How can a business be run like this? [solved]

[CptNukeEm]

So I decided to move from MTN (after being with them for 15+ years) to Cell C, since MTN is just TOO EXPENSIVE. Well, this turns out to be a pretty bad decision. I've been struggling since April 25th to open a contract with Cell C. I am a part owner in a CC with my father and my sister, so I had the contract put on the business name.

My father opened a new contract under the business name in Durban, so the business is already registered at cell C (took him around 3-4 days). I will now explain the 5 trips that I made to the Cell C branch in MooiRiver mall (Potchefstroom) and have failed every time.

1st trip to Cell C: 23 April: Asked which forms were needed to apply for a contract under business name (I'm part owner of business with my father and sister). I was told the following: Copy of my father's ID, business letter stating that I am allowed to take out a new contract, documents regarding the CC and a 3 month bank statement.

2nd trip: 25 April: Came with all the forms specified only to be told that I needed CERTIFIED copies of my father's ID and the letter stating that I can take out a new contract.

3rd trip: 27 April: Went in on a Saturday and then found out that corporate is closed on a Saturday. I was then also told that, since my sister is also a member of the CC, that they needed a certified copy of her ID as well (my father never needed all of the CC owners' details, only his own). I e-mailed the certified copy of the ID on that day and told them in the e-mail "PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU NEED". They didn't reply

4th trip: 29 April: They had a problem with the bank statement and requested a STAMPED copy of it, but ONLY TOLD ME WHEN I WAS IN STORE WHEN I ASKED THEM IN THE E-MAIL TO LET ME KNOW IF THEY NEED ANYTHING ELSE... Had my father e-mail it to them and I was then told that it would take 1-3 weeks for the head office to approve/deny my contract request.

5th trip: 1 week later (yesterday) I got a call from Cell C telling me that I've been approved from head office but that they need another business letter which states which phone I want and on which contract. So I e-mail the letter and go in to fetch my phone. When I arrive, they tell me that the letter's heading is wrong since it's made out to "Cell C Mooi River Potchefstroom", and thus the head office will not read it (wtf?). So I phoned my dad up and asked him to just edit the heading out and email the new form.

So now I think all is good and I'll finally get the phone, they tell me that they need to email this new form to head office first and have it approved. So they call head office and the lady that has to approve it is apparantly not there and they don't know when she will be back. I was told that they will call me the following day (today).

Around then I decided enough is enough, so I made a post on hellopeter last night (6 May). I got a response that I will be contacted today regarding the issue. Only got an SMS today telling me that a query was made. Pathetic.

1pm today: no call yet from hellopeter representative or cell c store, so I decide to call them (cell c store) just to make sure that they haven't forgotten about me (which would be hard, since I've been there FIVE TIMES). "Sorry, I've been really busy today, I'll call them now now and let you know" is the response that I get.

3pm today: no call yet, so I decide to call them again. "I've been on hold for more than an hour trying to reach head office, but I will call you today and let you know."

7pm now NO CALLS YET...

I almost feel like they DON'T WANT TO help me. And the worst part is that they haven't even apologised ONCE for having me drive FIVE TIMES and I STILL DON'T HAVE A PHONE.

Pathetic. If I hadn't wasted this much time already, I would march over to MTN right now and upgrade with them.
If the Cell C rep isn't as incompetent as the Cell C store in Potch, could he please take a look at the case and get it sorted for me. I really don't want to drive out a 6th time and be told that I still can't get the phone.
REF nr: 3050700639

Thanks

 

[Freaksta]

Understand the frustration but generally in my eyes, trip 1 to 4 could have been avoided by phoning the store or call center and asking/explaining what u want to do and finding out what documents u need.. Just out of habit, if people need an ID I always make sure it certified and I do a bunch at a time, so I only have to do it max 4 times a year. And if people need a bank statement I always get one stamped from the bank. Just learnt from past experience it's best to have the safest docs available.

 

[CptNukeEm]

Thing is, my dad didn't need my ID when he went for his contract, so why did I need his? I'm a part owner of the company, so technically I don't need all of his stuff. And I understand that the stuff needed to be stamped, but they could have told me that when they asked for the forms in the first place. The thing is, even if I call, they'll only tell me that something is wrong when I arrive there (which did happen).

Why don't they just have a checklist of things that they need so that they can tell me everything from the start, sparing me a LOT of trouble? It seems like they are looking to find fault with every form that I bring to them (especially with the "heading" situation).

 

[Viva]

Prepaid FTW.

 

[CptNukeEm]

Prepaid FTW.

Yup, and I have R8500 to throw towards an S4 right now .... I'd rather pay R399 x 24 = R9576 in total and get 100 minutes, 100sms and 1GIG data per month. So no, prepaid not FTW.

 

[Cell_C]

Yup, and I have R8500 to throw towards an S4 right now .... I'd rather pay R399 x 24 = R9576 in total and get 100 minutes, 100sms and 1GIG data per month. So no, prepaid not FTW.

Hi CptNukeEm I am following this up as a matter of urgency, as you have been unnecessarily inconvenienced. i'll make sure this gets sorted out asap. I will PM you with feedback. *DM*

 

[Ecco]

...

Oh man, thats a crap load of wasted time and effort, good luck getting it resolved. If the cell c rep is on it, you should be sorted out shortly.

 

[MR.C]

After all this hassle, get your father to get it sorted where he got his sorted. In that way, this branch doesn't get any commision off this deal at all, and your dad can courier it to you.

I had a similar but not so frustrating time with a cell C contract at Makro even though I have 4 contracts on my name with Voda. They don't want my business then they don't deserve it.

 

[CptNukeEm]

After all this hassle, get your father to get it sorted where he got his sorted. In that way, this branch doesn't get any commision off this deal at all, and your dad can courier it to you.

I had a similar but not so frustrating time with a cell C contract at Makro even though I have 4 contracts on my name with Voda. They don't want my business then they don't deserve it.

Yeah that's what I thought, but I don't want to hassle him with my problems (after all, it was my idea to switch us over to Cell C). And I really don't want to wait until the semester ends before I can go home and get a new phone (July...)

The Cell C rep called me this morning, sounded like he was going to sort it out for me soon. So I hope all goes well and I get my phone soon

 

[CptNukeEm]

Well, at least there's been some progress. Got an e-mail from the store asking me, once again for a purchase order form. The previous one (which I handed to them on trip number 5) stated in text that I was getting x contract at Rxx pm for 24 months. Apparently, they need the form to have a table which shows what contract I am getting and at what subscription and in what period.. So now I had to REDO the form and include a stupid table in it.

At least, I hope that's they were asking. I'm having trouble understanding the e-mails, since the lady seems quite illiterate:

"Please sir the attachements that i have aqttached on the email, can u please copy and paste that box on the letter head of the company and sign it and email it back to me,so that i can send it back to headoffice to proceed with the activation"

I really can't believe how much time I've wasted changing my forms to fit their "format". My father didn't need ANY of this stuff when he opened his contract. But it's ridiculous how they don't accept a form simply because it doesn't have a table in it describing the contract. Since when is text only not good enough?

Sigh. Looks like I won't be getting my phone today either.

 

[CptNukeEm]

Who would've thought that this still isn't sorted?

Got an e-mail from the Cell C branch this morning saying that they contacted the head office with the form that I had to send them yesterday and that they are waiting for it to be approved. Judging by the speed that things have gone, it'll probably only be approved around Monday the earliest (I'm being optimistic here).

 

[akescpt]

i would have just told my dad to get another contract....

 

[CptNukeEm]

i would have just told my dad to get another contract....

"As hulle my nog een ***ken keer vra vir 'n vorm wat ek nie ook moes in gee toe ek my kontrak oop maak nie, sê vir hulle hulle kan die foon by hulle gat op druk."

I don't think my dad is really in the mood to open another contract any time soon.

 

[akescpt]

"As hulle my nog een ***ken keer vra vir 'n vorm wat ek nie ook moes in gee toe ek my kontrak oop maak nie, sê vir hulle hulle kan die foon by hulle gat op druk."

I don't think my dad is really in the mood to open another contract any time soon.

i meant at the begining when they asked you for all that stuff. i would have phoned him and told him to go open another one.

 

[visrot]

You've completely discouraged me from changing over to Cell C. Good luck anyway.

 

[CptNukeEm]

i meant at the begining when they asked you for all that stuff. i would have phoned him and told him to go open another one.

The problem is that he opened his account a week before the S4 was launched (so he couldn't do them together anyway). He's a busy man so I didn't want to bother him with my contract (seeing as I still have a contract at MTN, I'm just burning to get an S4 lol), so I told him that I'll sort it out. I just called up his assistant for the documents and just sent him the necessary forms so he can sign them and e-mail them back to me.

I didn't want to involve him as I was prematurely getting a new contract to get a new phone and he already wasn't too happy about it in the first place. But now that I've had to bother him so many times to get and sign new forms, he's REALLY pissed off, and I still don't have anything to show for it.

 

[Viva]

Prepaid FTW (for me)

 

[CptNukeEm]

Got a call last night from the Cell C store saying that they tried to contact the person at the corporate department, but the lady already went home (at 2pm)... This is exactly what happened the 5th time when I was in store. This is clearly a problem, HOW can the ONLY person who can approve the forms leave before 2pm every day? That's ridiculous!!!

Yet to receive any word today, so I'm guessing my predictions were right for "Monday the earliest"...

 

[CptNukeEm]

Guess what. I still don't have the phone. Been waiting since Friday for "Sim card activation". Hope it gets sorted today -_-

Almost 3pm and no word from them yet. Hahaha

EDIT: Looks like I was too optimistic about getting it today lol.. No phone yet.

 

[CptNukeEm]

Went to buy groceries yesterday afternoon and decided to stop at the Cell C store and hear what's up. I was told that corporate department would activate my sim yesterday afternoon or this morning. The lady who has helped me every time told me that she is leaving work at 1pm today.

So at 12:40pm today, I decided to call Cell C since I haven't heard anything from them yet today. She told me that she's been busy all day, but will check if the sim is activated and let me know. Well I certainly hope she hasn't gone home yet, since it's 14:30 now and I still haven't heard anything yet.

Guess it's just another day in the world of Cell C.