SA internet watchdog???

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rippedoff

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Right so what can we or what are we going to do about all this constant shyte service, prices, monopolies etc?

Sitting back and complaining is gonna do nothing but the sooner we realise we are the people en masse, the sooner we can actually try make a difference! Are there any existing organistaions around we can join and get in on or do we need to start the revolution ourselves??? Something along the lines of CICSA - Concerned Internet Consumers of South Africa...
 
We sit back and wait for change to take place. It will yield the same result , with alot less effort :D . Or ofcourse we could point our fingers at ICASA , they might try doing their jobs one of these days.
 
Ichigin, no disrespect here mate but If we wait for change to take place we will grow old bitching and complaining about the change that might never happen or will happen without our consent as the public on major issues. ICASA keeps passing the lube between the govt, Neotel and then back to Telkom while we as the paying public get shafted.

We need a CONSUMER RIGHTS voice that can gain public recognition, voice its concerns in the free press without being censored and lobby for cheaper prices, better service and more regulation ON BEHALF OF US as the consumer! There are thousands of us unhappy with the state of affairs so lets start a basic body of members and grow an organisation here?

Im in! Where do i sign up?
 
haha you guys might be on to something...yes I agree when unhappy then do something about it...but not to unmotivate anyone or demoralizee your "internet freedom fighter" campaign..but if you do decide on turning "cheapo interneto activisto" it whould take a while to grow it into something that actually has a "respected voice". It will take **** load of time, and work..and then there is still the potential after you took all the right steps that our goverrnment might just do what it always does and just ignore you for not 'thinking like them".....
 
Hmm .. as I recall that was the partial aim of this forum.

From the mybb T's&C's ..
MyADSL / MyBroadband is an online news and information website and online forum. The purpose is to openly share information about broadband related issues and work with relevant organizations to improve the state of broadband in South Africa.
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There must be a significant amount of forumites willing to learn the art of virtual toyi-toying. If I was looking for masses to launch some sort of mobbying tactics (tm) against said 'relevant organizations' this would probably be a good place to start - we just need to get organized.

Sign me up as well.
 
Right, the groundswell has started. There are 3 people already keen and Im sure there will be many more...

If we can get any interested parties to reply to these posts we can start it right here...
 
Trying to get South Africans to institute consumer action is like trying to get Robert Mugabe to host the next World Democratic Freedom Forum. It just ain't gonna happen. South Africans don't know how to avoid paying high prices... it's almost like they are too chicken to try a little boycott. Believe me, I have tried... on this forum and elsewhere. You mention consumer action to South African and you will get shouted down with cries of "rabble rouser" and "it will never work". You can count me in... I have already stopped buying and paying for a lot of services. But good luck on motivating the average South African to join you in any kind of consumer action.
 
I have no desire to quell any revolution :) . . . . but realistically nothing is going to change until the new cables land later this year. :o

FYI - This forum was kicking up a stink long before I joined and just because it has diversified over the years doesnt mean many of us have forgotten why we joined in the first place ;)
 
Garyvdh said:
Trying to get South Africans to institute consumer action is like trying to get Robert Mugabe to host the next World Democratic Freedom Forum. It just ain't gonna happen. South Africans don't know how to avoid paying high prices... it's almost like they are too chicken to try a little boycott. Believe me, I have tried... on this forum and elsewhere. You mention consumer action to South African and you will get shouted down with cries of "rabble rouser" and "it will never work". You can count me in... I have already stopped buying and paying for a lot of services. But good luck on motivating the average South African to join you in any kind of consumer action.
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+1

apart from the average joe who doesn't know squat about the telecom's industry, the rest couldn't even be bothered, mix in only one fixed-line operator and there's only disaster that looms
 
WoW.

You are trying to let consumers fight against prices?

In a world where people vote for people based on how they look, or whether they will go drink a beer with them instead of actually thinking, who would be the best candidate to steer the country in a direction where it would be better off than before the person started.

It is like this in every single thing that you could possibly complain about.

Though I would like this very much, I do have my doubts about other people, people who I do not have control over...
 
AFAIK the best place to start a revolution is Facebook - I'm thinking "Hells?" kennels on Carte Blanche, but that as with most SA "revolutions" only lasts a week (if) and Carte Blanche, like most consumer bodies, has become nothing more than a toothless "name and shame" show...For this or even CB to work you need a follow up / nagging leg...else in a week all is forgotten and the FB group has lost all but a few hardliners...As mentioned we need to touch at the heart of these businesses - MONEY- this a unified boycot WILL do - Look at PNP removing the SaX appeal from its shelves after a viral campaign to boycot them, touched at their heart aka MONEY! Either way I wish you luck, but for this to succeed you're gonna need alternatives, which is in short supply - you may kill 1 ISP, but then you'll just enrich another - undeserving(?) one... and at the end of the day, the overpaid CEO's are hurt the least and the poor *astart that has nothing to do with anything is without a job :-( Sad, but true
 
Bwana, realistically, will anything change after the cables have landed? I've read the early predictions of prices slashed to only 10% of what we're paying now, I've seen the gradual adjustment in expectations to where most of us are barely hoping for a few gb's more at the same price. Pathetic really how unused we are to standing up for anything.

Tinuva, fortunately there are still some independent thinkers around. I for one would never accept the world as you describe. Yes its the way things are, people are sheep. I also fully realise I may never be able to change anything on my own, but accept it for myself? Never.
 
PnP removed Sax appeal not after they started losing huge amounts of money because of a boycot. They removed it based on the possible threat of a boycot. You don't need to financially ruin an ISP to make a point, you only need enough people (how many are we on here?) to collectively threaten to withdraw their support. Companies don't like bad publicity whether they're monopolies or not. Facebook works 'cos they have lots of exposure.

Sometimes you have to be prepared to put your money where your mouth is, but doing nothing about something will certainly accomplish nothing.
 
The only real way to force prices down (or quality up) is to cause a massive drop in sales for any particular product. If the business wants to stay in business, they're forced to clean up their act - Supply and Demand 101.

So who's willing to cut 100% of the Internet out of their lives?

I thought so.
 
evilstebunny said:
Bwana, realistically, will anything change after the cables have landed? I've read the early predictions of prices slashed to only 10% of what we're paying now, I've seen the gradual adjustment in expectations to where most of us are barely hoping for a few gb's more at the same price. Pathetic really how unused we are to standing up for anything.
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I'm afriad I have to agree. But how do you fight for your rights in this sphere when less than 10% of the uses adsl, and less than 5% of those even give a damn about quality and price?

My stepdad - the classic average white south african - was perfectly content with 56k dialup right up until 2007, until I ended up paying for an iBurst modem out of my own pocket.

And yes, we all know by case studies of countries around the world that massive broadband penetration leads to so many good things - improved customer relations, trade, information sharing, etc. But most of these things also happen to not be in the best interests of the government currently in power.

The ANC sure doesn't want their voter base finding out about all the stuff JZ's getting up to behind the scenes - most of which you'll only find on impartial online news services.

This change - like most other changes - really has to start at the top. There just isn't enough freedom to move otherwise.
 
You're pathetic, giving up before the fight has begun because it's 'too hard', or 'we'll never win'. You deserve the bad service you're getting so please in future, whenever you really feel like bitching about something rather keep shut and remember today when you wussed out of trying to stand together to accomplish something halfway worthwile.
 
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