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Shelley R

1 reviews | Active since Jul 2021

13 Jul 2021, 15:06

Appalling service - no urgency to resolve outages

We have been a telephony client of Smerno's for our 4 businesses for 2 years now and it has been an enormously frustrating experience. From regularly forgetting to load data to our account, causing us to be unable to make or receive phone calls, to various technical issues. Trying to get hold of support to resolve issues is a trial of patience because they frequently don't answer their phones.

But to allow a client to be down for DAYS at a time is beyond appalling - we've had one business down for 3.5 days before being resolved, the other has been down for FOUR days so far, despite numerous calls. The financial loss to us and inconvenience to our clients is huge, but there seems to be a complete lack of urgency on Smerno's side.

If telephony uptime is crucial to your business, I would think twice before using Smerno as your service provider. Their sales pitch is fantastic but their follow through - not so much. Oh, and beware - they bundle their solution in with the telephony hardware being financed (even though the finance house specifically precludes this), so they actually get paid upfront by the finance house for services they haven't even rendered yet for the term of the contract - no wonder there is a lack of urgency on their side, even if they don't deliver a service to you, they've still gotten paid.

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Replies (4)
Smerno
Smerno's reply13 Jul 2021, 15:16
Official
Hi Shelley

Our technical team as always been prompt to provide assistance to you. Unfortunately, as you well know, your businesses are located all in a bad infrastructure coverage area. Hence, your multiple appointments of Service Providers. We would really love to permanently resolve your issues, but are restricted as are you. We've sent techs out many times at our own cost to try resolve these issues, but some issues are just out of our control.

We definitely do not finance usage based services as it's not possible to predict future usage. The hardware finance with the Bank does not force you to use Smerno for Voice Calls or Data Connectivity. The equipment supp**** can be used with any service provider.

We're also definitely not going to tolerate the verbal abuse you and your husband like to think is professional, despite us bending backwards for you.

Kind Regards
Luke Henwood (CEO)
Smerno Group
SR
Shelley R's update13 Jul 2021, 16:36
Reviewer Update
Good day Luke

For clarity, I did not say that you financed USAGE charges (we pay for those separately), I said that you financed SERVICE charges. I contest that anything in my correspondence to you has in any way been verbally abusive - you are most welcome to post my correspondence publicly if you think it to be otherwise. I made an appeal to you personally on Friday in desperation that our problem was not being resolved and you only responded to my second email of today. I would not call that bending over backwards.

I would welcome an engagement with yourself (or a suitable representative) to negotiate an exit from our contract. We no longer feel that Smerno is the telephony solutions partner for us.

Regards,
Shelley
Smerno
Smerno's reply13 Jul 2021, 16:57
Official
Hi Shelley

Then you have further lost me. Please do explain what service charges where financed? 

You only received a reply today, as for some reason Google considered your email domain to be SPAM. I would suggest your hosting company look into this for you. You also have my private cellphone number, which you've not used since 28 October 2019, which was billing related. I gave this to you on 11 October 2019 to ensure that you always received best service from my team.

As explained, your equipment (without fault) is in under finance with the Bank and cancellation of this finance, would require settlement to the bank in question for exit. However, your VOIP and Connectivity service is on month-to-month with Smerno. If you honestly believe our service to be unacceptable, and and efforts rendered to-date be pointless, you're free to replace us as a VOIP and Connectivity provider, and your new provider can use your existing equipment that's on finance.

I can also agree you've never been verbally abusive "in writing" to us. Like before, I am more than happy for an engagement with yourself or your husband, provided it's an amicable one.

Kind Regards
Luke Henwood (CEO)
Smerno Group
SR
Shelley R's update14 Jul 2021, 07:57
Reviewer Update
Good day Luke

You are continuing to imply above that I have been verbally abusive, something that I further contest I have ever been with you or any of your staff at any point, no matter how frustrated I may have been. Besides it being completely against my nature to be so, I have always preferred to put my concerns in writing. Our previous meeting was as a result of one such email listing our concerns and at no time during that meeting was I verbally abusive towards you and I I think you can agree that my concerns at the time were addressed amicably.

My husband tried to call your cellphone number and got a "service not in use" error so I (mistakenly) made the assumption that you had changed your cellphone number and sent you an email instead whilst continuing to try and get assistance through the official Smerno number. When I received no response, I further assumed that you must no longer be with the company and it was only after I saw that your Linkedin profile showed that you were still associated that I sent the follow up email. Now that I am aware that the number is still valid and the error was just some kind of glitch at the time, I will use it should it be deemed necessary.

Your technician was onsite yesterday afternoon and has resolved our outage issue, for which we thank him.

Regards,
Shelley