Heart attack in waiting

We have recently moved to a new address and went to the Telkom Branch in Eastgate Mall to request them to have the ADSL line activated at the new address by the time we moved into the new house. We went to the branch on 18 March 2018 and requested them to have it activated by 1 April 2018 as that will be when we will be in the new house. I understood that this might not be possible due to the fact that that weekend was Easter. The lady in the branch assured me that the line will be active by latest 3 April 2018. Once we moved in we realized that the previous tenants account, who had their line disconnected in the beginning of March, was still active. We were of the impression that maybe they have already activated our line. Two days after moving in our internet access was cut off. We came to the conclusion then that we were still running on the previous tenants account. On 6 April 2018 we phone Telkom as to what the hold up is for the line being activated. The person at the call center advised that the lady at Eastgate Branch never loaded a request to have the line activated. She basically just sat and stared at her computer for 30 minutes. We kept phoning the call center on a daily basis to get an order number so we can follow up but we were told everyday that they cannot provide us with this due to this or that. On Monday 16 April 2018 I went to the Eastgate Branch again. The gentleman there advisedthat they cannot pick up if this has been assigned to the technicians or anything. He referred the matter to his manager for assistance. We received a call later that day to say that a technician has been assigned to visit our property on the 19th of April. This I still struggle to understand. Maybe my brain is a little to small but why would a technician have to visit the house for installation if there is a line installed already? Surely it only takes one person to sit behind a computer and click on an ACTIVATE button? But never the less we thought finally we will get this resolved. The gentleman at the Eastgate Branch even gave us a contact number for the technician assigned to our case. My wife went ahead and put in a days leave for the 19th as we received an sms from Telkom saying it will be an all day thing from 8 in the morning till 4 in the afternoon. Yet my small mind cannot understand this but never the less it seemed as if things are going in the right direction. At around 10am on the 19th there has not been anyone from Telkom at our property. My wife decided to try and phone Telkom and find out why the person is not there yet. She first phoned the sales department and was advised that she will need to phone the technical department, at the technical department they told her no she has to phone the sales department. This went on for about 30 minutes before she lost patience. I phoned the number of the technician that we were provided with only to realize that the number we were given was in fact for the manager at the Eastgate Branch. He advised me that he will try and see if he can get me any information from his side. That was to no avail. I phoned the sales department again and the same process ensued of going from sales to technical and back again. i eventually got through to a manager at the technical side, as the sales side seems to be running without any form of management. I was there rudely advised that they cannot assist at all or even give me the details of someone that will be able to assist. Later during the day after spending roughly R300-00 on airtime speaking to the most *********** bunch of people my wife manage to speak to a lady that advised her that we just have to wait and see if a technician arrives and that if he does't come today he most likely will be there tomorrow. They are unable to even contact the person and confirm if that will be the case. My wife asked to speak to a manager to which she got the answer that the lady does't know where the manager is or if the person is even at work that day. We phoned the complaints department hoping that will help in some way. Our number was taken and we were promised a member of management will contact us before en of business on the 19th ( to me that was the best joke telkom has told me thus far). As I am writing this we still have not received any feedback or communication from Telkom as to a resolution.

I have not experienced customer service this bad in my entire life. I cannot understand how in this day and age a company is still allowing there staff to be this *********** and rude. You can here in their voices when you speak to them that being at work and assisting you is the biggest punishment of their lives. Surely there has to be some sort of pride in your work and for the company you represent, or am I just fooling myself with that thought? I am of the impression that due to Telkom having the whole market to themselves this will never change unless they do a complete overhaul from top management to the entry level positions. Maybe they must down size their call centers and just keep the people that have atleast resolved one or 2 customer complaints as I can currently not think that there is a single person in that organisation that has given any customer any form of satisfactory service. I do not even think they know what customer service means. I am writing this having to bite my tongue very hard not to name and shame the people I have had the bad luck of being serviced by. i know this will not help in this disorganized company resolving my situation but atleast i was able to let off some steam