Line occupied by previous tenant (MWEB/Vumatel)

[exe0]

I have an issue and I wonder how common it is and if there is anything that I can do about it (that I have not already tried).

I moved into a property in December 2018 that had a Vumatel line already installed. Unfortunately the previous tenants never cancelled their account with MWEB so I could not set up my own fibre account. After some back and forth through the rental agents, the previous renters promised to cancel their account at the end of December - they were apparently avoiding a cancellation penalty. They gave me their blessing to use the internet for the remainder of the month.

It's now February and the account has been suspended due to non payment. Now according to MWEB they can't release the line unless the account holders themselves cancel the account, but even before that they can't do anything until the outstanding amount of R4000 has been paid by the account holders. It seems their 12 months contract only ends in May 2019 and not in December 2018. Alternatively I can wait a few MONTHS until the account is terminated due to non-payment - a pretty terrible proposition.

Vumatel is equally useless and cannot help me since there is still an "active account" on the line. In December one of their support people told me that I could pay for a new "line installation" where they come and replace existing (fully functional) CPE with another one. Likewise a ridiculous proposal.

Obviously the account holders seem to be practically unreachable and have been dodging attempts at contact from the rental agents and have been making empty promises to MWEB.

Has anyone had a similar issue? Is this a common policy? Is there anything that I can do to remedy the situation?

TL;DR: I'm unable to use the fibre line running into the property that I live on, because the previous tenants don't want to cancel their account. Useless service all round.

 

[Wasabee!]

Place a new order with a new ISP? How Mweb recover the debt from the other consumer has nothing to do with you.

 

[exe0]

I have already tried that. The new ISP (in my case I tried Cool Ideas) simply told me that they can't do anything unless MWEB releases the line. They are basically holding the line hostage until the other consumer pays. Even before there was an outstanding bill MWEB refused to cancel the account.

 

[cavedog]

First of all you have no legal foot to interfere as it's a matter between the previous owner and Mweb. If anything you could get into trouble for using it unless you have some sort of proof they gave you permission to use it otherwise they can dispute it saying someone else used it which would become a legal matter involving you. Unlikely but could.

The best way is to action a new install. To do this you need to add a B,C,D ect ect to the install address.

For example if the line is installed at 12 Rose street Randburg ect you would request a new installation at 12B or 12C or 12D Rose street Randburg ect if that makes sense. That means you get a new CPE installed under your or your ISP's name and you are good to go.

 

[exe0]

Fortunately I have an email directed at the rental agents from the previous tenant where they give me permission to use the line and where they state their intention to cancel the line by the end of December. Here's a quote:

I will be cancelling the Service provider at the end of December. There is a cancellation fee that needs to be paid as I signed a 1 year contract with M-Web for the fiber installation.
If the new tenants have the proper rooter, they are more than welcome to use the service on my account until the contract is cancelled.

According to MWEB support they first promised to pay the outstanding amount on the 25th of February. After failing to do so they apparently promised to contact me to come to some agreement where they hand over the line/account to me - I am still waiting.

I guess I don't have much of a choice. What a waste.

 

[S.Claus]

I agree with @Wasabee! .Have you considered phoning Vumatel and asking them to try and sort out the problem or possibly reclaim the line themselves?

 

[exe0]

Have you considered phoning Vumatel and asking them to try and sort out the problem or possibly reclaim the line themselves?

Vumatel were the ones who originally told me to order a new line installation and CPE in December. Today they tweeted me saying that they can't do anything regarding the situation since the line is still "active". I have made contact with my ISP regarding a new installation so I will have to see what happens.

 

[Venomous]

I have an issue and I wonder how common it is and if there is anything that I can do about it (that I have not already tried).

I moved into a property in December 2018 that had a Vumatel line already installed. Unfortunately the previous tenants never cancelled their account with MWEB so I could not set up my own fibre account. After some back and forth through the rental agents, the previous renters promised to cancel their account at the end of December - they were apparently avoiding a cancellation penalty. They gave me their blessing to use the internet for the remainder of the month.

It's now February and the account has been suspended due to non payment. Now according to MWEB they can't release the line unless the account holders themselves cancel the account, but even before that they can't do anything until the outstanding amount of R4000 has been paid by the account holders. It seems their 12 months contract only ends in May 2019 and not in December 2018. Alternatively I can wait a few MONTHS until the account is terminated due to non-payment - a pretty terrible proposition.

Vumatel is equally useless and cannot help me since there is still an "active account" on the line. In December one of their support people told me that I could pay for a new "line installation" where they come and replace existing (fully functional) CPE with another one. Likewise a ridiculous proposal.

Obviously the account holders seem to be practically unreachable and have been dodging attempts at contact from the rental agents and have been making empty promises to MWEB.

Has anyone had a similar issue? Is this a common policy? Is there anything that I can do to remedy the situation?

TL;DR: I'm unable to use the fibre line running into the property that I live on, because the previous tenants don't want to cancel their account. Useless service all round.

Which ISP will you be using?

 

[Venomous]

The reason I asked that is because Mweb is definately not competetive on their fibre prices....

 

[cavedog]

Fortunately I have an email directed at the rental agents from the previous tenant where they give me permission to use the line and where they state their intention to cancel the line by the end of December. Here's a quote:


According to MWEB support they first promised to pay the outstanding amount on the 25th of February. After failing to do so they apparently promised to contact me to come to some agreement where they hand over the line/account to me - I am still waiting.

I guess I don't have much of a choice. What a waste.

The fact that Mweb even gave you that info is a blatant violation of the account holders private information by giving the information to you a 3rd party.

I'm not sure why you are hammering on claiming that line? The previous tenant paid the vumatel installation and Mweb is holding the line because of monies due to them. Trust me. Avoid all this and action a new install. You are complicating things for yourself. If you think you want the line because you don't want to pay for installation then I'm afraid you are going to lose more. By the sounds of thing Mweb wants you to take over. Don't. Just get a new install.

 

[exe0]

The reason I asked that is because Mweb is definately not competetive on their fibre prices....

I'm planning on using cool ideas.

I'm not sure why you are hammering on claiming that line?

I guess it's just strange to me that the required hardware is literally sitting right there - nobody is gaining anything from this situation. The previous tenants might have left the country for all we know (they sure aren't ever going to use the line again), so holding the line is not incentivizing them to pay. Freeing the line has no effect on how well MWEB can negotiate payment. Now Vumatel needs to come put in new infrastructure while the old line/CPE is perfectly functional. Does that not just sound insane to you? Perhaps I am just a bit naive. It also strikes me as odd that there is not some system in place for dealing with this sort of thing.

Whatever the case may be, I have taken your advice and put the wheels in motion for a new installation. Thanks.

 

[cavedog]

I'm planning on using cool ideas.



I guess it's just strange to me that the required hardware is literally sitting right there - nobody is gaining anything from this situation. The previous tenants might have left the country for all we know (they sure aren't ever going to use the line again), so holding the line is not incentivizing them to pay. Freeing the line has no effect on how well MWEB can negotiate payment. Now Vumatel needs to come put in new infrastructure while the old line/CPE is perfectly functional. Does that not just sound insane to you? Perhaps I am just a bit naive. It also strikes me as odd that there is not some system in place for dealing with this sort of thing.

Whatever the case may be, I have taken your advice and put the wheels in motion for a new installation. Thanks.

I guess it seems odd but it isn't really. A line migration is actually meant if you want to change ISPs. The starts even when the previous tenant was paid up and he cancelled you would have still needed a new install unless you managed to come to some sort of agreement to to transfer the line and you guys managed to stick to the strict time lines of a line migration.

This usually an issue with rental properties.

With openserve it's the same. I'm renting now and if I move out it will be hard for the next tenant to get the line. The line needs to go to the holding pool and if not snatched by the new tenants isp in a few days the line gets cancelled anyways even though I will leave the ONT there when I move out. The new tenant would action a new install and have the ont swapped out.

 

[Sopbeen]

The new tenant would action a new install and have the ont swapped out.

lol thats stupid and so incredibly wasteful. A lot of this fibre activation/reactivation feels unnecessarily complicated. Especially the pay-to-swap-isp story.

 

[Cam]

Hi! I have the exact same situation. The previous tenant's account is suspended and mweb is refusing to help me.

Did a new line installation work for you? How much did it cost?

 

[Cam]

For anyone else running into the same issue.

After many phone calls with Mweb and Vumatel:
- Vumatel can't install a new line at the same premises. Even though one of the reps told me to mail cancellations to start that process (that did not help).
- It took some begging to Mweb to release the object number/line.
- I had to phone the real estate agent to get the contact details of the previous tenant and give it to Mweb (they wouldn't check the account on their side for the details) lol.
- After phoning about 3times a day, everytime being told they can't do anything, I finally found someone that would help. He phoned the previous tenant to get verbal confirmation of the cancellation. After that it took 24 hours for the line to be available for me to activate my package.

 

[Recallza]

For anyone else running into the same issue.

After many phone calls with Mweb and Vumatel:
- Vumatel can't install a new line at the same premises. Even though one of the reps told me to mail cancellations to start that process (that did not help).
- It took some begging to Mweb to release the object number/line.
- I had to phone the real estate agent to get the contact details of the previous tenant and give it to Mweb (they wouldn't check the account on their side for the details) lol.
- After phoning about 3times a day, everytime being told they can't do anything, I finally found someone that would help. He phoned the previous tenant to get verbal confirmation of the cancellation. After that it took 24 hours for the line to be available for me to activate my package.

What a nightmare, glad it's sorted.

 

[cavedog]

For anyone else running into the same issue.

After many phone calls with Mweb and Vumatel:
- Vumatel can't install a new line at the same premises. Even though one of the reps told me to mail cancellations to start that process (that did not help).
- It took some begging to Mweb to release the object number/line.
- I had to phone the real estate agent to get the contact details of the previous tenant and give it to Mweb (they wouldn't check the account on their side for the details) lol.
- After phoning about 3times a day, everytime being told they can't do anything, I finally found someone that would help. He phoned the previous tenant to get verbal confirmation of the cancellation. After that it took 24 hours for the line to be available for me to activate my package.

1 st point. That is not true you were supposed to initiate a new install by adding a letter to your address like B,C,D,E ect ect

2nd point. Mweb won't release the line if moneys are owed to them

3rd point. You opened yourself open to a lawsuit if the previous tenant wants to be nasty. You obtained his personal info and called a service/credit provider asking info about him/her. If they gave you any info you all could actually be sued. (Very unlikely because this is not the USA but just mentioning it)

4. Again your were supposed to initiate a new install. You got lucky they released the line because now you don't have to pay the new install fee from Vumatel and just activated a new ISP and that ISP probably waived the R999 connection fee so you got the line for free while the previous tenant paid the installation fee.

I know you can have more than 1 line at an address because I stay at a property with 3 fibre lines installed and everyone on their own ISP.

You should have just initiated a new install like no fibre line was ever installed by adding a letter and you would have gotten sorted quicker. That said nice you got the line released at least you managed to save some money on a new install.

 

[Geoff.D]

All this just illustrates how poor most businesses set up their systems. Just another example of poor management also. There should always be a process in place to sort out issues like this.
Imagine, quite prepared to have idle infrastructure that could be generating revenue for you (and encouraging a potential customer to find a workaround), just because you can't clean up the service termination processes in your company! Disgusting!

 

[Dark Agent]

I have an issue and I wonder how common it is and if there is anything that I can do about it (that I have not already tried).

I moved into a property in December 2018 that had a Vumatel line already installed. Unfortunately the previous tenants never cancelled their account with MWEB so I could not set up my own fibre account. After some back and forth through the rental agents, the previous renters promised to cancel their account at the end of December - they were apparently avoiding a cancellation penalty. They gave me their blessing to use the internet for the remainder of the month.

It's now February and the account has been suspended due to non payment. Now according to MWEB they can't release the line unless the account holders themselves cancel the account, but even before that they can't do anything until the outstanding amount of R4000 has been paid by the account holders. It seems their 12 months contract only ends in May 2019 and not in December 2018. Alternatively I can wait a few MONTHS until the account is terminated due to non-payment - a pretty terrible proposition.

Vumatel is equally useless and cannot help me since there is still an "active account" on the line. In December one of their support people told me that I could pay for a new "line installation" where they come and replace existing (fully functional) CPE with another one. Likewise a ridiculous proposal.

Obviously the account holders seem to be practically unreachable and have been dodging attempts at contact from the rental agents and have been making empty promises to MWEB.

Has anyone had a similar issue? Is this a common policy? Is there anything that I can do to remedy the situation?

TL;DR: I'm unable to use the fibre line running into the property that I live on, because the previous tenants don't want to cancel their account. Useless service all round.

How was this resolved. What steps you took ?

 

[Dirkjvr]

For anyone else running into the same issue.

After many phone calls with Mweb and Vumatel:
- Vumatel can't install a new line at the same premises. Even though one of the reps told me to mail cancellations to start that process (that did not help).
- It took some begging to Mweb to release the object number/line.
- I had to phone the real estate agent to get the contact details of the previous tenant and give it to Mweb (they wouldn't check the account on their side for the details) lol.
- After phoning about 3times a day, everytime being told they can't do anything, I finally found someone that would help. He phoned the previous tenant to get verbal confirmation of the cancellation. After that it took 24 hours for the line to be available for me to activate my package.

Thanks , I also had the response that no one can help me. After reading your comment I phoned Mweb and they phone the previous tenant and also verbally confirmed cancelation. Took 24 hours and the line is release.