Broadband Helpdesks put to the test

If the Telkom helpline is contacted via a cellphone (eg the landline is totally disfunctional) the cost is not free.

Contacting Telkom from a cellphone is a major disaster for any budget.

Otherwise - the survey is a good idea - and the Telkom result in line with my own experience the past week. The only problem is that they may answer the phone fast, but then the good service stops.
 
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I'm not sure if Telkom should be given points for having a toll free line... It is after all their own line so it costs them nothing. I suppose it's the thought that counts.

I'm shocked at MTN's response time and the punting of the online services... What if your query is related to not being able to get online? :D Kinda reminds me of the old M$ mouse troubleshooter that had no keyboard support.

You really should have had a section for the waiting music they play :) In my experience, Telkom employs some of the most irritating, soul sapping music ever composed.
 
AntiThesis said:
..........In my experience, Telkom employs some of the most irritating, soul sapping music ever composed.
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Could be deliberate, mentally taxing and many a peson will hang up after a while!:D
 
Hmm, if the past three weeks of daily Telkom conversations is a fair measure ... My average has been closer to 20 minutes of holding and then being told that the call was escalated and someone will phone back sometime.

Let's just say my irritation factor is through the roof!
 
The Post Office has issues of their own.

albert123 said:
may as well post a letter to them it seems.
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Don't mail it at the Rosebank Post Office. Their idea of a mailbox is a plastic bin without a lid standing in the corner. There is a piece of masking tape on it with "LETTERS" or something like that scrawled on it. The idea is that you chuck your valuable mail into this open box. The staff will collect it at their leisure.

I thought a mailbox was supposed to big, red with a small slot and a lock, so that only the postman can get your mail out of it.
 
Telkom came in third with a response time of 11 minutes 26 seconds, but it should be noted that it is the only helpdesk number that is free.
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Should be amended to include from a landline because as you point out the cellular help desks are also free when calling from a mobile phone.
 
I MUST beg to differ!!!

MTN's data centre's number is 083 1555 and I have never had to wait long for any help with broadband queries...

We all know that the 808 number is useless!!!!!!

I think you should redo the comparison and dial the 083 1555 number instead and see how that goes...

Please, don't get me wrong... I know MTN's service sucks, but at least be fair!

If you dial 083 1555 and you're lucky enough to speak to Prince, you're experience will be very pleasant! That guy is soooo clever, friendly and helpful!

Come one mybroadband! Take the test again and see for yourself!

:cool:
 
costs

On the costs side,
Telkom free from a Telkom phone, it is there network. Pay from a cellphone, not there network.
Vodacom/MTN you pay from a Telkom phone, but it is not there network, free from there own network.

As such the time results are the only results one should look at. Unfortunately for Sentech and Iburst there is no free option, but call response time is more worthwhile in there case.
 
Broadband helpdesk is as helpful as having someone putting on a iron glove and ramming it into your ass.

The people on the end of the line are of no use to you, you might as well hang up, get your dog, bash it over the head with a brick and then ask the half dead dog for help, cos he maybe of some help for you.

TOday i called...was on hold for 30mins, until some stupid bitch answers, by her tone i knew i wasnt going to get the answer i wanted. So i asked to talk to a supervisor...so i wait and wait 10 mins go by...then someone answers and asks me where am i meant to be...so i say ADSL help...so i go on hold again, after shouting at this bitch not to put me on hold, but she does, ARGH!!!!!!!

Telkom is a **** company that doesnt know how to look after consumers.

Oh and there is no complaints department for telkom....lucky them that would always be busy.
 
In my experience it takes Telkom 15 to 20 minutes to answer their ADSL helpline and it is not free if you call from a cellphone. Not bad for a company that makes R6 billion plus profit a year.
 
Contacting Telkom may be free for them, but for you to get through to them it will have cost you valuable time. Most of the times you don't get through at all. Imagine if you had to use your mobile phone, you'd blow your whole monthly budget on them...
 
I was pleasantly surprised with iBurst today.

A client was having problems, and we all postponed calling iBurst helpdesk as long as possible due to previous encounters.

Indeed, the call was answered within 5 rings, by a knowledgeable human being.

Only bad part: The human being's english could improve. On knowledge a good AA appointment. On communication english, a bad AA appointment.
 
As Kaaspaas mentioned, Telkom is only free if your landline works - as is often the case, my ADSL works and my voice service is broken - so, it is a call from my cell, and 20 minutes later, before some one answers.

Oh, and while I am at it, I reported my landline faulty just after the long weekend, and am still waiting for a techie....
 
ADSL - I normally just stop at a public box on the way to shop/work etc and call from there for free if voice/line is completely dead. Was completely dead yserday but they were working on something so no biggi, i just asked the tech to check what happen.

uhm but the thing you must remember is that this might be for a normal/semi-normal day, remember when area's are affected by something then i usually can never get through [kinda how i know that something is up].

So this survey is kinda just looking at an arb day when there may/may not be problems with the helpdesk where by they are handling alot of calls.
 
My experience of dealing with Telkom over the past two months puts Telkom 15 Minutes on average before someone answers the line. From there however, it can take upwards to 30+ minutes EXTRA to get through to someone that can attend to your query.

I've been so frustrated that I've stopped using the tollfree lines as they quickly became a brickwall in terms of service and their ability to answer my questions. The result is that I'm awaiting my next telephone bill from work as I'm sure there's R100's worth of calls to the non-tollfree Customer Care number in Pretoria which I was calling in terms of my query.

It boggles the mind how these supposed 'Helpdesks' fail to realise that if their services are faulty / down, there is no way in heaven that a customer can make use of the 'free' service lines! In this regard, perhaps there is some collusion between the cellular operators and Telkom: not making even profit margin this month? disable a few lines here and there and get customers to use paying-lines and make up profit off interconnect fees :mad:

I believe this survey was merely looking at the face-value issues. A deeper look needs to be made across the board, but actual issues would need to be provided (perhaps from forumites?) to be used as part of the survey.
 
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