East Rand Mall Boksburg Telkom- Bad Customer Care Consultant

I write this review with great disappointment of the disturbing bad customer care treatment I received from one of your employees in Eastrand Mall Telkom today (13 April 2023).

I operate a business in Germiston. I have 2 contracts with Telkom for Data. One contract is in my personal name and the other is in my business name.

Earlier this morning, I went to Carnival Mall Telkom to do a Sim-Swap and purchase a mobile router under my business profile with Telkom as my employees misplaced/ lost the router a week ago. Whilst waiting in the que, load-shedding started at 10am and I could not be assisted (well understood the situation and that is out of the control of your company (Telkom)).

In the afternoon at around 15:30pm today, I was in the Eastrand Mall district and I decided to rather do the Sim-Swap there. I arrived at the store at around 15:45 and I was assisted by one female consultant ("First Consultant").

I explained to her that I have 2 contracts with Telkom (one for business and the other under my personal name). I would like her to assist me to do a Sim-Swap for the number under my business name, and I do not have the cell phone number.

Customer Care Treatment was not professional, as she: 1. Told me that her job is not to check cell phone numbers and I should have come prepared; 2. Failed to seek clarification; 3. Seemed not interested at all to help me as she was taking her time; 4. Treated me like an idiot; and 5. Argued with me (by using her body language and making me feel belittled)

She Failed to listen carefully to what I requested- she gave me a cell phone number of my personal contract (not the one under my business) and she immediately apologized and asked me to take the other number which I did not have a problem. She then told me that she will need an Authorization Letter from the company, I advised her that I can arrange that while she is busy creating the Sim-Swap. I sent her the letter via email. After 15minutes, she apologizes and tells me that she gave me the wrong cell phone number and I need to redo the Authorization Letter again as it shall contain the cell phone number of my business contract. Distressed as I am because of time and my other appointments, I asked her to write down the number and she did. Whilst I’m editing the letter, I realized that the cell phone number she wrote down was the same number that she gave me initially (NO ATTENTION TO DETAIL), which is the correct number in the letter I have sent. This means, I wasted further time because I told her that the cell phone number is the correct one which is contained in the letter, she responded by saying “Ohhh”.

After spending close to 20minutes without any progress, I asked her who the Store Manager is, as I would like to talk to him/her. She pointed to me a colleague (the "so- called Store Manager"). This so- called Store Manager of hers was busy with other customers, and I waited in the aisle (seated) to speak to him.

After 5 minutes, the First Consultant who has been assisting me passed by me (no eye contact) and told me that the so- called Store Manager is very busy with the customer. Then came out another female colleague ("Second Consultant")

The Second Consultant who is now assisting me with my query from scratch at another working station. Whilst she was creating the documents for my signature, I quickly went to the so- called Store Manager (apparently the Store Manager) and asked him whether he was the Store Manager, he told me that the Store Manager is not in today. I wondered why the First Consultant then told me the so- called Store Manager is the Store Manager that I need to speak to? I believe it is a cover up colleague who will also not take my compliant seriously. I asked the so- called Store Manager for the email address of the "real" Store Manager and he told me that there’s no need because the Second Consultant is assisting me already (shocking response from the so- called Store Manager). Another Customer Care Consultant who was not willing to hear my frustrations out.

I commend the Second Consultant because she only took less than 10minutes to assist me and she immediately received my email whereby the First Consultant failed to provide me with an alternative email address since she said she did not receive my email after 15-20minutes having sent the email to her.

I’m so disgusted with the service I received. I’m a person who does not really report or escalate bad service, but due to the insults that I have received, I have never experienced this physical bad and unprofessional service in my whole life.

From a business perspective (and as a Businessman), I even advised the First Consultant that if she doesn’t like her job, she should resign and refrain from giving such bad service to customers. If this was her business, I do not think she would have treated me nor allowed her employees to treat me the way she did.