Telkom Fails Every Time!!!

For close to 4 years I have been trying to resolve an incorrect bill from Telkom. I have called so many times, when I can actually get through to their lines. Raised escalation after escalation, only to receive messages saying it has been resolved but then getting calls from debt collectors. I am beyond livid and am so sick and tired of the pathetic service from Telkom.

More details: My boyfriend and I relocated from Cape Town, where we had a fixed ADSL line with Telkom, to JHB. We obviously cancelled our line when we were relocating and once we arrived in JHB, we wanted to get a new line installed. Talking to Telkom when we arrived, they informed us that we could not get a new line on my boyfriend’s name as the account in Cape Town, although cancelled, was still active. The Telkom representative suggested we put the line on my boyfriend’s name and the ADSL Data plan on my name, it would be two separate account numbers but the accounts would be linked to form one account. I clearly remember asking this guy whether this was going to pose any issues in the future with billing and his words were “Not at all, everything will be linked so it won’t create any issues” - how I wish I had of trusted my instinct and not gone ahead with this.

Fast forward a year later, for weeks, going on a month and a half, we had no connection. After weeks of phoning Telkom regarding this issue, we were informed that we would be credited on our accounts due to their being no service. Not long after this, we decided to purchase a house in a different area. We tried to apply for a bond but due to Telkom not applying the credits on our accounts, the banks did not want to give us a bond because they said we had not paid Telkom. My boyfriend took to Twitter after a hundreds of phone calls to rectify this without receiving any joy. The response on Twitter was that they would escalate it - their standard response to EVERYTHING! - eventually Telkom app**** the credits and we thought we were good. The sale of the house goes through and now we need to move our line with Telkom to the new property. After making this request with Telkom, we were informed that they did not have any ADSL lines in our area and therefore could not move our line to our new house and that we would have to cancel our line with them. We then proceeded to cancel the line - remember here that the line and ADSL data plan are supposed to be linked accounts and therefore when one is cancelled, the other should be cancelled too. In saying this, we did ask them if both accounts had been cancelled and they said yes.

We moved to our new house in April of 2018. Towards the end of 2018, we notice that we are still receiving bills from Telkom, charging me for a data plan linked to a fixed ADSL Line that was cancelled. In January 2019, after another series of phone calls to rectify the situation without getting any joy, my boyfriend took to Twitter to resolve this again. He gave them all the details and it was “escalated” to be resolved once again. Also, I want to mention too, that on these bills, we were also NOT CREDITED for the period that Telkom could not provide us with a service due to a fault on their end, even though the linked account was credited!!!

Months later, after this matter was escalated and supposed to have been resolved, we received another bill. I then call Telkom to find out what the hell is going on, and they inform me that the bill is in fact, not resolved and is still outstanding. After giving them the whole long story, they then give me a reference number, open an investigation and escalate it AGAIN!!! This again, in case you haven’t guessed, DOES NOT GET RESOLVED!!

This happens again, and again. Multiple phone calls, thousands of rands spent on hold, and time wasted for no outcome at all!! Now we are here in 2022, I have sent collectors threatening to blacklist me and phoning me multiple times a day, and ofcourse won’t listen to my story about Telkom being an absolute abomination of a company. I called once again, after trying to get through for a week, and not being able to even get a ring from the other end of the phone. I was promised that this would in fact, be resolved and rectified and that the debt collectors would be informed. I was given a reference number and told that within 48 working hours, I would receive an sms stating whether my issue had been resolved. This did happen, and I received an sms stating that a credit had been passed and that my issue had been resolved. But can you maybe guess what comes next? I received emails and calls and SMS’s from the debt collector saying I still owe Telkom money!!!! So off I go, to try and call Telkom. Two weeks of trying and I am yet to get through on their number. Hundreds of attempts, hours of my time wasted, and to do what?!?! Tell them the same thing, I’ve told them a hundred times.

I don’t know how a company like this is still in business!!!!

After not being able to reach them and not knowing how else to rectify this - going in store does not help, they will not deal with account queries - I am coming to Hello Peter, not only to beg people not to support this ridiculous excuse of an establishment, but also to hopefully get someone who works at Telkom to call me and sort this out!!!!