'I won't pay for a Telkom line I don't have'

w1z4rd

w1z4rd

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'I won't pay for a Telkom line I don't have'

January 23 2007 at 12:42PM

Telkom has suspended a 75-year-old widow's landline because she has not paid for services she says she has not received.

Sheila Paul of Durbanville complained to Argus Action that she had been waiting since October for Telkom to transfer her phone to her new address. She had applied for an October 30 transfer, but technicians had kept neither that appointment nor others in the ensuing months. In November Telkom had begun to bill her for a telephone jack that had not yet been installed, and for Surfmore time on a computer she was unable to use without a landline.


She had paid the November account for telephone calls from her previous address, "but I refuse to pay for a line I do not have and for online time on a computer that is offline".

All her attempts to contact Telkom had so far been a waste of time and money. She could no longer afford to use her cellphone to reach Telkom, thanks to long waits to be connected to someone willing or able to assist her.

'All her attempts to contact Telkom had so far been a waste of time and money'
"I have diabetes, high blood pressure and two different kinds of arthritis. Because I have a problem with mobility, I am dependent on telephone banking to pay my accounts.

"I live alone, and have been effectively cut off from contact with many friends and acquaintances. I cannot even send and receive email messages," Paul said.

"I have spent a fortune on cellphone airtime and am sick of listening to Telkom's music. I am a widow and not in good health. Can't anything be done about this sort of treatment?"

Telkom told Argus Action on Monday that an outstanding amount on Paul's account had resulted in the account being suspended.

"The application for the transfer of services will be processed once the previous debt is settled," said the written response, without giving details of dates or amounts.

"Several attempts at reaching the customer through her mobile number were unsuccessful," said Telkom, adding that it "always endeavours to resolve service issues as expeditiously as possible".

Paul protested that she had never been late in paying Telkom's bills.

"They have got a cheek to tell me that they haven't given me a line because I haven't paid my bill. What have I got to pay for?"

Nobody at Telkom had given any reasons for the non-appearance of technicians in October, November, December and this month.

"If they had transferred the phone they would have been paid. If they check my records they will see that my payments have always been prompt, and that no account has ever been outstanding."

She questioned Telkom's attempts to reach her. "My mobile phone is with me all the time. If there is a missed call, I call back."

The Independent Communications Authority of SA said on Monday the standard procedure for dealing with complaints would apply if Paul lodged a complaint against Telkom. "We will escalate the complaint to Telkom, which has 14 days to respond to us. If the matter is not resolved between the complainant and Telkom, we can adjudicate."
Click to expand...

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20070123115734197C196801
 
Telkom has suspended a 75-year-old widow's landline because she has not paid for services she says she has not received.

Sheila Paul of Durbanville complained to Argus Action that she had been waiting since October for Telkom to transfer her phone to her new address. She had applied for an October 30 transfer, but technicians had kept neither that appointment nor others in the ensuing months. In November Telkom had begun to bill her for a telephone jack that had not yet been installed, and for Surfmore time on a computer she was unable to use without a landline.
Click to expand...

Now, doesn't THIS sound familiar... We'll fix it, once you paid for it!

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20070123115734197C196801
 
surfing the net at 75. She has to be the most technologically evolved old person in za.
 
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Fantastic article to have in the mainstream.

I'm constantly amazed at Telkom. This kind of thing is happening every day (just read Myadsl, hello peter, the press, etc). Do the investors not realise this is going on? If they were in it for short term gain they would have dumped their stake by now and if they continued to consider Telkom a worthwhile long term investment they would have forced a change. Do they think they can keep having it both ways?

Does anybody think there's enough time left for Telkom to turn things around before competition arrives? If not they're going to be hemorrhaging customers for at least 12 more months.
 
eremos said:
Do the investors not realise this is going on?
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Do the investors actually care? too often companies are so busy kowtowing to the shareholders and investors that they forget about the customer. All Telkoms investors worry about is their pocket and not an iota about the clients
 
OhGats said:
Do the investors actually care? too often companies are so busy kowtowing to the shareholders and investors that they forget about the customer. All Telkoms investors worry about is their pocket and not an iota about the clients
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Well that's just it. The way Telkom is being run means they get a boatload of cash now, but in 6 months that could start drying up. Are they just trying to milk the stock for every last cent only to jump ship when things start to go downhill? Or do they believe that money will keep rolling in even when Telkom are utterly unable to compete?

If they wanted Telkom to keep being viable into the future things should have started changing 12 months ago.

Do they simply not give a damn about us lowly individuals because they get most of their revenue from businesses that are now safely locked into contracts?

Does anybody know what percentages of Telkom's income come from which segments?
 
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eremos said:
Fantastic article to have in the mainstream.

Do the investors not realise this is going on?
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Pfft, the goverment of South Africa is one of the investors. I say no more

If possible i will NEVER use telkom again......
 
kotoc said:
Pfft, the goverment of South Africa is one of the investors. I say no more
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How does that work anyway? Who owns the shares? Who gets the dividends? Who has the say in how Telkom operates? Who has the power to sell off the shares?

Is someone getting the benefits of the dividends but doesn't have the power to sell? Do they have no desire to steer Telkom in a direction that will let them compete because they don't expect to be in the position to reap dividends much longer?

Am I asking too many questions? :rolleyes:

E
 
eremos said:
Well that's just it. The way Telkom is being run means they get a boatload of cash now, but in 6 months that could start drying up. Are they just trying to milk the stock for every last cent only to jump ship when things start to go downhill? Or do they believe that money will keep rolling in even when Telkom are utterly unable to compete?
Click to expand...

As long as government are one of the major shareholders the investors don't have much to worry about, you can be pretty sure the government will protect its cash cow!
 
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