Vox takes passing the buck to a whole new level.

Summary:

I ordered uncapped fibre to my home with a UPS so that I could enjoy internet connectivity during load shedding. I chose to get this service from Vox. Both are on one quote, very specific.

They delivered a solution that does not work because the hardware they provided is incompatible – with each other! The UPS does not connect to the fibre box.

Easy solve, right? Change the UPS or change the fibre box. It is a no-brainer.

So one would think that, when I brought this to their attention at the beginning of the year, they would have resolved it by now, but no…. I've endured months of Vox passing the buck to Frogfoot and Frogfoot passing it right back. And I'm the buck - not fun at all.

I received a quote for a service which I accepted. Vox has taken my money, month after month and done nothing about the fact that I am paying for a service that does not work during load shedding!

Detail:

I have been both a corporate and individual customer of Vox and have always thought highly of their service. This was until I had fibre installed at my home in January 2022.

I ordered uncapped fibre and the installation partner they assigned was Frogfoot. As part of the same original quote, I ordered a UPS to assist with connectivity during load shedding. All was fine until load shedding started and we realised that the UPS is incompatible with the fibre box installed by Frogfoot.

I immediately called the sales specialist that I had dealt with to report the problem and he logged the query with the technical department.

From then, what followed was a pass-the-buck exercise of Olympic proportions as Vox passed me to Frogfoot who then passed me back to Vox who passed me back to Frogfoot and it continued for the entire year.

I am so happy that “all calls are recorded” because this will prove the events that occurred.

1. I accepted the quote and within days, I received my Vox branded UPS. 2. About a week or two later, Frogfoot arrived to install my fibre. 3. When load shedding happened, I realised that the UPS is incompatible, and I called Vox to report it. They passed me on to Frogfoot. 4. When I spoke to Frogfoot they were adamant that I must deal with my service provider who is Vox and that they don’t deal with customers directly. 5. I tried to get this resolved with Vox but again I was handed over to Frogfoot. 6. Eventually I managed to speak to someone at Frogfoot who looked up the quote and confirmed that when Vox sent the order for the installation, they specified the fibre box (Calix 812) and that, if they need to replace the box, Vox will need to send them a new order. 7. I have had Frogfoot fibre in the past with MWEB (prior to Vox) and I had a more modern fibre box, so I know that this is not the only box available through Frogfoot. 8. The Calix 812 has a port that is outdated and incompatible with all modern home-based UPS devices. 9. This meant that Vox, requested hardware that was incompatible with their own UPS that they had already delivered to my home. 10. The options were clear. I needed a new fibre box or a compatible UPS. 11. For months, I continued to call Vox and Frogfoot to get this matter resolved. 12. In October, Vox told me that they could not give me a different UPS because this is the only one that they use. I could not believe it!! Surely, if this is their only UPS, they would only request compatible hardware from their suppliers. 13. In the meantime, I had to find a solution. However, due to the old, outdated port on the Calix 812 – it was difficult to find a UPS that is compatible. I eventually purchased a UPS to the value of R1 500. This UPS is an older model and only lasts for 30 minutes during load shedding. So, I continued to call Vox and Frogfoot to chase up on my problem. 14. In the months that followed, I had to explain the situation to people over and over and over again and got transferred from Vox to Frogfoot and back. Every time someone told me that they would call me back, they did not. I would be patient and wait, then call back again. 15. In December, I had just had enough. I called to follow up and was told by Vox that my issue had been “closed” so they were not doing anything about it. This is when I decided to email the CEO. 16. A lovely woman named Enid called me back and I told her the story again. Today, she told me that she has “good news and bad news” for me. a. The bad news is that the “product manager” refuses to order a new fibre box for me at no charge (even though Vox requested this box in the beginning) and I will have to pay for “a whole new installation” which would cost me around R1 700. b. The good news is that Vox is prepared to refund me the R75 paid for the UPS every month since January. c. And…. My problem is still not solved.

So, my view on Vox’s customer service ethic is as follows:

This company is happy to deliver incompatible hardware and then make it the customer’s problem when it does not work. Rather than owning up to the fact that somewhere, in the beginning, an error was made.

I am their customer, and I have paid for a service every month without fail that is meant to be consumed using hardware that they delivered. The hardware they delivered is incompatible with each other and has not worked since inception.

• So, they are happy to bill me month after month for a UPS they KNOW is incompatible. • And guess what? In January I will be paying MORE for their service. So, they are happy for me to continue for another year paying for incompatible hardware. It is diabolical!

This makes me wonder how many other consumers are experiencing the same issues.