Nix Telkom. Block Telkom from you mind. They are not an option. If you value your mental health, stay the F away from Telkom.

Signed up for a new Telkom LTE contract primarily so I can have internet access at home. Devices which would use it include 3 cellphones, 2 laptops and a TV. Signed up for 600gigs at 20mbps speed. Seemed reasonable and sufficient for my needs. Gave them my address so they could confirm LTE coverage in my area, which they did.

Firstly, went there on the 28th of January limping and advising that I'm due for knee surgery on the 30th so I need this neatly wrapped up by then so I don't face issues when I'm not mobile. I played myself because we (someone else on my behalf) were only able to collect the router on the very 30th I spoke of going in for knee surgery. Secondly, the words which my cousin was told were "it's plug and play sir". Well we plugged and it did not play. Thirdly, because we aren't total clowns, we did some troubleshooting of our own before reaching out to Telkom, check if the sim card is entered correctly, move the sim to a different device and see if it worked better there, log into the router using the IP address to no avail. Thirdly, we eventually reach out to Telkom, by now it's the 31st. We were told to put the sim card in another device that would be able to receive SMSes with the configuration settings which we did. We were then told to restart the router and wait and all will be well. It wasn't. Called back on the 01st of February to be told we need to change different settings on the backend by logging into the router using the IP address. We did exactly that. It finally connected - yay us! We then started connecting devices to it only to find that despite paying for 20mbps, the speed doesn't exceed 2mbps. We call back. We're then quizzed about all the steps we already followed above then told we should await a call from the technical team within 72 hours. On the 05th of February we receive a call asking the same questions already posed and we answer them all satisfactorily, only to be told the matter will now be referred to the radio team. In the meantime, We are meant to be connecting to this WiFi for work purposes. Instead everyone in the house is buying data and using their phone as a hotspot because aside from the speed being **********, the connection itself is shaky and inconsistent. And of course as always, the radio team will call within 72 hours. On the 10th of February, we decide to take a drive to the store where we purchased the router. I'm in a wheelchair for all this but forcing matters because this is now dire. We get there and the explain everything - router in hand. The lady assisting us then removes the router from its packaging and starts trying to connect to it - which is successful and she lets us know. Well, congratulations. Pity I don't live here in the mall and I need the router to work at my house and not here. My friend asks if they can't send a technician out to the house to properly diagnose the problem so it can be resolved, otherwise we may as well cancel the contract because this is not what we signed up for. The response? Our technicians don't do house calls. If you want to cancel that's fine but I'll need an R800 penalty fee plus the remaining 24 months monthly instalment for the contract. At this point I'm livid because why would you sell me a product that doesn't deliver on what you promised but I am the one paying upwards of R15K to walk away from your broken promise? Anyway, of course the only alternative was for her to log a ticket and the technicians will check it out. I asked when we'd get feedback, she says within 24 hours. Today is the 13th of February and I just got a call from a Telkom call centre. The ma'am on the other side has the wrong address for me and I'm also confused about what's happening because why does it seem like they don't speak to each other or capture things on a system? ANYWAY! She takes me through a repeat quiz of troubleshooting the same things we did more than a week ago and I've told everyone we've already done. Then proceeds to say, okay she's going to log a ticket with a technician and I should hear back within 72 hours. The pain from my knee surgery is mild in comparison to the rage I am feeling at this point. Even moving the router around in the house had little to no effect so clearly my address is a dead spot for them or whatever the case is, but they clearly won't be able to resolve it with the current process based on the hundreds of times we've already attempted this. So clearly you don't actually have coverage in that corner, so you misrepresented yourselves and your services because I gave you the correct address. At this point, apologise, take back your router and leave me alone. Don't tell me you're going to charge me to walk away from you failing to deliver. And definitely don't refer me to yet another technician who will take 72 hours to ask me the same questions then just refer me to another one. What the actual F?!?!?!?!?!?! I am absolutely appalled. I've heard all the naysayers who said Telkom is a no no, but like a punk I thought, well how bad can it be. Well, this bad! Now I have to keep reading through my SMSes to see the different reference numbers and different dates as the only assurance that I am not imagining the entire thing, because what do you mean you'll call in 72 hours to ask me the shame **** I was asked 72 hours ago by a person who never resolved my issues then but said they'll refer it to the next one, over and over again? What do you mean the store's only option or card to play is to refer me to a technician who takes 72 hours to get back to me? What do you mean you're charging me cancellation penalties if you take back the router and cancel the contract that's not even doing what you said it would do? Does it mean anything to anyone that I am recovering from surgery and this should genuinely be the least of my worries?

Oh and please allow me to also share that you can't call the store at Tygervalley Mall because their telephone line (Telkom) has been broken since last year... If that isn't a sign on its own I don't even know what is. Shoutout to the other Telkom for having a phone that works because the role they play is to tell you the other store's number and then warn you that it's broken and been broken since last year, "but you can still try them if you want"... What a mess!