Putrid Telkom service

8 March 2019

Dear Sir Madam

Re: Disgusting service provided by TELKOM.

I Ashley Carelse, am the principal of Acacia Park Primary School, situated in the Parliementarian Village of Acacia Park Goodwood. Even though we are located inside the Parliamentarian Village, we do fall under WCED.

Telkom has been our Service Provider for many years and our Land Line telephone has always been connected via cable. About a week ago Telkom sends out a person who without consultation or discussion, drops a wireless device at our school and tells our secretary that the Land Line telephone is no longer functional, but instead, the school will have to use the wireless telephone.

The message was then relayed to me and I could not understand that in the past there was an extension from the secretary’s office to mine and now we have to make do with only the one device.

I immediately contacted Telkom to lodge my complaint and as in the past I get referred from one department to the other. After a very long wait I managed to speak to someone. My question was,” Why are you so unprofessional to drop a wireless device at our school and we are simply told that the Land Line is no longer functional?”

Not even an apology from his side. He tells me that the Land Line has been disconnected because we are located in a high risk area. This is all due to cable theft. I was astonished, since our school is in one of the safest areas. There are police at the entrance, who also patrol the area daily, and also surveillance cameras everywhere. I have been at this school since 2013 and not a single burglary was experienced.

What boggled my mind even more is the fact that the Public Works offices about 200m from the school and the police offices a further 100m away still had the normal Land Lines. He had no answer for that, but stuck to his words that it is a high risk area. I told him that there are many houses where parliamentarians live and they are not affected. He had no answer for that, but stuck to his words that it is a high risk area

My next question was, “can an extension be installed?” and he immediately said no, but if I so wished to have a second device, then I can purchase one, but the number will not be the same. After a long deliberation and no solution, I told him that I will have to speak to someone more senior.

I got the e-mail address from the gentleman and on the 27 February 2019, via e-mail I contacted Telkom stating my discontent. Shocking, up until today, I have received no reply.

Today, the 8 March 2019, we discover that the telephone is out of order. Once again, I contacted them, asking that they please send someone to come and see what the problem is. I am told that technicians are not sent if it is a problem with any wireless device, but instead I am told to take the telephone to one of the branches. I am also told that I can, if I so wished, remove the sim card and place it in another phone to check if it is faulty.

This is a school, an institution and it is impossible to function without a telephone. I have not got the time to contact the department and inform them that I am on my way to a Telkom branch to sort out a concern with a telephone device. Secondly, it is highly probable that I will be waiting for a very long time before being attended to.

Parents or even the department could want to make contact with me for various important matters and here I am waiting for Telkom to sort out the problem.

After calling Telkom for the umpteenth time and emphasizing the situation I am faced with, I was promised by a gentleman ‘Bongani” that he would inquire and get back to me. However, he did get back to me and as expected, the same old things were repeated.

I have never in my whole life experienced such putrid service. My appeal goes out to you to please assist me in trying to resolve this very serious matter.

Yours sincerely

Ashley Carelse

Principal

Acacia Park Primary