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RJ
Riana J

1 reviews | Active since Jan 2017

29 Nov 2023, 12:06

Definitely Not Recommended

I've already written a few reviews on this ISP. At long last I now managed to cancel our service, after having completed the first year. But trying to do so, became a taxing process. The only way one can contact them, is via WhatsApp or Live Chat, and in both instances one has to first deal with “Willie the Bot”. On request, I got transferred to a human agent each time, but repeatedly (after having said that I wanted to cancel our service), I was asked to hold on while I get transferred to the right department ... The first agent actually asked me lots of questions which dragged out wasted time, and after more than half an hour of messaging to and fro, eventually said that he / she couldn't help me, and that I'd need to contact the Cancellations Department (why was I not told that at the beginning?). That was the end of the chat! I'd then have to start a “new chat” and have to repeat everything again, while all I wanted to do, was to cancel the service. Repeatedly I'd be told that the agent would put me through to the right person, en then I'd wait for up to 72 minutes, with nothing happening, and "Willie" later appearring with an outomated message saying that the chat had been closed. A few times, after the human agent asked how he / she could help me, I'd say that I want to cancel the service, and then give my reasons. But then just the next question would be “Why do you want to cancel?” So clearly (most of) the agents don't read messages fully, otherwise they would not ask already-answered questions! I then came across a link on my profile, specifically for cancelling the service. I was overjoyed and clicked on it ... only to then get the message that I have to contact them via WhatsApp or Live Chat, taking me to the very same route I've already been on repeatedly! Eventually (after having tried repeatedly over several days) I was helped by an agent who actually communicated well (not sure whether perhaps he was from the Cancellations Department), and even offered to give me a private contact address in case I experienced any internet problems, but I'd already made up my mind, and he accepted it. Within only a few minutes he then helped me, and sent me the official cancellation confirmation for end of next month. The reason I waited the full year, was to prevent having to repay the router and cancellation cost. But one of the agents actually said that I'd have to pay a cancellation fee as well as the router cost (which went into the thousands!) DESPITE the fact that more than a year had passed ...! But apparently it is not correct, and it looks like I'd only have to courier the router back to them after completion of the service. It will be a great relief when all is over, because apart from lots of internet outages, trying to communicate with someone other than agents who (for the most part) appear not to know what to do, is almost impossible. Even after managing to log a request successfully (which shows on my account), my 'ticket' of almost 5 months ago is still “being processed” ...

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RJ
Riana J's update07 Mar 2024, 08:06
Reviewer Update
I'd like to add my final chapter to my VERY UNPLEASANT experience with WebAfrica. After I eventually managed to cancel our subscription with them, I was billed a cancellation fee of R999. I was outraged, because when initially I sent an enquiry about cost when I considered joining up, instead of replying by e-mail (so I could have it in black and white), the agent telephoned me and assured me that if I would stay a client for at least a year, there would be NO cancellaton cost, and the router would be mine. ONLY if I canceled the service before a year had passed, I would have to return the router and pay a cancellation fee. That's why I suffered and endured their bad service for a full year. But then they insisted that I return the router at my own cost, which I then did. When I was charged the R999 cancellation fee, I refused to pay it, BECAUSE of the information the initial agent had given me, which turned out, was FALSE. I spent hours with communication to and fro, saying that the agent represented the company and as such, had given me (either because of arrogance thinking he knew their rules, while he did not, or otherwise, willfully to get me to sign up) false information. As a company, they should waive the fee because he had given me false information. But they then (although I had cancelled their debit order at my bank) STILL deducted it automatically from my account, by just submitting a different deduction code. I then requested that they send me a copy of the telephone conversation before I initially signed up, where they would hear that I was given false information (they are supposed to keep a record of all conversations too) but I was blankly ignored, repeatedly. I spent so much time to fight for my rights, but have wasted it all for nothing. The last 'ticket' that is on record on my profile where it acutally got recorded, is still "being processed", now 8 months later ... Now I'm just putting it behind me, but one day THEY WILL have to give account for their conduct. In the bigger picture, they won't get away with it.