Beyond Unsatisfactory

<p>I chose to have an ADSL Line and Landline installed with Telkom in April 2016. I have not had since the beginning of the set up of my contract had decent service- in the sense of from the call centres, in store staff, accounts, technical nor an actual Internet service working with no problems. I should have pulled out of my contract at the beginning when the technician who was meant to come to install kept messing it up. I was living in an apartment by a house who had a Telkom Line already so all that would need to be done would be to go through that Telkom point- as I was told by a Telkom Rep- apparently this was not the case, as the technician did not know how to install my Telkom Line. How can a technician not know how to install a line? He came on 3 different occasions, making me take time off work, to merely 'look around' as to what he should do. The 4 th time he came he eventually set up a line. Why couldnt he have just done that on maybe the 1st or 2nd visit? So then we had our ADSL and lanline, but without issues- not a chance. We then started to have billing issues- we took out a R499 contract, and we were told this is what we would pay every month-this was not the case. Our first bill we received was charged wrong at R752.15- How I ask is this the R499 we agreed to pay. I went into our local Telkom Store and asked about this figure- the response was "the first bill is charged 1.5 months"- why was I not informed of this when I started the contract??? So I paid, in full. The next month, I was charged R833.50- that seems almost double of what I agreed?? So I go into the store again, (more time off work), I ask, what is the issue- the accounts department had my subscription charges at R573.68- not the R499. They had also apparently charged me a 'bank bounce fee aka debit levy' because the payment had been rejected by the bank. They charged me R190 for that levy... had my account been charged correctly at the R499- it would not have been rejected.. After speaking to the store clerks that day and 'sweet talking me' I went and paid the bill but not before I cancelled thedebit order- I now wanted to have control over any money that could be taken- not a chance was I allowing Telkom to debit my account. 2nd MONTH IN A ROW OF INCORRECT CHARGES. Then the next month came- I was on tender hooks because this company cant seem to get anything right. AGAIN Telkom incorrectly charged me- this time R869.20. And so my monthly stroll to Telkom starts again- I go in, talk to them AGAIN, time off work AGAIN, and they say reason being of high bill is another debit levy- R200 for cancelling my debit order last month. They also said the subscription services are till bing charged too high at R693.88 instead of the R499 i agreed and signed for. The Telkom reps at the store said I have to speak to accounts as they have the wrong subscription charges on my contract. By this time I am getting very tired of this companies incompentency. Not only are they billing me wrong- the store klerks do nothing but sweet talk me and make excuses- Each time I have gone into the shop I spend no less than an hour of my time trying to rectify or at least understand the problems Telkom seem to having and causing me. I was also moving house at this time, so I informed Telkom of change of address and to please move the line to my new place. I should have just demanded cancellation but Telkom are very smart it seems as they only apparently cancel lines if you give 1 months notice... so I gritted my teath and stuck with it- hoping it would sort out. So the line was moved, did it work? NO. Did I get help NO. But my bill came though at the correct R499. So why couldnt this have happened the prev 3 months?? So now correct bill-NO SERVICE. Next month- same story, correct bill at R499- NO SERVICE. The next month we are offered a FREE LANDLINE- alcatel landline promo- so it is delivered, not that we have a line that is working for it, but we have a new shiny phone. Still trying to get in touch with someone to fix the line- noone helps. So then the bill comes in- they have charged us for our new FREE PHONE- So I now have two papers a bill of R797.70 (good bye happy R499) and an invoice for the FREE phone. On the bill it states a cost for the phone of R258. On the invoice of the phone it states Amount due R0... I dont know what is going on as again no one in Telkom seems to know either. They pass me from piller to piller- accounts tell me its technical, technical tell me its accounts- no managers on duty nor supervisors nor team leaders. HOW IS THIS COMPANY RUN???</p> <p>It is now 7 months later, my line doesnt work. But I am still being billed. From the top of my head my outstanding bill is now over R4000- which I refuse to pay because this whole time that has passed I have not had a working internet line not landline. Why should I pay for a service if I do not recive that service? </p> <p>I have put in canellation requests since September... one a month- when I dont recive a reply I send another. I have called the Call Centres, asked to speak with a Supervisor or someone of stature to help me and exlain why nothing is getting resolved. Do I get help?- I was even refused by some women at one point to speak to a manager. I would just like to inform this incompntent company, whoever is training your staff is getting you into a heap of trouble. A consumer has a right to speak to a higher person aka Supervisor or Manager if they are not satisfied with the help or knowledge they are recieving from the Call Centre Agent. </p> <p>From August I have started to send in cancellation forms as the company request, but I have also send in cancellation emails to numerous Telkom email addresses- none of which seem to get actioned- EVER. Because I was being ignored so rudely I started going into the store to send my cancellations direct from them so no one can tell me I sent it to the wrong address, or I spoke to the wrong person, or it never reached the office. I am fed up of the excuses this company tells me. You are a business- run it! </p> <p> </p> <p>I started my own business end of 2016 and so I need a working internet line... I went and I spoke to Telkom store reps again and asked them due to my previous cancellation requests has my account been closed? The answer was NO. So I decided stupidly to give this company benefit of the doubt- to rectify their problems and I would stay with them as I need it for work. So they informed me to speak to the technical team- The technical team agree that the line doesnt work, so they sent out a technician. Thi technician spent roughly 4 hours trying to re install the line. Eventually he managed. So the line worked, for a week! I called again, and was told this is up to accounts as they have put a suspension on my account. This whole time the line had been clearly not working they were still charging me. </p> <p>So then I started writting down dates, times and names of who I spoke to, I was now at the point of getting very fed up- Telkom was taking over my life! I called on 14/12/16 @ 12pm from the shop phone (as mine doesnt work) and spoke to Sharon. After a long while on the phone she gave me to reference number for technical and accounts. I had to go through again every problem I have had with Telkom- she said I would be called back within 72 hours to 14 days to discuss my credit and cancellation. - NO ONE CALLED. I called again on the 16/1/17 PE BRANCH- informed them of my previous call- asked for a manager- none available. she was in a meeting. Was told she would call me the same day when out of her meeting at 5pm- NO CALL. Called the following day- spoke to a nice lady who seemed new, went throuh my issues again with her. Asked her if it would help if I gave her my ref numbers for my previous 3 disputes- she said yes. So I gave, but lo and behold no such reference numbers exist- Telkom have changed over their systems... so all of my disputes and correspondance with this irritating company had been deleted. How is this customer service?? So I agreed to set up new disputes- only with a manager though- again no manager available. So I left my cell with this lady and was told the manager would call before 6... NOTHING... AGAIN. </p> <p> </p> <p>I am still recieving bills from Telkom- my account now stands at R4000+-AND NO ONE HELPS. NO ONE EXPLAINS. NO ONE DOES ANYTHING- WHERE ARE THE MANAGERS OF THIS COMPANY!!!??? The line still does not work or is suspended- i wouldnt know as NO ONE HELPS. </p> <p>1: NO SERVICE- INTERNET NOR LANDLINE</p> <p>2:OVERBILLING/BEING CHARGED FOR NOTHING</p> <p>3:*********** CALL CENTRE STAFF</p> <p>4: NEVER A MANAGER TO SPEAK TO</p> <p>5: TRYING TO CANCELL- NO RESPONSE. </p>