Pathetic 3G Service

M

MercuryStorm

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I am now about to loose my temper seriously with vodacom. I have a 3G contract (UNFORTUNATLY) with Vodacom, that has serious network issues in the last 3 weeks, they system is constantly dropping connections, even though the modem has full signal and thinks its connected there is no data throughput. I have logged calls, which keeps getting closed a a new call opened (keeps the stats good!!). Vodacom sent a engineer to my premises who did a speed test (apparntly thats how u test a network.. a complete WASTE of my time), i had to sit in 45minutes of traffic in the rain, to get home to have Wellington go to http://speed.vodacom.co.za and tell me thats all he can do... you guys have network testing equipement.. USE IT!

I recieved a call from networks on Saturday (21st November) (after having to fight with 155 call center) from networks admiting they know there is a problem on Dainfern View, Leaping Frog and Lonehill Firestations base stations, yet nothing has been done about it?

Why has nobody bothered to give me feedback on the ongoing problems? I am a paying customer... I EXPECT SERVICE.


Why should I have to pay for a service that does not work! I am a home based worker and I give training via online training software, which doesnt work to well with constant disconnections. I have asked many times the 155 call center to have the CRM office phone me, which has never happend. The problem we all have, is that if you refuse to pay them for no service, they just terminate your contract and then try sue you. Vodacom must take there modem back, cancel my contract and pay for the installation of an ADSL line, it cannot be worse then vodacom service!

I even tried sending VodacomData a PM, which got 2 replies, with nothing of use...

A4-6J13-WB1AH
S2-YBXB5-54T3 (13th November)

Phoning the 155 call center is as helpful as hitting your head against a brick wall! Actually hitting your head against a brick wall is less painful!

We south africans have to deal with such cr*p service from service providers, this would NOT be accepted in 1st world countrys.
 
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I am not to far from Dainfern, in Randjesfontein. My service there, as well as at my office in Melrose is always good
I did have problems until I tried '3G ONLY'. Have you tried this?
Apart from this, perhaps a visit to the data people @ Vodaworld may help

Cory
 
+1 to everything he just said.

Again, today, failure of service, disconnects and zero throughput, dns issues, etc.

Started around 10am, still not stable enough for any proper use. (Nelspruit again btw)
 
Cory, thanks for the advice, my modem is set to 3G only, and last night i changed from my B970 router to my E220 modem, and had the exact same problems. The network team admited to me on Saturday that the three towers listed previously (Dainfern View, Lonehill Firestation and Leaping Frog) have an intermitent problem where it just stops all throughput, however the modem thinks it still connected, they only found this problem last thursday (apparntly jumping up and down for two weeks before doesnt help much!)

I have now lost my temper with it, and emailed Pieter Uys directly, lets see if something is actually done now. If we provided vodacom a service, and you gave them the same customer service they give us, the clients, they would tell u to get lost so flippen quickly!
 
I'm having the same problem in Fourways, but I have noticed that it only affects 3G connections, and it's even worse for HSDPA. When I use GPRS, everything is good. Until the connection gets dropped alltogether, as GPRS tends to do often :P
 
I have same problems in Midrand. Full signal strength, but slower than a 56k modem, including failing DNS lookups. I have to reset the modem several times a day.
 
busy downloading about 115 megs of updates for my ubuntu os...getting a average of 70 - 100 kB/s
Says it will take. About 30 minutes from download start to download end. That is a good download speed right? Area is cyrildene/Bruma JHB. 3bars signal.
 
i've emailed pieter uys (CEO) with all the case reference numbers, on thursday there was lots of progress from vodacom with tons of emails and phone calls promising that the problem was going to be fixed etc... and then silence from them again..

i dont have a speed issue, when its working the speed is great, the problem is with the network when it kills the 3g connection and the modem still thinks its connected
 
We have been experiencing the exact same problems in Lonehill and Witkoppen for 12 WEEKS !!

We are Nashua Mobile Corporate Clients. Nashua helpdesk has been stuffing us around from pillar to post for weeks! Nashua Mobile store Lonehill Shopping Centre has been closed for months. Nashua Mobile Douglasdale - phones are engaged 24/7. Nobody takes any accountability. We have phoned Vodacom helpdesk many times, still no answers. We have tested sim cards, disabled anti-virus, re-installed software, the usual run-around. But they fail to understand that the modem works 100% outside JHB on business trips (Bloemfontein, Durban) - just NOT IN LONEHILL!! Cant get that through to them!!

To date, over the past 12 weeks, this is what we have done. (in a nutshell)

1. Vodashop Fourways have informed us that they are experiencing the same problems in the store, they also experience data throughput problems etc. They upgraded our Modem firmware, no results. Imagine this - they say that if Vodacom gets back to us with an answer, we must please let them know! Brilliant. But the guys were at least helpful and friendly. Same boat as the rest of us.

2. I have re-installed the VMC Software 3 Times! And upgraded to all new versions as found at http://www.vodacom.co.za/services/vodacom_broadband/downloads.jsp
Still no results.

3. I have posted a complaint on HelloPeter. Got an email from Candice Green: Vodacom Customer Care, wait for it...asking me to answer 9 questions which I have already been through with the helpdesks at Nashua and Vodacom for the past 12 WEEKS. The vicious circle of chaos. At my professional IT consulting rate, they now owe me over R20 000.00 in time I have wasted on this garbage.

4. On Saturday 28 November I received a call from LESTER at Vodacom Network Services. After explaining the whole issue again, the call was supposedly escalated to the "Vodacom Radio Division".

5. We cant cancel our contract - naturally.

Here are some interesting posts

http://www.hellopeter.com/vodacom-complaint-[347506]

http://www.hellopeter.com/vodacom-complaint-[347116]

http://www.hellopeter.com/vodacom-complaint-[341402]

http://www.hellopeter.com/vodacom-complaint-[339496]

http://www.hellopeter.com/vodacom-complaint-[340464]

=================================================

=================================================
Email from Candice Green: Vodacom

Thank you for your e-mail communication to Vodacom.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience that you may have experienced. Vodacom does pride itself in maintaining and being consistent in providing good Customer Service.

Please supply us with the information listed below in order to escalate the matter to the relevant division.

1. If you have a Vodacom cellphone, please activate Cell Broadcast service and supply us with the name of the tower that displays on the screen of the phone while in this particular area.
2. Approximately how many other Vodacom Subscribers are you aware of that encounters the same problem?
3. What is your 3G cell phone or sim card number?
4. Is there an alternative contact number where we can reach you?
5. What is the exact physical address or addresses where you encounter this problem? (Province, town, suburb, street name and closest intersection)
6. How long have been experiencing this problem?
7. What type of 3G card (Novatel or Option) and what Vodafone software version are you using?
8. What are the symptoms/exact error message?
9. What profile are you using? Have you tried deleting and recreating your profile? If yes, supply us with the outcome.

We await your feedback so that we can attend to your problem in the most efficient and effective manner.

We do apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Should you have any further queries, please contact us via e-mail at [email protected]

Warm Regards

Candice Green

=========================================================

I am making a concerted effort to send all correspondance and proof, as well as links to all complaints listed on HelloPeter and this forum to:
- Noseweek
- Radio 702
- Caxton (Fourways Review)
- Carte Blanche
 
Birch Acres
Fourways
Dainfern
Lonehill


These are the BTS and areas we currently have a problems in Dainfern being the most problematic.

If anyone here connects to Dainfern , how was your browsing connectivity last night ?

Regards
VodacomData
 
When are you fixing the problem!!??

Dont tell us there is a problem - WE KNOW THAT, ITS BEEN 12 WEEKS!!!!!

WE ARE PAYING YOU FOR A SERVICE THAT WE CANT USE AND YOU ARE CAUSING MY BUSINESS TO SUFFER AS WE CANT COMMUNICATE WITH CUSTOMERS IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.

IF I HAD TO GIVE MY CUSTOMERS THIS LEVEL OF SERVICE, I WOULD BE OUT BUSINESS!

YOU DONT CARE - ADMIT IT! WE NEED MORE COMPETITION IN THIS SPACE.

YOU GUYS HAVE TAKEN ALL OUR MONEY, INVESTED IT IN AFRICA TO SECURE MARKET SHARE, AT CHEAPER RATES THAN WE ARE PAYING IN SA, AND WE HAVE TO SUFFER.

GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!

EVEN WORSE WE ARE BOUND BY CONTRACTS THAT WE CANT GET OUT OF.
AT LEAST GIVE US THE OPTION TO CANCEL OUR CONTRACTS BASED ON INADEQUATE SERVICE LEVELS!!
 
As a second thought, I wonder what the International community attending FIFA 2010 will think when reading these posts.

I think its time to start visiting a few of those "FIFA 2010" websites, I'm sure the tourists to our beloved country will want to make alternative data arrangements before having to deal with this lot!

Vodacom you have failed us. Im not taking this lying down.
 
badseed said:
Email from Candice Green: Vodacom

Thank you for your e-mail communication to Vodacom.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience that you may have experienced. Vodacom does pride itself in maintaining and being consistent in providing good Customer Service.

Please supply us with the information listed below in order to escalate the matter to the relevant division.

1. If you have a Vodacom cellphone, please activate Cell Broadcast service and supply us with the name of the tower that displays on the screen of the phone while in this particular area.
Click to expand...

Shame, has no-one told her that you haven't been able to see the tower name since they overwrote them with advertising blurb a few years back?
 
Ladies & Gentlemen...& Vodacom

I hope you all listened to the John Robbie Show on Radio 702 this morning! Lots of calls, 100's of SMS messages received.

1 down, quite a few more to go...

Cherio
More cutting edge stuff coming your way soon! Watch this space.
 
I heard a guy calling in to say that he had problems with his Vodacom 3G, he called the support desk and they advised him to upgrade his software (downloadable) and it fixed his issue. What other people phoned in? I only started listening at about 7:00 on my way to work.
 
Quite a few people phoned in. The last call was from a lady (at about 8:45) that has written a letter to Pieter Uys, Vodacom techs went out to her premises etc, to cut a long story short Vodacom admitted to her (quoting her phonecall on 702) that their towers are over capacity and they cant handle all the connections...

John Robbie also commented that many SMS messages are streaming through the call desk about the problem.

Upgrading software doesnt work - we have been through that. Read my original post on page 1. As I mentioned, even the guys working at Vodashop in Fourways Mall are having these issues - they personally told us that many customers are experiencing this.
 
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