Telkom infinite loop

I had a Telkom 2MB ADSL line with a 10Gig cap with Telkom. I had no problems. I then tried to upgrade to a 4Mb uncapped line. I app**** and waited. I was told it would take roughly 3 weeks. I waited some more. 3 weeks came and went. I went to the Telkom store in Adderley street to inquire (had to wait about 20min to see the one peron who can help me). It turns out the order is 'stuck in the system'. They 'escalated' the query. I waited some more. Every week I went back to the store in person and repeated the scenario described above. 4 weeks. Repeat. 5 weeks Repeat 6 weeks. Repeat. 7 weeks. Repeat. On the 8th week I was told the order was cancelled. ***? I didn't cancel it. Apparently Telkom couldn't provide me with the line I wanted so the order was cancelled. I finally had enough. I contacted WebAfrica and asked to move my line over to them and get the upgrade done. WebAfrica told me I need to get Telkom to put the line in the 'holding pool'. I went back to the Adderley store and signed the papers to get this done, which was supposed to take roughly an hour. This was Friday. I log into my new account (WebAfrica) Friday night only to see that my line is 'pending'. I log a ticket asking what is going on. I get feedback that the line is not in holding (this is nowTuesday). I can barely contain my joy. I phone Telkom explaining that the line is still not in holding. The person in the Adderley shop check and sees that the request somehow got 'stuck in the system again'. At this point let me point out that things CAN'T GET STUCK IN THE SYSTEM. It is not a physical pipe where messages get clogged up until some internet plumber comes to clean it out. It means some useless person is not looking at his email and not doing his / her job. That is the only way it can get stuck in the system. Anyway... They promise to get it done. Obviously nobody phones me and I phone back a while later. I am told that the line is now in holding. I proceed to let WebAfrica know that teh line is in holding and they can process my order. I get home look at my internet only to see that the order is still pending because (according to WebAfrica tech) teh line is ...still...in...holding. I have been supremely polite throughout this whole endeavour, but I am afraid that I can't be anymore. Tomorrow I have to go back to the Adderley office and try and sort this out again. Let me just add, throughout this whole episode I did not receive any message, contact, reference or anything else from Telkom. Nothing. It is like it never happened. Shocking service and incompetence.

Richard Coetzee Cape Town