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Telephone Survey!?
- Thread starter Flippit
- Start date
sybawoods
Expert Member
Was also gonna post about this... 
I took the survey. It's a Markinor survey commissioned by Telkom to check user satisfaction with ADSL, what they can do to imrpove the product, what will stop you from switching to a second network operator etc. Obviously, the things I asked for was:
- unshaped network
- higher cap (or option to extend it)
- lower costs
- options for higher speed (e.g. 1meg)
- option for static i.p.
Too many questions to remember - hopefully, everyone emphasizes the same things though. Beware, the survey facilitators aren't clued up at all, so you have to be very specific and clear with your answers.
Cheers
Syba
I took the survey. It's a Markinor survey commissioned by Telkom to check user satisfaction with ADSL, what they can do to imrpove the product, what will stop you from switching to a second network operator etc. Obviously, the things I asked for was:
- unshaped network
- higher cap (or option to extend it)
- lower costs
- options for higher speed (e.g. 1meg)
- option for static i.p.
Too many questions to remember - hopefully, everyone emphasizes the same things though. Beware, the survey facilitators aren't clued up at all, so you have to be very specific and clear with your answers.
Cheers
Syba
chopsky
Expert Member
Yeh, they called here as well, but being Sunday, my dad told them to bugger off. I wouldnt have minded giving my 2c, but hey.
Karnaugh
Banned
Do you want a higher cap? like 4gb? or 3.0001 gb?
NO. <b>WE DONT WANT <u>ANY</u> CAP</b>
<hr noshade size="1">iActive internet services
http://www.iactive.co.za
NO. <b>WE DONT WANT <u>ANY</u> CAP</b>
<hr noshade size="1">iActive internet services
http://www.iactive.co.za
xerox
Active Member
They phoned me aswell.... I doubt if it will help though...
Telkom doesn't even respond to my regular (enquiry) emails, how will they respond to a list of special requests?!
Only the people conducting the survey scores..cos they get paid. [xx(]
Telkom doesn't even respond to my regular (enquiry) emails, how will they respond to a list of special requests?!
Only the people conducting the survey scores..cos they get paid. [xx(]
Andre
Expert Member
They phoned me too. Some interesting questions. It was almost like they have been reading this site.
Hopefully something good comes from it.
Hopefully something good comes from it.
kaspaas
Expert Member
This is quite interesting. I wonder if Markinor would have had this contract if it was not for MyADSL
I've not been contacted by Markinor (yet).
Did the questions include stuff like if you are aware of the pricing and service offerings in other countries?
I've not been contacted by Markinor (yet).
Did the questions include stuff like if you are aware of the pricing and service offerings in other countries?
sybawoods
Expert Member
They didn't have questions about other countries, but some of the interesting one's were:
<b>How can we improve the current ADSL product offering:</b> (choose)
- higher premium with an unshaped network
- higher premium for partially shaped network
- there were some more options - can't remember - those were the ones that mattered to me
<b>How can we improve the cap?</b>
- an increased monthly premium for a higher cap threshold which you can downgrade in future
- through "pay as you go" as and when you need it
- again, were some more options
<b>Which isp are you most likely to switch to?</b>
They're not verbatim - but gives you a flavour for what kind of info they're after - and probably hints at new product offerings soon. Maybe others who took the survey can remember better than me [:I]
<b>How can we improve the current ADSL product offering:</b> (choose)
- higher premium with an unshaped network
- higher premium for partially shaped network
- there were some more options - can't remember - those were the ones that mattered to me
<b>How can we improve the cap?</b>
- an increased monthly premium for a higher cap threshold which you can downgrade in future
- through "pay as you go" as and when you need it
- again, were some more options
<b>Which isp are you most likely to switch to?</b>
They're not verbatim - but gives you a flavour for what kind of info they're after - and probably hints at new product offerings soon. Maybe others who took the survey can remember better than me [:I]
They called me on Sunday and I said to call back today. At the time I had no idea of the subject. Today I discovered that it was an obvious Telkom "pat me on the back" type session.
My personal favourite question:
You are aware that after 3.0 Gb your international access is limited. What would you do if after 3.0Gb your service was terminated?
My reply:
Place a bomb in the nearest switch and become an anarchist.
This 15 min survey took 45 min to complete, after I demanded (half way through), a copy of the questions or that they restart, so that I could record it. The request was refused despite references to the “Access to information act” and the fact that only the results, not the questions were private.
Such questions as how can we improve the service by adding more cost, with no option for "non of the above" really upset me, and the standard answer to how can we improve the (help desk/install team etc.) was EDUCTION.
This was the most biased set of questions that I have ever heard, the only outcome would be what are we willing to pay more for?
I insisted, and had the poor chap read back, that the only thing I would accept is the service that I originally played for:
512/128, 3GB upload or download cap (not combined), reset every 24 hrs (not timed out after 60 min), always on (not always available), no shaping.
After threatening to sue Markinor as well as Telkom unless I got a transcript of the conversation, he said he would escalate it to head office. I don’t hold out much hope, but a copy of the questions would help us refute the obvious results that Telkom will claim in the “Independent, Impartial survey”.
On the hand, RPM’s demand for a survey seems to have paid off.
Way to go RPM, lets hope the results are un biased (despite the questions).
Cheers
Chris
My personal favourite question:
You are aware that after 3.0 Gb your international access is limited. What would you do if after 3.0Gb your service was terminated?
My reply:
Place a bomb in the nearest switch and become an anarchist.
This 15 min survey took 45 min to complete, after I demanded (half way through), a copy of the questions or that they restart, so that I could record it. The request was refused despite references to the “Access to information act” and the fact that only the results, not the questions were private.
Such questions as how can we improve the service by adding more cost, with no option for "non of the above" really upset me, and the standard answer to how can we improve the (help desk/install team etc.) was EDUCTION.
This was the most biased set of questions that I have ever heard, the only outcome would be what are we willing to pay more for?
I insisted, and had the poor chap read back, that the only thing I would accept is the service that I originally played for:
512/128, 3GB upload or download cap (not combined), reset every 24 hrs (not timed out after 60 min), always on (not always available), no shaping.
After threatening to sue Markinor as well as Telkom unless I got a transcript of the conversation, he said he would escalate it to head office. I don’t hold out much hope, but a copy of the questions would help us refute the obvious results that Telkom will claim in the “Independent, Impartial survey”.
On the hand, RPM’s demand for a survey seems to have paid off.
Way to go RPM, lets hope the results are un biased (despite the questions).
Cheers
Chris
Karnaugh
Banned
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> I think one can predict where Telkom will go with this.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Yip, seeing as you all said you were happy to pay more for the option of "extending" your cap instead of saying "cluck you, take your line and shove your cap up your naught", I can say for certain they well once again advertise that everyone is compleatly happy with their service (you all must be seeing as you are still paying for it)
<hr noshade size="1">iActive internet services
http://www.iactive.co.za
Yip, seeing as you all said you were happy to pay more for the option of "extending" your cap instead of saying "cluck you, take your line and shove your cap up your naught", I can say for certain they well once again advertise that everyone is compleatly happy with their service (you all must be seeing as you are still paying for it)
<hr noshade size="1">iActive internet services
http://www.iactive.co.za
Thanks for the link Karnaugh,
Here is the email that I sent.
If I get a reply I will post it here.
Hi Shirley,
I am afraid that I may have been, somewhat, rude to one of your Tele-Agents (Deon) this afternoon. He called me to do a survey about Internet access, and as the interview progressed it became obvious to me that the questions were extremely biased and did not allow for an alternative point of view. i.e. five options but no "non of the above".
The 15 minute interview lasted for about 45 minutes, most of that time was, of course, taken up by me trying to explain to your unfortunate (non technical) agent that the questions he was asking had no valid answer within the confines of the options provided.
In the freeform questions/answers he probably took more dictation than I would ask of a secretary. Each of which he willingly read back to me, word for word, (this certainly shows his integrity).
The bottom line is that I requested, no demanded, a copy of the questions. He asked his supervisor, who refused (I over heard the conversation), and he was obviously distressed when I threatened to sue both Telkom and Markinor under the "access to information act". He did agree to escalate my grievance to Head Office, and as such I furnished him with my full details.
I trust that this will happen, and urge that you commend him for doing so, as he has already suffered enough at the hands of disgruntled ADSL users, such as myself.
My apologies to Deon, he suffered the wrath that should rather have been directed at Telkom. I fully understand that the results of the survey belong to the client, and will wait to see if they are ever published.
However, I still demand that I receive a copy of the questions that I was asked to answer. I do not know if your staff devised the questions, or if Telkom submitted them, but as they were asked of the public they must, by default, be in the public domain, therefore, in the interests of transparency they should be released.
I look forward to your reply, and hopefully a copy of the Questionnaire.
Thank you,
Chris Roper
[email protected] (0828983023)
Here is the email that I sent.
If I get a reply I will post it here.
Hi Shirley,
I am afraid that I may have been, somewhat, rude to one of your Tele-Agents (Deon) this afternoon. He called me to do a survey about Internet access, and as the interview progressed it became obvious to me that the questions were extremely biased and did not allow for an alternative point of view. i.e. five options but no "non of the above".
The 15 minute interview lasted for about 45 minutes, most of that time was, of course, taken up by me trying to explain to your unfortunate (non technical) agent that the questions he was asking had no valid answer within the confines of the options provided.
In the freeform questions/answers he probably took more dictation than I would ask of a secretary. Each of which he willingly read back to me, word for word, (this certainly shows his integrity).
The bottom line is that I requested, no demanded, a copy of the questions. He asked his supervisor, who refused (I over heard the conversation), and he was obviously distressed when I threatened to sue both Telkom and Markinor under the "access to information act". He did agree to escalate my grievance to Head Office, and as such I furnished him with my full details.
I trust that this will happen, and urge that you commend him for doing so, as he has already suffered enough at the hands of disgruntled ADSL users, such as myself.
My apologies to Deon, he suffered the wrath that should rather have been directed at Telkom. I fully understand that the results of the survey belong to the client, and will wait to see if they are ever published.
However, I still demand that I receive a copy of the questions that I was asked to answer. I do not know if your staff devised the questions, or if Telkom submitted them, but as they were asked of the public they must, by default, be in the public domain, therefore, in the interests of transparency they should be released.
I look forward to your reply, and hopefully a copy of the Questionnaire.
Thank you,
Chris Roper
[email protected] (0828983023)
sybawoods
Expert Member
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Do you want a higher cap? like 4gb? or 3.0001 gb?
NO. WE DONT WANT ANY CAP<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I agree, and specifically fed that back in the survey - no cap would be first prize. I'd also like a 2meg connection and wouldn't want to pay more than R450 p/m for it. Is that a realistic expectation? Some would say yes. Many would say no.
In the confines of the survey - and I agree that the options were limited - an affordable option to buy a product with a higher cap, on an unshaped network <b>would</b> be a step in the right direction.
And at the risk of sounding like an apologist for Telkom, a huge portion of the survey is clearly intended at positioning more product options tailored for the market, as opposed to a falsely generated "we love Telkom" type survey. The survey is far from perfect, but I did, grudgingly, value the opportunity to influence the direction of future product options.
In the same breath, lets acknowledge that this was not due to any sudden act of customer empathy from Telkom, but due to huge pressure from this organised community. It would be a mistake to completely opt out of the survey, though, and have product options forced upon us that we had no influence over. A few months ago it would have been unthinkable that Telkom would actually consult it's customers - so let's acknowledge a little step in the right direction.
NO. WE DONT WANT ANY CAP<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I agree, and specifically fed that back in the survey - no cap would be first prize. I'd also like a 2meg connection and wouldn't want to pay more than R450 p/m for it. Is that a realistic expectation? Some would say yes. Many would say no.
In the confines of the survey - and I agree that the options were limited - an affordable option to buy a product with a higher cap, on an unshaped network <b>would</b> be a step in the right direction.
And at the risk of sounding like an apologist for Telkom, a huge portion of the survey is clearly intended at positioning more product options tailored for the market, as opposed to a falsely generated "we love Telkom" type survey. The survey is far from perfect, but I did, grudgingly, value the opportunity to influence the direction of future product options.
In the same breath, lets acknowledge that this was not due to any sudden act of customer empathy from Telkom, but due to huge pressure from this organised community. It would be a mistake to completely opt out of the survey, though, and have product options forced upon us that we had no influence over. A few months ago it would have been unthinkable that Telkom would actually consult it's customers - so let's acknowledge a little step in the right direction.
kaspaas
Expert Member
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by kaspaas</i>
<br />This is quite interesting. I wonder if Markinor would have had this contract if it was not for MyADSL
I've not been contacted by Markinor (yet).
Did the questions include stuff like if you are aware of the pricing and service offerings in other countries?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Thanks for Sybawoods and others offering some insight into the questions being asked.
Markinor is often in a difficult position: They have to gather the info the client instructed them to do. If the brief of Telkom does not include the perception of users regarding costs and service offerings compared to what is available outside the monkey business Telkom considers ADSL at platinum pricing, they can't include that in the offering.
From the questions I suspect that Telkom intends to rob the public even more.
I won't be surprised if Telkom announces soon that Markinor did a survey and the survey proved that most users are satisfied with the telkom offering. If Markinor allows such claims, I will never believe anything from their research again! From the info in this thread it will be based on dubious information. How can anybody claim to be staisfied with the pricing and service without being aware of what ADSL is elsewhere in the world?
BTW Caroper, as you already started interacting with Markinor, won't you please bring this thread and other related threads to their attention?
<br />This is quite interesting. I wonder if Markinor would have had this contract if it was not for MyADSL
I've not been contacted by Markinor (yet).
Did the questions include stuff like if you are aware of the pricing and service offerings in other countries?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Thanks for Sybawoods and others offering some insight into the questions being asked.
Markinor is often in a difficult position: They have to gather the info the client instructed them to do. If the brief of Telkom does not include the perception of users regarding costs and service offerings compared to what is available outside the monkey business Telkom considers ADSL at platinum pricing, they can't include that in the offering.
From the questions I suspect that Telkom intends to rob the public even more.
I won't be surprised if Telkom announces soon that Markinor did a survey and the survey proved that most users are satisfied with the telkom offering. If Markinor allows such claims, I will never believe anything from their research again! From the info in this thread it will be based on dubious information. How can anybody claim to be staisfied with the pricing and service without being aware of what ADSL is elsewhere in the world?
BTW Caroper, as you already started interacting with Markinor, won't you please bring this thread and other related threads to their attention?
Andre
Expert Member
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by kaspaas</i>
Did the questions include stuff like if you are aware of the pricing and service offerings in other countries?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
No, but I did point that out for what it's worth.[
]
Did the questions include stuff like if you are aware of the pricing and service offerings in other countries?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
No, but I did point that out for what it's worth.[
]cyberax
New Member
.... I wish Makinor will call me soon !!! They'll wish they never even considered Telkom as a client![}] .... THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE DAYS THAT I HAD TO EXPLAIN TO MY CUSTOMERS USING ADSL THAT THERE IS YET AGAIN A PROBLEM WITH BROWSING ON THE TELKOM NETWORK ( NOTE:AFFECTING <b>ONLY</b> ADSL USERS). [?] WONDER WHEN THE SUPERFAST TELKOM ADSL INTERNET ACCESS WILL BE OPPERATIONAL AGAIN[?][?] ... anyone perhaps know the answer[?]
] .... THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE DAYS THAT I HAD TO EXPLAIN TO MY CUSTOMERS USING ADSL THAT THERE IS YET AGAIN A PROBLEM WITH BROWSING ON THE TELKOM NETWORK ( NOTE:AFFECTING <b>ONLY</b> ADSL USERS). [?] WONDER WHEN THE SUPERFAST TELKOM ADSL INTERNET ACCESS WILL BE OPPERATIONAL AGAIN[?][?] ... anyone perhaps know the answer[?]