Thanks for all the responses guys. My issue is less about the actual refunding of credits or not and much more about the fact that for the last long while it's been a struggle to get any kind of support out of them. When I phone I sit in the queue for 40-odd minutes and when I get through I get a response to the effect of: "Uhhh, I'll have to log a fault / someone will have to look into it. We'll follow up with you." Then I'm sitting 3 months later still awaiting follow up.
When I log tickets on the support thread where I used to get at least a "we're looking into it" kind of response the same or next day, I now wait for a week for a response and when I do get a response it's some vague auto-reply kind of message. Also, they don't seem to get the point of a thread-system. I struggled endlessly last year around June when my lines got crossed the first time. I logged the whole situation and explained everything I'd tried and done and queried and I get the "we'll escalate this with Telkom" response. Then when I ask for a follow up a week later, the next person that replies doesn't even bother reading the rest of the thread. Suddenly I get a how-to-guide of how to query your router if it has syncing issues. Then I have to explain the entire situation AGAIN and I find myself thinking, what's the point of creating a thread if you can't be bothered to at least assess the current situation?
When I tried using their much-hyped Live Chat with my latest issues, it wouldn't even let me go through to an actual chat. I kept getting an e-mail validation error on my username for an address that was quite obviously an e-mail. Even when choosing options that don't require the e-mail I get the validation error. Even though the e-mail is supposedly option I get this error and can't use the Live Chat at all. This is entry-level web development kind of stuff.
It's the kind of frustration that drives me to tears and it's not what I'm paying for I feel.
My issue is that if I want something to get done I have to make a scene on a forum like this, or I have to go on HelloPeter (this is what eventually sorted out my issue the first time my lines got crossed back in June, now they don't even respond on HelloPeter anymore). My point is that I'm paying R600 a month to a private organisation in a supposedly competitive market, but I'm getting state-owned monopoly Telkom-level service. With this last bout of struggles Telkom was faster, more friendly and more helpful.
I get that Afrihost can only do so much, but for the money I'm paying them I expect at least a modicum of interest when I try and log support calls, that I as a customer actually matter to them. Hell, I expect just a response at least, which seems to be becoming increasingly scarce in its own.
I would move to another ISP as one replier suggested, but I had the same issues with MWeb, I had the same issues with OpenWeb and now I have the same issues with Afrihost. Afrihost started out amazing, but not so anymore. So I just thought I'd give people who might be considering going with them a headsup. I hear good things about Web Africa so I would suggest going straight to them. I just can't be bothered to go through the whole signup, cancel, paperwork rigmarole when I'm about to start packing my bags in 5 or 6 months and I suppose that's my own problem. I was just trying to tell friends and people looking for experience testimonials to rather steer clear until they remember that it's actually the customers who keep their business alive.
