Iburst base station decommissioned, need advise.

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MXkid77

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Hi i am new here and this is my first post.

I would greatly appreciate some advise with this issue with Iburst.

Since the end of November 2013 i have had no signal at my house, i sent numerous emails, web tickets and spent hours with a ringing phone and no answer to try get to some support or response from Iburst. No replies and no phone calls from them.

On the 3 March i posted messages on Ibursts twitter and facebook pages, still no response.
2 April, another post on Twitter and finally i get a response.
A chap phones me and i explain that i have lived in the house for 2.5 years with no signal issues, and end of November 2013 nothing. He suggests he will get somebody to come and test the signal.

It takes a week or two to be able to meet the guy at my house to test the signal, but we eventually do and he confirms no signal. He also mentions that the base station that i was pulling the signal from was decommissioned the end of November.

So now, since the end of November, they have been debiting my account for a service i have not been able to use.

They have recently offered me alternatives, but quite frankly, it's nowhere near what i previously had and cannot compete with the other service providers is have looked at, (and to be honest with their response time for queries and inability to answer a phone or email, why would i choose them again!)

So i requested that we terminate the contract and they refund me for the months Dec 2013 - April 2014, seems reasonable?

Well. They will terminate, but no refund. The reply to why no refund is simply this.

"Yes, the base station was decommissioned in November, clients had a choice then to either cancel with immediate effect or move to another service,
Please note it has gone 5 months, the choice was meant to be made in November or December that’s the reason for no refunds."

So, they decommission the base station, neglect to inform me that they have, and won't refund me cause they don't reply to all the times and methods i have tried to make contact!!!!!

Where do i stand here?
 
iBurst documents: https://iburst.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=42&Itemid=348

15. ESCALATION PROCEDURES

Where a complaint remains unresolved for a period deemed to be unreasonable, please follow the following dispute procedures in the following sequence:

Step 1 - Request to speak to the Contact Centre Supervisor:
the Contact Centre Supervisor will attend to your call. Where the complaint is complex, the Contact Centre Supervisor may need some time to investigate into the nature of the problem; therefore you may be required to explain the nature of the problem providing as much detail as possible. The time required by the Contact Centre Supervisor to conduct the investigations will be communicated to and discussed with you.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, please use the next step:

Step 2 – Request to speak to the Contact Centre Manager:
Should you still be dissatisfied with the outcome, the Contact Centre Manager must refer you to the Customer Relations Manager to resolve your complaint.
If, after exhausting all the available measures, the Customer Relations Manager does not resolve the complaint to your satisfaction, he/she will request you to put your complaint in writing. The written complaint should be referred to the Head of Customer Services who will make the final determination on the complaint. Such written complaints can be sent via post, facsimile or electronic mail to the address or number detailed below:
iBurst (Pty) Limited, PO Box 651921, Benmore, 2010, Fax: 086 503 9111, Email: [email protected]

Should you not be satisfied with the final determination by the Head of Customer Services, you may refer the matter to ICASA’s Consumer Protection department and advise them of the steps you (and iBurst) have taken to resolve the problem. ICASA Consumer Protection department can be contacted on (011) 321 8277 or by facsimile on (011) 448 1870 and email at: [email protected].
 
Thanks for the above, have not had a chance to take this further, but am now getting contacted frequently for my address so they can collect the modem.

They won't refund me but want the modem back. Should i hang onto it until this is resolved?
 
MXkid77 said:
Thanks for the above, have not had a chance to take this further, but am now getting contacted frequently for my address so they can collect the modem.

They won't refund me but want the modem back. Should i hang onto it until this is resolved?
Click to expand...

do not let the modem or anything else go until resolved. Also do not sign anything, unless it is a stop order at your bank (if debits are still running)
 
Also print all your emails show them that you did communicate, but no one told you of the shutdown. Show that to them. Then request a refund again.

You could go to ICASA,.or you could get a lawyer to write a letter. If they ignore the letter then go small claims route for net bills and lawyer fees.
 
If i am not mistaken banks can reverse debit orders from up to 6 months ago. It is called an external rejection and will be reversed by the bank.
 
OK, thanks for the info. I requested immediate termination on the 29-04-2014 and have since been billed for May & June. I have just emailed to find out why i am still being billed.

They reply saying they need the modem to be returned before they can terminate the account, to which i have replied i am not returning the modem until i have been refunded.

So below is where we stand....

"We need the modem to be returned in order to terminate,

There will be no credits as I have sent you emails and had no reply from you.

We will then raise an invoice and bill you for the hardware.

We are offering you immediate termination with no penalty fees once the modem is collected.

Please advise ?"

I am going to request the matter be Escalated as per the ESCALATION PROCEDURES.
 
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