Poll on Telkom Website about the 4GB package [Archive]

View Full Version : Poll on Telkom Website about the 4GB package

MaD

14-06-2004, 10:00 PM

"As a TelkomInternet powered by ADSL user, would you upgrade to the ADSL 4GB unshaped service"

http://www.adslspeedfreak.net/index.jsp
On the right, second block down...

Go cast your vote... so far most people have said no, not facking surprisingly [:D] A downgrade of note...

Where others have progress, we have Telkom.
Hellkom website - http://telkomsucks.0catch.com

Perdition

14-06-2004, 10:47 PM

I would not trust a poll on Telkom's site. There are far too many "Yes" votes there so either the public is absolutely retarded or Telkom is skewing the results.

mbs

15-06-2004, 12:54 AM

/me wonders what the purpose of the bloody poll is - don't they do market and product research BEFORE launching a product? What a bunch of morons!

dorris

15-06-2004, 02:37 AM

/me smells rotten fish everywhere!
MBS, you got a very valid point, maybe something isn't right, but what could it be?

Maybe the fact that they were contacted today about a debate on live radio, contesting their service, maybe the hearing RPM is organizing.
my opinion, they get contacted about debate, so know telkrap needs some backup.
Steve says, lets post a completely "independant" poll on OUR site, rig the votes, and show the world what a great company we are, allowing for all our consumers needs!
PR responds : that would be totally unfair, and we might get caught, lets rather word it in a biased way, something like
"As a TelkomInternet powered by ADSL user, would you upgrade to the ADSL 4GB unshaped service?"
instead of
"As a TelkomInternet powered by ADSL user, would you upgrade to the ADSL 4GB unshaped service for a small upgrade fee of R700 p/m over your existing +R900 p/m?"

THIS POLL IS RIGGED BY THE WORDING, most people that end up in the site, don't know of the prices and full details, the unsuspecting folk that don't prowl these forums, only see telkom offering a less anal service, with a higher CAP, why would anyone ever think TELKOM were out to rip them off

BTTB

15-06-2004, 07:26 AM

[:D] LOL and you cant vote twice. Damn.

I’m glad Telkom put up this poll. Now we can see they are able to view public opinion on their website. One could easily assume that most ADSL users should know how to access a website and vote on a poll. Now Telkom should go further and put up more polls about their products like ADSL.
Instead of spending money on Markinor Surveys rather put up a page of online questions. It would be cheaper for Telkom and wouldn't inconvenience end users plus they could give more thoughtful and hopefully valid input about ADSL. Something that Telkom can read and take in.
The page could like this> Are you happy about the ADSL offerings in SA? Answer. Yes, or No. If No then please answer the following questions so we can be of excellent service to you. Bla Bla Bla

<hr noshade size="1">You can take Telkom out of the Post Office but you can't take the Post Office out of Telkom.

Myrrdin

15-06-2004, 07:46 AM

Just walked around the office and voted from every machine.
Oops maybe I shouldn't say that. [:D]

Of course I don't look busy.....I did it right the first time.

antowan

15-06-2004, 08:27 AM

Here is a quick anagram for us likeminded people.

"Elk mush stock"

Enjoy!

Antowan

He who does not understand the value of war at the right time, cannot comprehend the value of life at any time - Anonymous

BTTB

15-06-2004, 09:43 AM

RPM, should take this statement back to Steven White, the one of their polling booth,
"This poll is not scientific and reflects the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate. The results cannot be assumed to represent the opinions of Internet users in general, nor the public as a whole." and tell him very nicely that the same principle applies to the Markinor Survey that he always refers to.

Also the poll is incomplete as it should read, Yes or No and if No should have options like, pricing; i don’t need it; I don’t play games; none of the above etc.

<hr noshade size="1">You can take Telkom out of the Post Office but you can't take the Post Office out of Telkom.

Scandium

15-06-2004, 10:30 AM

Just check in your document and settings\username\cookies directory and look for this file:

yourusername@www.adslspeedfreak[x].txt

something similar to that, delete it, close your IE or whichever browser you use, open it goto that url and voila you can vote until sanity starts slipping away, not a very accurate poll, but we already knew that :)

Okay, but on a more realistic note, why do they even bother to find out what we think? It's not like it matters... does it?

"Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away
if your car could go straight upwards."
--Sir Fred Hoyle

Myrrdin

15-06-2004, 11:05 AM

AAAAHHHH Noooooooo, you've just gone and given the game away Scandium. Telkom might now realise that the users of ADSL is more intelligent than what they think. [:D]

Sorry, got confused, it is telkom after all. They wouldn't notice. [}:)]

Reminds me of the joke.

Two telkom employees walk into a building.......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
You would've expected at least one of them to see it.

Of course I don't look busy.....I did it right the first time.

dikbek

16-06-2004, 12:58 PM

And then block cookies for www.telkom.co.za [:D]

Karnaugh

16-06-2004, 01:42 PM

Thats just going to spoil the poll, why not want it to be honest?

- Colin Alston
colin at alston dot za dot org

"Getting traffic shaping right is easy and can be summed up in one word: Dont." -- George Barnett

BTTB

16-06-2004, 02:55 PM

I agree with Karnaugh on this point. I actually would like the poll to be accurate. It's a good indication of the bigger ADSL picture aswell.

<hr noshade size="1">You can take Telkom out of the Post Office but you can't take the Post Office out of Telkom.

onionpeel

16-06-2004, 04:48 PM

I think it's too late for that...
Besides, have Telkom been honest with us?

BTTB

16-06-2004, 05:03 PM

Telkom be honest. They ignore us. Silence in many ways can be an admission of guilt.

<hr noshade size="1">You can take Telkom out of the Post Office but you can't take the Post Office out of Telkom.

Karnaugh

16-06-2004, 09:36 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by onionpeel
 I think it's too late for that...
Besides, have Telkom been honest with us?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Does that mean we must stoop to their level and void our crediblitiy?

- Colin Alston
colin at alston dot za dot org

"Getting traffic shaping right is easy and can be summed up in one word: Dont." -- George Barnett

Tharaxis

16-06-2004, 11:00 PM

In their eyes we already have no credibility, no matter how many times we end up in the news, Telkom merely comes back, painting us as a minority of complaints and and cites abuse, etc. as reasons for not providing a better service (implying that those that want high bandwidth are likely to use it for abusing their service).

Sorry, but to Telkom we are nothing but a nuisance.

dorris

17-06-2004, 01:16 AM

Bwahahahaaaahahaaa
So, Telkoms poll was released right on time, its going to make for absolut aural pleasure when that radio station puts RPM and stevie on the same discussion!!

Yes (6%) 139 Votes
No (93%) 2011 Votes
Total number of votes 2150 Votes

on second thoughts, this holds ground for Telkom whichever way you look at it, if majority says yes, then Telkom are offering a great new service, BUT,
looking at the current stats, it almost seems like there are only 5% of users unhappy with the current service, and willing to move over :(

rsachoc

17-06-2004, 08:41 AM

Hehe

Has anyone else noticed that Telkom cannot code web pages properly?

Yes (6%) 140 votes
No (93%) 2014 votes

Where did the 1% of the votes go?

lol

caroper

17-06-2004, 09:55 AM

into someones back pocket no doubt, like 1% of everything else.

MaD

17-06-2004, 11:55 AM

it's a manual quote
they have some dude they paying R500 to who sits there and re-does the webpage in realtime

Where others have progress, we have Telkom.
Hellkom website - http://telkomsucks.0catch.com

Scandium

17-06-2004, 12:13 PM

Don't get me wrong, I am all for credibility but in this case where the poll has no real significance and started off inaccurate (I don't believe that 141 people could have possibly said yes), I could not help but to find some kind of an exploit. I might sound creepy but the poll looks more accurate now than it has ever been :)

Perhaps we should fight back with Telkom tactics, I mean look at Markinor and their fancy "Always in your favor number generator™" auditing software that somehow always manages to produce results that indicate that 88% of ADSL users are satisfied with their service.

It's like Tharaxis said, we are nothing more than a nuisance, Telkom simply does not care.

I am however sorry for voiding the accuracy of the poll BTTB, Karnaugh, I would perhaps suggest running a more secure/accurate private poll for data that would be of interest, even though it would still have no impact on how Telkom does things.

"Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away
if your car could go straight upwards."
--Sir Fred Hoyle

Andre

17-06-2004, 12:18 PM

Don't feel bad about it. Stevie probably voted 141 times anyway.[:D]

BTTB

17-06-2004, 12:31 PM

The only possible way to have an accurate poll would be to send every ADSL user in South Africa the same questionnaire by post and ask for their response to say 20 odd questions. Of course the questions would have to be discussed first.
But I agree, Telkom couldn't care less about us, that is very apparent by their silence, but hang on, could silence be an admission of guilt perhaps. Or are we not worth worrying about and they couldn’t give us the time of day. It is apparently their Corporate Policy not to discuss problems on a open forum. Well that’s their first mistake IMO. All around the globe, manufacturers of PC Parts have online forums discussing issues pertinent to their products. I mean aren't we in the digital age and all these things are now possible, so why not exploit it.
I often visit forums where people discuss their PC problems. These forums are supported by paid employees of the Company in question. Like an online help line. These companies command my respect and will get my business.
In Telkom’s case it's just easier to avoid the problems and hopefully they will go away. Besides why worry, they making lots of money anyway. They are going to pay for their arrogance still.

<hr noshade size="1">You can take Telkom out of the Post Office but you can't take the Post Office out of Telkom.

rpm

17-06-2004, 02:04 PM

Hi guys

It is interesting to note that the Telkom poll gave very similar results to the MyADSL poll (in fact, it is more negative). This gives even more credibility to our previous polls…

I can tell you that Telkom definitely does not like the current media attention its ADSL service received. Although we hear very little from them, they are fully aware of these discussions. Your words are definitely not wasted…

Regards,

RPM
rpm@myadsl.co.za

TheRoDent

17-06-2004, 04:33 PM

How many of you ever received an official "Markinor" poll to guage your satisfaction? Yet, this is the poll the Steven White continually refers to when the ICASA complaint is mentioned.

I wonder how many people they polled? 10? 20? Then extrapolated the results as being "authoritive?"

<center><h6> MyWireless <s>Hacks</s> Tweaks & Tech Info (http://rodent.za.net/MyWireless) || Have you checked the fawking FAQ? (http://rodent.za.net/MyWireless) Tired of bad Service? Want to compare speeds? We at least listen... (http://mywirelesssucks.co.za)</h6></center>

Andre

17-06-2004, 06:27 PM

I was contacted twice.

caroper

17-06-2004, 07:22 PM

Same here.

MaD

17-06-2004, 07:51 PM

Most likely they spoke tp the housewives and secretaries who are oblivious as to what DSL is.

*****
*ring ring*
hello?
hello, I am calling from a company called Markinor. Are you the secretary?
yes
great, can i ask you a couple of questions about your internet connection?
yes, sure i'm not too busy right now
are you happy with the speed?
yes, my e-mails come in very fast, especially the jokes
what do you think of the 3GB cap?
i've never seen a 3GB cap, i usually don't wear caps though
excellent *puts tick next to 'customer happy with cap'*
are you happy with the price?
well, i don't pay for it but i'm sure it can't be too much, internet is cheap overseas
great *puts tick next to 'customer happy with price'*
do you think we need to improve our service in any way?
umm, no... i get my e-mail from here because i don't have a computer at home, it's great
brilliant *puts tick next to 'customer happy with level of service'*
thank you for your time and patience, have a nice day
thanks, i'm just glad i can check my e-mail... bye!
*****

Where others have progress, we have Telkom.
Hellkom website - http://telkomsucks.0catch.com

VQuest

18-06-2004, 01:58 AM

LOL @ Mad

I wasn't contacted by Markinor. I really wish I had been.

----------------
United we stand!
----------------

lewstherin

18-06-2004, 09:08 AM

Has anyone noticed that any kind of poll that Telkom is involved in never gives you the option to slag what they're polling?
I mean the 4GB poll is a lose/lose situtation. If the poll is overwhelming negative, then Telkom can say everyone prefers the 3GB option. If the poll is positive, then Telkom can say they have responded to the market. No Telkom poll has ever given options like "Hideously overpriced", "Extremely dissatisfied", "Very poor" etc - the polls are all designed to give a rosy picture of Telkom no matter what you vote...

I bet the Markinor survey had questions like:
1. How would you rate Telkom's ADSL product?
a) Excellent
b) Good
c) Acceptable

[}:)]

Telkom needs a leash, ICASA needs some guts, and the SA consumer needs to make it happen

Andre

18-06-2004, 10:06 AM

If I recall correctly the poll was based around questions like how would you rate the service on a scale of 1 to 5 and so on.

lewstherin

18-06-2004, 11:29 AM

...with 1 being brilliant and 5 being excellent [;)]

Telkom needs a leash, ICASA needs some guts, and the SA consumer needs to make it happen

Andre

18-06-2004, 02:05 PM

You're just jealous they didn't phone you.[:D]

Although a number of the questions were slanted, the operator seemed to take the time to write down what I had to say when my answer was "none of the above".

They even called back later to go over some points in more detail.

alex

19-06-2004, 09:39 AM

thank god that poll is going well only 7% is saying yes thoe i wouldnt be surprozed if they flip the results over . and make it look like 7 % wouldnt buy it and the rest would . thoe if u wana vote again all u do is clear your cookies , and reconect with anothere account to change ur ip find anothere methode to change ur IP that should work and if thoes methodes dont work they good

BTTB

19-06-2004, 10:28 AM

Or misinterpret it by saying that surely then all the 3 gig customers are happy, instead of the bigger picture that people are dissatisfied with the whole ADSL story and this poll clearly states another picture that Telkom are avoiding.

<hr noshade size="1">You can take Telkom out of the Post Office but you can't take the Post Office out of Telkom.

MaD

19-06-2004, 10:51 AM

Never thought of it that way
After all, they are the masters of intricated wording, like that public holiday we all thought infinitcall applied, but didn't
They prolly gonna use it to turn around and say "Hey ICASA, look, no-one wants to upgrade, clearly they don't need anything better than the crud we're offering at the moment".

Where others have progress, we have Telkom.
Hellkom website - http://telkomsucks.0catch.com

onionpeel

19-06-2004, 12:00 PM

Alex, it's a few notches down from 7%. Are you looking at the right poll or website?

BTTB

20-06-2004, 09:50 AM

Goodness Gracious, look at the poll now. 5000 votes is 25% of the whole ADSL public, considering we can believe Telkom if they say their is over 20 000 ADSL users in SA.

Perhaps RPM could make our own poll. I'm sure if we had reasons for the resounding No Vote, it would be a more sensible poll.
In my opinion, the whole ADSL product is way too expensive. Only a few "rich" boys and business people can afford these prices.

Date : 2004-06-04
As a TelkomInternet powered by ADSL user, would you upgrade to the ADSL 4GB unshaped service?
Yes (3%) 177 Votes
No (96%) 4685 Votes
Total number of votes 4862 Votes

To apply online for certain Telkom products click here.

Click here for further information here

This poll is not scientific and reflects the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate. The results cannot be assumed to represent the opinions of Internet users in general, nor the public as a whole.

<hr noshade size="1">You can take Telkom out of the Post Office but you can't take the Post Office out of Telkom.

MaD

20-06-2004, 10:22 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by BTTB
 This poll is not scientific and reflects the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate. The results cannot be assumed to represent the opinions of Internet users in general, nor the public as a whole.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
So then WTF is the point? I'm pretty darn sure their Markinor survey wasn't scientific either.

Where others have progress, we have Telkom.
Hellkom website - http://telkomsucks.0catch.com

newbee

21-06-2004, 10:59 AM

I think Telkom will at the end of the day say that the poll doesn't count and has been minipulated by the disgrunteled minority ADSL users that reside on MyADSL. They can even go as far as to show the "public" this forum, especialy this thread and say "Look how this minority users minupulated our poll, they even tell each other how to vote more than once."

I may not be a pro-active member of this forum, but until I saw this thread I had great respect for most of the people here. Now i see that some of the people in here are prepared to stoop as low as Telkom. Doesn't seem right as the credibility of MyADSL will surely be in question now, even with ICASA.

Regards

Scandium

21-06-2004, 01:41 PM

Hey newbee, im sorry that it appears this way, but to me, a poll which can be so easily manipulated is not at all credible and can not be used to make any form of marketing decisions hence why I went forth with my initial post.

Most recent results:

Yes ( 3%) 187 Votes
No (96%) 5173 Votes
Total number of votes 5360 Votes

P.S: Good work to those who assisted in the manipulation. [:D]

Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away
if your car could go straight upwards."
--Sir Fred Hoyle

BTTB

21-06-2004, 02:09 PM

With all due respect to The Markinor People and their Survey that White always likes to quote. It is hopelessly outdated now, due to the fact their are 611% more ADSL customers by Telkom’s own admission. Nobody can tell me that their survey is accurate anymore. Besides Telkom wouldn't release the results of the survey or give anyone a copy of the questions. This in itself is suspicious.
If ICASA had to take on an Independent Survey of ADSL users in SA, we might find a survey that might reflect the truth.
No way can Telkom be trusted. They have proven to all in South Africa that taking our money and bragging about how much profits you are making before parliament is an in depth reflection of the Company as a whole that it is inconsiderate to the needs of the people of SA and has only it's shareholders monetary interests at heart. They are a mockery of the word "free enterprise" and the state should bow it’s head down in shame.

<hr noshade size="1">You can take Telkom out of the Post Office but you can't take the Post Office out of Telkom.

newbee

21-06-2004, 03:16 PM

Hi Scandium

I am sorry if I have offended anyone. It was not my intention. I agree with you that this poll is not credible due to the fact that it can easily be manipulated, but that doesnt mean that users should exploit this. If you read through this thread it sounds like some users have actualy exploitet this and that doesn't project a professional and honest image that the MyADSL people have build so far. Remember, it can take years to build a relationship and only seconds to destroy it.

I am one of those people that are happy with my ADSL versus the various other internet connectivity options that are available out there. I agree that Telkom is charging to much and care to much for its profits. I agree that the offerings are below standard and are not doing good for the economy. I agree that the 3GB cap is no good and it frustrates me a lot and I will at all times stand by the people who fight the fight to get it sorted out. I agree, Telkom needs some kick in the behind.

BUT, I still like and enjoy my ADSL concidering all the other setbacks and I have on many occasions told my friends to get it. Some of them have, 1 of them even got the 4GB cap offering. Does this make him retarded (as previously stated in this thread)? I dont think so.

Scandium

21-06-2004, 04:55 PM

Hey newbee,

I understand what your saying and yes this whole thread may have come across as unprofessional. I, being a disgruntled victim of Telkom really don't care anymore, heck if I could find a Telkom office to burn down that would actually make a difference I would (Disclaimer: The I R will not burn down any Telkom property).

Your friend is not a retard but was slightly misinformed. If he had gone to adslspeedfreak website today and saw that 5000 people voted no for the 4GB package on the poll he would have more than likely reconsidered and saved himself alot of cash. This theory would apply to anyone that stumbles upon it and in turn maybe something good has come out of this.

Personally I would like to see this 4GB offering done away with, I unfortunately don't carry the "Wow! A new ADSL package! Thank you Telkom!" view as this products sole purpose is to ensure that Telkom tripples their profits by next year this is apparent by its lack of functionality and extortionate pricing.

I would suggest they:

a) make it affordable (~R300-400pm)
b) make it work as advertised. (Mr White's theory of it being suitable for gamers is flawed)
c) still allow internet access after exceeding the measly 4GB cap.

But hey, easier said than done right... Anyhow, my work here is done ;p

Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away
if your car could go straight upwards."
--Sir Fred Hoyle

MaD

21-06-2004, 08:45 PM

Yup there's a whole whack of things they need to do for ADSL to reach 300,000 (as Steve White said he wants it to). It's a mature technology which offers great advantages, especially WRT speed and cost of implementation. It's a pity though that it's only being used at a fraction of what it is capable of. Until things change, the people that either use the service or want/need it and are computer & internet literate, will be unhappy.

There is a massive amount of people in this country who want ADSL - but they know it's a raw deal so they're not going for it, and I can assure Mr White they are not the minority. The people who would get ADSL know what it is, and seeing as it's been used since 1996 in the States, it's become more widespread than Telkom would want most people to know.

For want of a better description, it's a crippled product. Not broken, just crippled.

Any which way, I only voted once. But we all still agree that the 4GB offering is another crippling mechanism.

Where others have progress, we have Telkom.
Hellkom website - www.hellkom.co.za

BTTB

21-06-2004, 08:48 PM

Hello Scandium and Newbee,

I can understand both your viewpoints. I however would have preferred the Poll to be as accurate as can be. If the 5000 odd No votes are any reflection on my "Anti" feeling about Telkom in our country, then it would be more than accurate. I like so many others in this country have seen through all the bull**** that large corporations like Telkom care to shove down our throats. We are merely exercising our democratic right to stand up to this abomination. If someone acted out his voting in a less than accurate way, it was more so done out of jest than malice. Like our small placard waving to the crowds echoing our sentiments.
The fact is, this poll is pointing at a bigger picture of dissatisfaction of the whole Telkom Product Range and their monopolistic prices and pathetic service.
If truth be told in SA like it should then we as the so called "rich" or business consumers are feeding Telkom's earning and are partly to blame for the mess we are in. If the likes of ADSL users had simply told Telkom to shove the product from the word go, it would have been a complete different story IMO. Telkom would of been sitting with exchanges full of equipment and no support base and hence no ROI. Now by supporting them in using their products and paying their hefty accounts we have aided the cycle. The rest of the country and especially schools will have to wait several more years for the internet to be available in every school in SA. This is one the single most ignorant actions this government has ever made. A tool that could enhance everyone’s quality of education is merely sitting their doing nothing so that a few shareholders can earn their dividends. And the state being the main shareholders is the main culprit.

That’s why I tell Telkom now, they can go back to the drawing board and rather tell us the truth, that their infrastructure in SA can't handle the throughput of thousands of people accessing the internet at the measly 512kb that we have as Telkom would need to upgrade its network first. And although International Bandwidth forms part of the costs of any internet connection, they have grossly overstated its actual cost to the SA Consumer and the problems lie within SA and not overseas.

Update: Upon reading the article I have posted in the News Section, their is some good news for schools as far as internet costs go. I however would have prefered that schools get free internet access and not just half price. This would have a real spin off as every school would acquire more PC's to be able to explore the internet. http://www.myadsl.co.za/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3520
Pity that it had to come from the Minister. I suppose Telkom will advertise that they had something to do with it. Nevertheless a step in the right direction.[:)]

<hr noshade size="1">You can take Telkom out of the Post Office but you can't take the Post Office out of Telkom.