View Full Version : WebAfrica Woes
AntiThesis
23-03-2006, 09:03 AM
<rant>
I decided (in my infinite wisdom) to give WebAfrica a go for my February Internet needs. Service was great and fast and I had my username etc.
The problem came in when I tried to stop using them. I made sure I was on a month-to-month thing and that my usage would stop at the end of February. WebAfrica assured me that there would be no problem and that everything was taken care of.
Bollocks. I got charged R200 for their services AGAIN. Further emailing to find out what the hell happened has led to them coming up with such gems as:
"Terribly sorry about that , i have rectified your account on our side here..." (clearly not since I have been charged)
and "Email us next week".
Now that I've re-emailed them with proof that their damned money came off my account, they've gone all silent on me. Yay. I feel like such a treasured customer.
0/10 for WebAfrica.
</rant>
ToAsTeD
23-03-2006, 09:30 AM
This is a first, we arent normally hearing these sorta comments about WebAfrica.. Im sure they'll clear it up, and refund you for that payment..
I had nothing but positive experiences with WA but I can understand why you're so angry. It's a big thing to trust an ISP with a debit order or your credit card, and when they mess with that, accident or not, its unforgivable.
.geek
23-03-2006, 09:47 AM
Yeah, also only had positive experiences with them. Pity about this mistake..
ToAsTeD
23-03-2006, 09:52 AM
Likewise, been with them for over a year, and neva had any negative experiences! Unfortunately sometimes these things do tend to happen, lets see what their response is?
andres101
23-03-2006, 09:55 AM
I had nothing but positive experiences with WA but I can understand why you're so angry. It's a big thing to trust an ISP with a debit order or your credit card, and when they mess with that, accident or not, its unforgivable.
Nahh, not really. you can always reverse the transaction if it came off your credit card. doesn't cost you a cent! phone the bank up and tell them to reverse!
AntiThesis
23-03-2006, 10:06 AM
Yar but this is a debit so no reversal. Aah well. I'll wait and see if/when they get back to me. As I say, the service was excellent and very fast. The only problem came with trying to get off their system.
.geek
23-03-2006, 10:12 AM
What was your reason for cancelling if I may ask?
AntiThesis
23-03-2006, 01:39 PM
Simply that they were more expensive than others .geek. I felt that the difference in price was not justified by any of the extras.
mmm... perhaps I should change my sig to say "Do not leave web africa" :D
warichard
23-03-2006, 02:18 PM
Hi Antithesis, can you please pm me your client code and I'll take a look at what's up on our side and why things went awry.
waroop
23-03-2006, 02:28 PM
Hi Antithesis,
I just sent you a response via email. (Managed to track your account down from the line of text you pasted from the email/ticket :))
In the spirit of being open and "clearing the air" I would like to briefly outline my private response:
Firstly once again, our most sincere apologies for any inconvenience this has caused you.
The response from Jason was not sent from our intranet system I believe as we were experiencing some temporary issues with our intranet's server yesterday which may have effected the intranets ability to relay via SMTP.
Matthew as I understand it has actioned the refund via EFT already and it should reflect to your account shortly.
In addition we would like to offer you one months free 3gb adsl service as a token of our concern for the whole situation.
I will follow this up with a call shortly to ensure everything is resolved.
Gothan
23-03-2006, 02:35 PM
[QUOTE=waroop]
In addition we would like to offer you one months free 3gb adsl service as a token of our concern for the whole situation.
QUOTE]
Uhm, I am not a customer of webafrica, but I feel if I were, you would have been rude to me, so uhm....I feel I need a month free adsl also as compensation....what do you say huh
waroop
23-03-2006, 02:39 PM
In addition we would like to offer you one months free 3gb adsl service as a token of our concern for the whole situation.
Uhm, I am not a customer of webafrica, but I feel if I were, you would have been rude to me, so uhm....I feel I need a month free adsl also as compensation....what do you say huh
Lol. :D
Gothan
23-03-2006, 02:46 PM
Lol. :D
So thats no free month I take it? Ooooh I can feel the rudeness from your side.
MrBEEP I think its time you give me a free month c'mon, if i didnt spam your email everyday with problems, you would have just waisted that space
AntiThesis
23-03-2006, 02:50 PM
Well, I'll certainly give credit where credit is due.
WebAfrica's response is great. After a brief lapse in communication (resulting from a problem with a mail server I understand), they've responded brilliantly and put me firmly back on their supporting side :D
Thanks for the response guys. As I said, the service has always been great, just that one issue :)
derekc
23-03-2006, 03:23 PM
Was considering going on to Web Africa but looks like i will in May...once Telkom fixes my damn line...
Well done WA for good service. Always heard from ppl of your excellent service.
kilo39
23-03-2006, 03:25 PM
Debit Orders are a real pain - correct procedure is to write a letter to your bank telling them to cancel the order - then there is no problem... order comes in - refused by bank - end of story.
Hi Antithesis,
I just sent you a response via email. (Managed to track your account down from the line of text you pasted from the email/ticket :))
In the spirit of being open and "clearing the air" I would like to briefly outline my private response:
I will follow this up with a call shortly to ensure everything is resolved.
Web Africa's service was always great when I dealt with them last year. Jason in particular is an excelent individual. Only reason I left was because of the 30Gig account which as we know Telkom stole and then I cancelled ADSL all together. Now I am back on ADSL only for sake of 24/7 connection and I am with Telkom simply out of convenience of the telephone bill. Do not want stop orders; too cumbersom, too risky and a pain in the @ss.
Now waiting for new developments before deciding where to go and I can assure you WA is highest on my list. I just hope their offerings can be equal or beat the rest when it comes!
Now I am back on ADSL only for sake of 24/7 connection and I am with Telkom simply out of convenience of the telephone bill. Do not want stop orders; too cumbersom, too risky and a pain in the @ss. Just wait until you try and cancel TelkomInternet. Good luck. It must have taken me 2-3 months to get the damn thing cancelled.
Cheers
Abe
wamatt
23-03-2006, 05:42 PM
Debit Orders are a real pain - correct procedure is to write a letter to your bank telling them to cancel the order - then there is no problem... order comes in - refused by bank - end of story.
They are a complete pain currently. They are still done on magtape in batches, we have to prepare them in advance. But sometimes a client might cancel after its gone off for processing.
The good news is we are in the process of recieving certification for a dedicated server with the bank network allowing us to transact same day transactions on any day of the month making the whole procedure a lot smoother. I cannot wait :)
vespax
23-03-2006, 06:21 PM
Well, I'll certainly give credit where credit is due.
WebAfrica's response is great. After a brief lapse in communication (resulting from a problem with a mail server I understand), they've responded brilliantly and put me firmly back on their supporting side :D
Thanks for the response guys. As I said, the service has always been great, just that one issue :)
Was it really needed to drag this issue out into the forums? Should have resolved it privatly, in my opinion.
And yes, I love WebAfrica! Do I get 3gigs next month?
asmith
23-03-2006, 06:23 PM
Debit Orders are a real pain - correct procedure is to write a letter to your bank telling them to cancel the order - then there is no problem... order comes in - refused by bank - end of story.
(A general comment related to the above comment and not to Webafrica)
People think this is the correct way to do it, but its not in fact. If you read the form from the bank the clearly state you must cancel with the company doing the debit. The banks in fact only block the transaction for a month or two, and then when its lifted you can suddenly get whacked with back amounts, not to mention the fact that the company may start sending you payment reminders and legal letters. You signed a contract with a company and must give that company notice.
kilo39
23-03-2006, 07:01 PM
Yes agree - and thought was self-explanatory - when you write the letter for your bank - you notify the company making the debit at the same time...
... and - if the bank allows a debit order - after you have written to inform them to cancel it - then the bank is in the wrong - they are going directly against your written instruction.
Just wait until you try and cancel TelkomInternet. Good luck. It must have taken me 2-3 months to get the damn thing cancelled.
Cheers
Abe
Dont tell me! It took the same time to cancel ADSL. They had to pay me back lots of money. I stopped using it the day I cancelled so they refunded me!
MrSmith
23-03-2006, 09:21 PM
WebAfrica rocks. No question :)
bb_matt
23-03-2006, 09:35 PM
Yeah, good on ya WA - used you guys when I was in SA, during those "oh so heady days" of finally having an international data allowance at a reasonable price, alas, that was taken away.
Keep up the fight - I'm sure you guys will manage to do what the ISP's in the UK did via Ofcom if you keep chipping away at that 8billion ton gorilla.
Glipsie
23-03-2006, 10:07 PM
I've only ever had good experiences with WA. Fantastic company to work with. Mistakes come with the territory, we're all human in the end :).
Surely you checked around for prices before you signed up with WA. If you had no intention of staying with them why did you not negotiate a once off payment to avoid a debit order from your account instead of making a BIG fuss about this now. The problem that you have just experienced you could have had with any other of the service providers and after just once month of use of their product I think they have been very generous. In my opinion if you look around at prices I think WA's price for their 3GB product is very reasonable. As far as service is concerned, me being a female and not being all that clued up (but learning along the way) WA and the guys have been extremely helpful, friendly and prompt when dealing with any problems I have had. Of course I also would like to pay less and would like more than 3GB as I find it too little, but I have no intention of jumping around to another service provider. Why fix something if it isn't broken?
WA IS WORKING FOR ME.
Kalvaer
25-03-2006, 11:33 AM
Simply that they were more expensive than others .geek. I felt that the difference in price was not justified by any of the extras.
mmm... perhaps I should change my sig to say "Do not leave web africa" :DAre web africa not the cheapest for 4 gb unshaped (SAIX network)?
I'm actually really asking since i'm thinking of going this route as it seems to be cheaper than what I am currently doing, just need to find out how the latancy is with certain applications as that is my biggest concern
Simple Twist Of Fate
25-03-2006, 07:08 PM
Webafrica Totally is the best:)
I been with Webafrica since July2005 and had not one hassle.
First class ISP!!!!
Kalvaer
25-03-2006, 07:38 PM
Whats your latency lick though STOF?, I'm not into huge downloads but my ping to the USA is of big concern?
anyone on an unshaped WA account that can let me know?
firefly550
25-03-2006, 09:43 PM
I've been with WebAfrica for a year now and what a pleasure to do business with them. I was changing my ISP and they were really so nice about it, but the new ISP couldn't deliver. So i merely sent WebAfrica an e-mail and told them to retain me as a client, which they happily did and it's been plain sailing since. I did have a problem and they attended to it immediately and gave me 1gig on the house. They're a great bunch of guys to deal with and i reckon i'll be sticking with them for good. Thank you WebAfrica!!!!!:) :) :)
Simple Twist Of Fate
29-03-2006, 10:45 PM
webafrica mainpage down?
just tried to check out the jive on the new Webafrica IS 30Gb accounts but, my browser says service unavalable, anyone else experiencing this or is it my browser or IPcop Squid.ctrl+f5 doesnt helpzor
someone check the link? http://www.webafrica.co.za/
Simple Twist Of Fate
29-03-2006, 10:49 PM
Whats your latency lick though STOF?, I'm not into huge downloads but my ping to the USA is of big concern?
anyone on an unshaped WA account that can let me know?
Pinging megagames.com [66.118.166.100] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 66.118.166.100: bytes=32 time=402ms TTL=49
Reply from 66.118.166.100: bytes=32 time=400ms TTL=49
Reply from 66.118.166.100: bytes=32 time=400ms TTL=49
Reply from 66.118.166.100: bytes=32 time=399ms TTL=49
Reply from 66.118.166.100: bytes=32 time=398ms TTL=49
Reply from 66.118.166.100: bytes=32 time=399ms TTL=49
Reply from 66.118.166.100: bytes=32 time=397ms TTL=49
Reply from 66.118.166.100: bytes=32 time=399ms TTL=49
Reply from 66.118.166.100: bytes=32 time=399ms TTL=49
Reply from 66.118.166.100: bytes=32 time=398ms TTL=49
Reply from 66.118.166.100: bytes=32 time=401ms TTL=49
Reply from 66.118.166.100: bytes=32 time=401ms TTL=49
DEAD! Power cuts in Cape again. Me think they are in CT!
Simple Twist Of Fate
29-03-2006, 10:50 PM
hmm, okies but how is that i am connected but i cant get there page?
oops--- ok so they are reachable, or did i blink?nope they are up:)
Yup back! power or jason playing???
Was it really needed to drag this issue out into the forums? Should have resolved it privatly, in my opinion.
I agree, but in this case it's for the best.
I was trawling these forums looking for a good ISP, with WebAfrica specifically in mind. The huge response to this post by everyone giving their positive experiences with WA and only the minor admin problem of one person being debited by an extra month has convinced me WA is the place to go.
...and the worst that can happen is I get a month's free access :)
Now if only Telkom would install my damn line...(7 months and counting)
venterap
16-04-2006, 06:26 PM
Hi Antithesis,
In addition we would like to offer you one months free 3gb adsl service as a token of our concern for the whole situation.
To quote Rosemary Clooney from another era: That's nice!
Seeing as I am in the process of moving ISPs, I think with that one line alone you have my custom. I think antithesis's (farks sake, how many esses and stuff should be there at the end? - language of the anti-Christ, English!) comment is the first negative thing I've read about WA on this forum.
venterap
16-04-2006, 06:30 PM
Now if only Telkom would install my damn line...(7 months and counting)
Heh heh, got mine on Thursday (13/4) after 5 weeks' wait! The techy said they had about 5000 outstanding calls for this area alone (Southeast Pretoria) I used Billion's BiPAC 7402R2 router and got going chop-chop, on SuSE nogal!
Cheer up, chum!
kilo39
17-04-2006, 03:13 PM
The techy said they had about 5000 outstanding calls for this area alone If this is the demand we have zero chance of a reduction in price - or an increase in traffic - or any "improvement" at all.
Mr Anderson
17-04-2006, 03:30 PM
I've been a client of WebAfrica for 3 weeks now. The service from them is excellent but I have had ONE problem with them. I logged a call where my Telkom ADSL line seemed fine but for some reason it didn't "authenticate" on the ISP side coming from Telkom. Everything was going fine with the fault finding and I think it was telkom at the end of the day...but the techy made ONE mistake in still pointing the finger to my router even after we had gone through all the steps pointing that it was not something on my side.
anyways...maybe he was new (n00b lol) and didn't think logically about the issue. Either way...so far so good. I'm happy with their service.
waroop
18-04-2006, 04:37 AM
I've been a client of WebAfrica for 3 weeks now. The service from them is excellent but I have had ONE problem with them. I logged a call where my Telkom ADSL line seemed fine but for some reason it didn't "authenticate" on the ISP side coming from Telkom. Everything was going fine with the fault finding and I think it was telkom at the end of the day...but the techy made ONE mistake in still pointing the finger to my router even after we had gone through all the steps pointing that it was not something on my side.
anyways...maybe he was new (n00b lol) and didn't think logically about the issue. Either way...so far so good. I'm happy with their service.
Thanks for the feedback Mr Anderson. We are always actively trying to improve and provide the best assistance possible. Please allow me to apologise on behalf of Web Africa for falling short on your query.
Could you possibly PM me the support technicians name who assisted you so I may point out their mistake so they will learn from it and it won't be repeated.