Afrihost Hell. Just stay away from them.

T

Trent242

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2005
Messages
986
Reaction score
47
Location
South Africa
So about 2 months ago I moved to Afrihost as my ISP, with Frogfoot providing the fibre. One package, paid through Afrihost. I chose Afrihost as they are the "8x ISP of the year".

My application was made on the 13th April 2026. The Frogfoot installers which came to my premises couldn't find their junction box, and another team had to be sent out to find it. Team 2 located it, and it was another 3 or 4 weeks before team 1 returned to complete the installation. My fibre line was was finally active on the 18th May.

Once my internet was up and running, I proceeded to cancel my previous ISP (different company using aboveground fibre cables.. .you might know who this company is). My internet is crucial to me. I am self-employed, working from home.

Exactly SEVEN days into my newly active Afrihost fibre subscription, my internet stops working, on the 25th May around 13H00. After a LONG time dealing with their tech desk, where I had to change settings on my router, and enter new usernames and passwords they provided, it finally started working again at about 19H00. I was told that Frogfoot is moving from this thing to that thing, and it's causing the router to have old info etc etc( I am not that technical, and did not write down verbatim whatever story I was spun, sorry).

Yesterday, same thing. Internet stops working around 13H00. I email their helpdesk. Get a long list of instructions that I must complete with the router again, in response.
See Afrihosts responses below, on the dates within the last month, that I lost internet.

25th May
Afrihost1.jpg


22nd June
Afrihost2.jpg
Now it's my router that is losing settings, for whatever reason. My router, which runs of an UPS inverter that powers my entire office, the same inverter that still powers the router I used with my previous ISP (I'm in my cancellation period with them), AND my backup router ( a small 10Gb Telkom LTE router I keep for emergencies - thank God).

So now, obviously, I want to cancel. But because it's within 6 months of signing up with Afrihost, I must pay R999 to cancel. And they provided me with the router for free, which I must understandably return. Happy to do so. The catch? It must be returned in the original packaging, or pay another R999.

If you are with Afrihost and have never had problems, I am happy for you. It's what we expect from an ISP. For me however, my experience from the 18th May to the 22 June with Afrihost has not been pleasant.

**EDIT** I haven't been on MyBroadBand in many years. I see my profile says I'm still in Uniondale. I am not. I am in the PE area.
 
Trent242 said:
I chose Afrihost as they are the "8x ISP of the year".
Click to expand...
so you fell for the BS marketing lies, we've all been there, you should have trawled this forum instead, you would find many people openly talking about how godawful Afrihost is, they're in a close race with WebAfrica to the absolute bottom of quality

Trent242 said:
I want to cancel. But because it's within 6 months of signing up with Afrihost, I must pay R999 to cancel. And they provided me with the router for free, which I must understandably return. Happy to do so. The catch? It must be returned in the original packaging, or pay another R999.
Click to expand...
ah yes, typical, you can consider it school fees and never make the same mistake again, or if you really feel passionate about it try the ombudsman route to stick it to them:

Lodge A Mediation Request With ISPA | ISPA

Lodge a mediation request with ISPA to resolve internet disputes and consumer complaints fairly for providers and users in South Africa.
ispa.org.za ispa.org.za
www.icasa.org.za

Consumer complaints procedure – Independent Communications Authority of South Africa

Details the required steps consumers need to take when lodging a complaint with ICASA
www.icasa.org.za www.icasa.org.za

Trent242 said:
my profile says I'm still in Uniondale. I am not. I am in the PE area.
Click to expand...
you can edit that to say whatever you like btw:
 
Trent242 said:
So about 2 months ago I moved to Afrihost as my ISP, with Frogfoot providing the fibre. One package, paid through Afrihost. I chose Afrihost as they are the "8x ISP of the year".

My application was made on the 13th April 2026. The Frogfoot installers which came to my premises couldn't find their junction box, and another team had to be sent out to find it. Team 2 located it, and it was another 3 or 4 weeks before team 1 returned to complete the installation. My fibre line was was finally active on the 18th May.

Once my internet was up and running, I proceeded to cancel my previous ISP (different company using aboveground fibre cables.. .you might know who this company is). My internet is crucial to me. I am self-employed, working from home.

Exactly SEVEN days into my newly active Afrihost fibre subscription, my internet stops working, on the 25th May around 13H00. After a LONG time dealing with their tech desk, where I had to change settings on my router, and enter new usernames and passwords they provided, it finally started working again at about 19H00. I was told that Frogfoot is moving from this thing to that thing, and it's causing the router to have old info etc etc( I am not that technical, and did not write down verbatim whatever story I was spun, sorry).

Yesterday, same thing. Internet stops working around 13H00. I email their helpdesk. Get a long list of instructions that I must complete with the router again, in response.
See Afrihosts responses below, on the dates within the last month, that I lost internet.

25th May
View attachment 1916664


22nd June
View attachment 1916665
Now it's my router that is losing settings, for whatever reason. My router, which runs of an UPS inverter that powers my entire office, the same inverter that still powers the router I used with my previous ISP (I'm in my cancellation period with them), AND my backup router ( a small 10Gb Telkom LTE router I keep for emergencies - thank God).

So now, obviously, I want to cancel. But because it's within 6 months of signing up with Afrihost, I must pay R999 to cancel. And they provided me with the router for free, which I must understandably return. Happy to do so. The catch? It must be returned in the original packaging, or pay another R999.

If you are with Afrihost and have never had problems, I am happy for you. It's what we expect from an ISP. For me however, my experience from the 18th May to the 22 June with Afrihost has not been pleasant.

**EDIT** I haven't been on MyBroadBand in many years. I see my profile says I'm still in Uniondale. I am not. I am in the PE area.
Click to expand...
/hug
/lolli
 
NarrowBandFtw said:
so you fell for the BS marketing lies, we've all been there, you should have trawled this forum instead, you would find many people openly talking about how godawful Afrihost is, they're in a close race with WebAfrica to the absolute bottom of quality


ah yes, typical, you can consider it school fees and never make the same mistake again, or if you really feel passionate about it try the ombudsman route to stick it to them:

Lodge A Mediation Request With ISPA | ISPA

Lodge a mediation request with ISPA to resolve internet disputes and consumer complaints fairly for providers and users in South Africa.
ispa.org.za ispa.org.za
www.icasa.org.za

Consumer complaints procedure – Independent Communications Authority of South Africa

Details the required steps consumers need to take when lodging a complaint with ICASA
www.icasa.org.za www.icasa.org.za


you can edit that to say whatever you like btw:
Click to expand...
Yes mine will show you where to get Coffee. :p
 
NarrowBandFtw said:
God himself can't produce a router that will fix Afrihost, that's a dead end
Click to expand...
I do think things have become a lot more complicated with Fibre. It's an absolute mess since the beginning.


That said, I am happy with Cool Ideas and that I can speak to a human. Last time I needed help it was possible anyways. I know Afrihost owns them, but still find their team to be a lot better at communication.
 
RedViking said:
I do think things have become a lot more complicated with Fibre. It's an absolute mess since the beginning.


That said, I am happy with Cool Ideas and that I can speak to a human. Last time I needed help it was possible anyways. I know Afrihost owns them, but still find their team to be a lot better at communication.
Click to expand...
that's just it though, Cool Ideas and a handful of others built their entire company from the ground up as fibre specialists, and it shows

although I have no direct experience with them and I'm quite concerned about their Afrihost overlords, they have a solid foundation, the vast majority of traditional / older / bigger ISPs just don't have that, and they have no desire to fix it either

I'm paying more per month than I would at most ISPs, I'm with Atomic and will stay there as long as they keep service levels at their very high level
 
Trent242 said:
So about 2 months ago I moved to Afrihost as my ISP, with Frogfoot providing the fibre. One package, paid through Afrihost. I chose Afrihost as they are the "8x ISP of the year".

My application was made on the 13th April 2026. The Frogfoot installers which came to my premises couldn't find their junction box, and another team had to be sent out to find it. Team 2 located it, and it was another 3 or 4 weeks before team 1 returned to complete the installation. My fibre line was was finally active on the 18th May.

Once my internet was up and running, I proceeded to cancel my previous ISP (different company using aboveground fibre cables.. .you might know who this company is). My internet is crucial to me. I am self-employed, working from home.

Exactly SEVEN days into my newly active Afrihost fibre subscription, my internet stops working, on the 25th May around 13H00. After a LONG time dealing with their tech desk, where I had to change settings on my router, and enter new usernames and passwords they provided, it finally started working again at about 19H00. I was told that Frogfoot is moving from this thing to that thing, and it's causing the router to have old info etc etc( I am not that technical, and did not write down verbatim whatever story I was spun, sorry).

Yesterday, same thing. Internet stops working around 13H00. I email their helpdesk. Get a long list of instructions that I must complete with the router again, in response.
See Afrihosts responses below, on the dates within the last month, that I lost internet.

25th May
View attachment 1916664


22nd June
View attachment 1916665
Now it's my router that is losing settings, for whatever reason. My router, which runs of an UPS inverter that powers my entire office, the same inverter that still powers the router I used with my previous ISP (I'm in my cancellation period with them), AND my backup router ( a small 10Gb Telkom LTE router I keep for emergencies - thank God).

So now, obviously, I want to cancel. But because it's within 6 months of signing up with Afrihost, I must pay R999 to cancel. And they provided me with the router for free, which I must understandably return. Happy to do so. The catch? It must be returned in the original packaging, or pay another R999.

If you are with Afrihost and have never had problems, I am happy for you. It's what we expect from an ISP. For me however, my experience from the 18th May to the 22 June with Afrihost has not been pleasant.

**EDIT** I haven't been on MyBroadBand in many years. I see my profile says I'm still in Uniondale. I am not. I am in the PE area.
Click to expand...
The time frame rings a bell.

I had the same problem on metrofibre, 7 days after install.

No ip address recieved over dhcp.

I had changed the router shortly after install, turns out the dhcp was bound to the previous routers mac address. After a week (the ip reservation it seems), it stopped working on the new router.

Afrihost support had no clue.
Eventually, turning off the ONT for a few hours then switching back on fixed the issue.
 
So an update:
After the above complaint, I received an email with instruction of things I had to do on my router (new username and password). This was the same thing I had to do when my internet stopped working the first time. I did so both times, and the internet started working again.
I received a system email from Afrihost yesterday, stating that the above query is now considered resolved, and they are closing the ticket.

I woke up this morning to no internet again. My children were trying to game through the night, and they told me this morning the internet stopped working between 1AM and 2AM.
Same thing as the previous two times. It justs stops working and then asks me to ACTIVATE FIBER. Afrihost Sucks.jpg

I emailed them at 7am. I received an automated response that its being treated with the highest urgency. Nothing beyond that.
I work from home, so I am waiting now, until they deem it is time to attend to this matter.

And of course I am not in a position to buy myself out of the contract at this time (see details in my original post). Something I must do if I want to move away from Afrihost, DUE TO THEIR SERVICE FAILURE.

I cannot tell you how much I hate Afrihost. To anyone considering them, don't. Follow the suggestions from other users on this forum on which ISP to use. Do NOT fall for Afrihosts "8X ISP of the year" BS.
 
Trent242 said:
So an update:
After the above complaint, I received an email with instruction of things I had to do on my router (new username and password). This was the same thing I had to do when my internet stopped working the first time. I did so both times, and the internet started working again.
I received a system email from Afrihost yesterday, stating that the above query is now considered resolved, and they are closing the ticket.

I woke up this morning to no internet again. My children were trying to game through the night, and they told me this morning the internet stopped working between 1AM and 2AM.
Same thing as the previous two times. It justs stops working and then asks me to authorise myself. I emailed them at 7am. I received an automated response that it being treated with the highest urgency. Nothing beyond that.
I work from home, so I am waiting now, until they deem it is time to attend to this matter.

And of course I am not in a position to buy myself out of the contract at this time (see details in my original post). Something I must do if I want to move away from Afrihost, DUE TO THEIR SERVICE FAILURE.

I cannot tell you how much I hate Afrihost. To anyone considering them, don't. Follow the suggestions from other users on this forum on which ISP to use. Do NOT fall for Afrihosts "8X ISP of the year" BS.
Click to expand...
Why can't they replace your router ?
 
I have only read the heading... But what I want to add is this service provider was hands down the very best in south africa, leader in customer service and satisfaction. use to love those "personalized" messages from Gian, it felt personal and like a service that actually cared about service and they actually really did... I did all my work through them, from hosting multiple websites, mobile services and fibre with an absolute smile on my face... But what happened since 2025. It has become so bad that finally after more than a decade of good solid service from them I have decided to cancel all my dealing with Afrihost as I cannot continue having technical frustration upon frustration and now it came to a final financial glitch where I have to justify myself without any resolution on there behalf other than a demand... Fortunately after a very quick google search I see there are multiple viable options willing to offer a premium service for even less... Why not give them a try, maybe I find another a SP that might be like Afrihost was when they cared...
 
Captain Sprocket said:
I have only read the heading... But what I want to add is this service provider was hands down the very best in south africa, leader in customer service and satisfaction. use to love those "personalized" messages from Gian, it felt personal and like a service that actually cared about service and they actually really did... I did all my work through them, from hosting multiple websites, mobile services and fibre with an absolute smile on my face... But what happened since 2025. It has become so bad that finally after more than a decade of good solid service from them I have decided to cancel all my dealing with Afrihost as I cannot continue having technical frustration upon frustration and now it came to a final financial glitch where I have to justify myself without any resolution on there behalf other than a demand... Fortunately after a very quick google search I see there are multiple viable options willing to offer a premium service for even less... Why not give them a try, maybe I find another a SP that might be like Afrihost was when they cared...
Click to expand...
The issue with so many companies is they get too big for their own good. Staff autonomy is replaced with tedious process and red tape so instead of your first point of contact being able to use initiative and actually help you, you end up being passed around getting lost in the system.

The AH reps on here are a good example of support staff who can help right away. Xneelo are also a great example of this - every time I phone my issue is resolved with the first person I speak to because it feels like everyone there is competent to a sufficient degree and have instruction to help rather than stick to a script.

Hope AH don't slip too far down this hill.

Good luck getting this resolved.

@Afrigirl
 
saor said:
The issue with so many companies is they get too big for their own good. Staff autonomy is replaced with tedious process and red tape so instead of your first point of contact being able to use initiative and actually help you, you end up being passed around getting lost in the system.

The AH reps on here are a good example of support staff who can help right away. Xneelo are also a great example of this - every time I phone my issue is resolved with the first person I speak to because it feels like everyone there is competent to a sufficient degree and have instruction to help rather than stick to a script.

Hope AH don't slip too far down this hill.

Good luck getting this resolved.

@Afrigirl
Click to expand...
Afrigirl

Post in thread 'Afrihost going down the drain'

Captain Sprocket said:
unfortunately this will lead to the exact same disappointment as you can actually do nothing other than only inform me that I have an outstanding amount. I don't have the energy to work with this service provider anymore, I don't need try and justify myself anymore. I am finally moving along...
Click to expand...
Please allow me to check. Could you confirm whether this advance payment has already been allocated to your profile?
Could you also let me know which payment reference you used? Have you sent your proof of payment before?
 
saor said:
The issue with so many companies is they get too big for their own good. Staff autonomy is replaced with tedious process and red tape so instead of your first point of contact being able to use initiative and actually help you, you end up being passed around getting lost in the system.

The AH reps on here are a good example of support staff who can help right away. Xneelo are also a great example of this - every time I phone my issue is resolved with the first person I speak to because it feels like everyone there is competent to a sufficient degree and have instruction to help rather than stick to a script.

Hope AH don't slip too far down this hill.

Good luck getting this resolved.

@Afrigirl
Click to expand...
I also hope they don't don't self destruct, as I really was a die hard client, every time I heard a colleague or family member mentioned what trouble they are having with AH I use to defend them always said, it must be something they are doing wrong.... until it started happening to me too, although I was still ignorant and brushed it simple technical issues... It's unbearable now and I cannot praise or recommend A H like I did in the past...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X