USELESS TELKOM SA!

<p>I relocated to a new home on Thursday 27 July and early July arranged with Telkom to do a line transfer and seeing that I only moved 3km from old home a line transfer was arranged (if the exhange remains the same). Telkom came on Friday 28 July to do the transfer. The technician had to install new lines and was surprised that a order was placed by the call centre for a new number as the exhange is the same and I could just transfer my line. As per the technician I was told to visit a Telkom shop to still request for my old number to be transferred and the new number be released or made spare again. In between moving I got brave and went to the Telkom shop in Clearwater mall. Explained my story and was told to stand in that que. Every now and than someone would walk to me and as me what I am here for and told me to remain in this line (including the shop supervisor). After almost 2 hours the person at the other side of the desk went into my profile and told me, sorry, cannot help you but he can go to a tablet at the front of shop and request a call back from call centre (thanks all the people who I told my story to and non, including supervisor could do that and save me an hour plus in que). After more than one call (from cell phone) and another 2 hours it was confirmed on the call centre side that the exchange is the same and they have booked an order for the back office to transfer my old number. I was told by Pumla it will take 72 hours including the weekend but at least I was satisfied to keep my old number. Monday morning I just made a call to confirm we are still on track and all is in place, just to hear nothing has been booked nor done. But NOW this consultant has placed the order and Precious will call me still today (Monday) to confirm the line transfer and appologies for all inconvenience. Tuesday, no call from Precious (surprise surprise), so I call again, hold again for 40 min just to hear there is NO order and she does not even think the transfer is possible. At this point I thought I was polite enough and patient enough and asked to speak to supervisor. Consultant ask if she can call me back as she is on another call. Not falling for that trick again I said I will wait. After bout 20min Nikiwe comes on the line (time is around 08:45). She does what they train her to do and says she will go listen to calls and look into the matter and get back to me by 12:00 (after I asked how long). SURPRISE: It is 14:30 and AGAIN am I calling the call centre to speak to Nikiwe that is now conveniently in training and am told to please try again around 16:00. Lekker to live in a monopoly country where choice is not an option when it comes to service providers. Telkom's *********** staff is going to cost me money by having to reprint business cards and all this because no one is knowing what they are doing. From the start the tecnitian should have handled the back office and cancelled the new number and requested the transfer the minute he realised it was possible because of the same exchange. Oh, I almost forgot, while I was unpacking boxes I even had to drill the whole through the wall for the technician. Wonder if I can send them an invoice for my time and labour.</p>