PstOff
25-04-2007, 12:03 PM
:mad:
Yesterday (24th April 2007) I had the following harrowing experience with Telkom / Saix:
We run a software company and use our website to keep our customers informed about new developments and also to update their software. ( http://www.technisoft-online.com ).
Telkom provides my ADSL service and is my ISP.
Yesterday morning I made some alterations to a menu html file and, at about 11.00 a.m., transferred it to our website with my ftp client. (Just lately we have been having intermittent problems with ftp transfer, but that is another story!)
I then also transferred a new .pdf file to the site.
When I checked, using Macromedia Dreamweaver or Windows Internet Explorer, I could not see the altered menu file on the site - I still had access only to the old file. The new .pdf file was also not visible or downloadable.
I checked with my partner, who also could not access the new information.
Before you ask - yes I did clear out my own cache and even went so far as to delete all temporary files and delete my entire browsing history! I also used <Ctrl>F5 to no avail.
I have had similar problems in the past, and I can tell you, it drives me crazy because I automatically assume that I am at fault and start checking and re-checking my own work.
Eventually, I decide that something else is wrong and decide to check with SAIX to see if they are caching the site and not releasing it.
This is where the problems really begin!
I phone SAIX and am informed that there "may be a problem with our cache", but I need to phone Telkom on 10215 to get an "FQ" number that they will send to SAIX with a request to investigate.
I phone 10215 and get the obligitory voice menu that says, "if you are connected via ADSL, press 1".
I am, so I do.
"Eh! Halloo! How ken I gif you eggsellent seves?"
I explain my problem. "Eh! Hold onn, I will check with my supavisah".
5 minutes later "Who is hosting your website?"
I reply that this problem has got nothing to do with the website hosting company - it is an access problem, at which point I am asked to hold again, and then cut off. The call lasted 23 minutes.
I try again - engaged.
Half an hour later the number rings and, after 12 minutes, it is answered. I tell my story for the third time. I am informed that I need to speak to a "hostmaster" and will be transferred to Telkom Internet because I am at the ADSL help facility. This is 23 minutes into the call.
After holding for 5 minutes I get someone from Telkom Direct and ask for a "hostmaster". The guy at the other end insists I should first tell my story for the 4th time. "Eh! I will hef to aske de hostmastah!" I bite my tongue and hold for another 18 minutes listening to Telkom's inane muzak and the voice telling me that I should be patient because their call-volumes are very high. I console myself with the thought that at least they've left out the part about "my call being valuable to them" because it obviously isn't!
Forty three minutes and 26 seconds into the call, Dumiso answers the phone and, after making me repeat my story for the 5th time, informs me that I will need to speak to a "hostmaster". :rolleyes: (Who the f..... does he think I am holding for!!)
Six and a half minutes later Cecil answers and asks to hear story version 6 . "Please hold, I will speak to the hostmaster".
I hold.
Five minutes later Cecil tells me I need to speak to Technical Support who will issue an "FQ".
Another five minutes (One hour into the call!) - "I am still trying to get technical support" he says.
Twenty seven minutes later "Junior" answers the phone and makes me repeat my story for the 7th time. He, at least, seems to have some idea of what to do. I am asked to run a "tracert" on my website which produces a report that I paste into a document and then e-mail to him.
He tells me that he will analyse the report and come back to me.
Thus far, adding the two calls I have been given the run-around for 1 hour, 50minutes and 11 seconds of phonecalls, or two and a half hours if you consider the time during which Telkom's number was engaged!
At quarter to four someone (Steven, I think his name was) phones and says that they have established that SAIX do, in fact, cache sites and only flush them once every 24 hours, so there is no point in issuing an "FQ" because SAIX will do nothing about it!
Why are we paying the highest Internet access prices in the world for the crappiest service?
Why does our government, who professes to be promoting business, allow this situation?
Why does the CEO of Telkom earn more than the President?
Why, why, why?
Yesterday (24th April 2007) I had the following harrowing experience with Telkom / Saix:
We run a software company and use our website to keep our customers informed about new developments and also to update their software. ( http://www.technisoft-online.com ).
Telkom provides my ADSL service and is my ISP.
Yesterday morning I made some alterations to a menu html file and, at about 11.00 a.m., transferred it to our website with my ftp client. (Just lately we have been having intermittent problems with ftp transfer, but that is another story!)
I then also transferred a new .pdf file to the site.
When I checked, using Macromedia Dreamweaver or Windows Internet Explorer, I could not see the altered menu file on the site - I still had access only to the old file. The new .pdf file was also not visible or downloadable.
I checked with my partner, who also could not access the new information.
Before you ask - yes I did clear out my own cache and even went so far as to delete all temporary files and delete my entire browsing history! I also used <Ctrl>F5 to no avail.
I have had similar problems in the past, and I can tell you, it drives me crazy because I automatically assume that I am at fault and start checking and re-checking my own work.
Eventually, I decide that something else is wrong and decide to check with SAIX to see if they are caching the site and not releasing it.
This is where the problems really begin!
I phone SAIX and am informed that there "may be a problem with our cache", but I need to phone Telkom on 10215 to get an "FQ" number that they will send to SAIX with a request to investigate.
I phone 10215 and get the obligitory voice menu that says, "if you are connected via ADSL, press 1".
I am, so I do.
"Eh! Halloo! How ken I gif you eggsellent seves?"
I explain my problem. "Eh! Hold onn, I will check with my supavisah".
5 minutes later "Who is hosting your website?"
I reply that this problem has got nothing to do with the website hosting company - it is an access problem, at which point I am asked to hold again, and then cut off. The call lasted 23 minutes.
I try again - engaged.
Half an hour later the number rings and, after 12 minutes, it is answered. I tell my story for the third time. I am informed that I need to speak to a "hostmaster" and will be transferred to Telkom Internet because I am at the ADSL help facility. This is 23 minutes into the call.
After holding for 5 minutes I get someone from Telkom Direct and ask for a "hostmaster". The guy at the other end insists I should first tell my story for the 4th time. "Eh! I will hef to aske de hostmastah!" I bite my tongue and hold for another 18 minutes listening to Telkom's inane muzak and the voice telling me that I should be patient because their call-volumes are very high. I console myself with the thought that at least they've left out the part about "my call being valuable to them" because it obviously isn't!
Forty three minutes and 26 seconds into the call, Dumiso answers the phone and, after making me repeat my story for the 5th time, informs me that I will need to speak to a "hostmaster". :rolleyes: (Who the f..... does he think I am holding for!!)
Six and a half minutes later Cecil answers and asks to hear story version 6 . "Please hold, I will speak to the hostmaster".
I hold.
Five minutes later Cecil tells me I need to speak to Technical Support who will issue an "FQ".
Another five minutes (One hour into the call!) - "I am still trying to get technical support" he says.
Twenty seven minutes later "Junior" answers the phone and makes me repeat my story for the 7th time. He, at least, seems to have some idea of what to do. I am asked to run a "tracert" on my website which produces a report that I paste into a document and then e-mail to him.
He tells me that he will analyse the report and come back to me.
Thus far, adding the two calls I have been given the run-around for 1 hour, 50minutes and 11 seconds of phonecalls, or two and a half hours if you consider the time during which Telkom's number was engaged!
At quarter to four someone (Steven, I think his name was) phones and says that they have established that SAIX do, in fact, cache sites and only flush them once every 24 hours, so there is no point in issuing an "FQ" because SAIX will do nothing about it!
Why are we paying the highest Internet access prices in the world for the crappiest service?
Why does our government, who professes to be promoting business, allow this situation?
Why does the CEO of Telkom earn more than the President?
Why, why, why?