgrade call" etc etc etc . She were assured there would be an answer that same afternoon. No reply came. [She had warned me that this might be the case, and suggested that I rather come in the following week to see what the response had been.]

In the event because I have been busy, I only returned today (a fortnight later).

No response had come through.

I therefore asked the MTN Grahamstown branch to begin by checking my records.

They did so. Their checking revealed not only that I had been charged for an upgrade on 17/11/2017, but also that my account charge had been increased from my previous monthly package of R123 pm to R203 pm. So - clearly - the "decline" statement was a falsehood.

To top all this gross mismanagement, I now have fewer airtime minutes per month. I get warnings as I phone that my airtime minutes are close to running out which then prevents me from making any further calls.

I have not received an upgrade phone (which I was told would be a Samsung J6 - a model which the MTN Grahamstown branch have never heard of).

I have further been sms'ed to say I have 10GB of data which expires in 24 hours.

This smacks of a serious ****.

I am feeling **********, and totally unimpressed with MTN. They need now, please, to take responsibility for sorting out this debacle ('circus').

The Grahamstown MTN team have been totally professional and supportive throughout. The same cannot be said for the Durban-based "supplier" (something which I believe bears further investigation).

The records are on the "system', thus readily check-able by MTN's head office team.

The situation it utterly unacceptable and in urgent need of remediation.

Sally-Ann Robertson (on behalf of SSD Robertson)