The best and worst telecoms helpdesks

Rate your telecoms provider’s helpdesk performance (1 = pathetic, 5 = excellent)

  • 1

    Votes: 15 22.7%
  • 2

    Votes: 14 21.2%
  • 3

    Votes: 17 25.8%
  • 4

    Votes: 11 16.7%
  • 5

    Votes: 9 13.6%

  • Total voters
    66
But is the number that the Telkom guy gave really the right number? Or was it the start of one of those awesome call forwarding loops that they're so good at? :)
 
While trying to sort out change of ownership the following conversation took place:

me : "put me through to legal please"
them : "ok, what for? "
me : "ah, i have legal issues I need to sort out"
them : "I need a better reason than that"
:|
me : "what do you mean?"
them : "whats the legal issue?"
me : "ah, why do you need to know?"
them : "I cant put you through unless there is a reason"
me : "i have legal issues that need to be sorted out"
them : "can you give me more detail"
me : "i need to sort out contracts..?"
them : "ok sir"

Then later after faxing documents to the legal department:

me : "can you put me through to legal please?"
Them : "Sorry, we cant do that"
me : "ah, 10min ago I was put through to legal by you guys?"
them : "you're wrong, we cant do that"

I hung up, dialed again...

I got the direct number to the legal department after that, that helpdesk is terrible!
 
eltherza, I demand to know which SP that is! - So that I can avoid them :rolleyes:



I honestly can say I've never "demanded" anything from anybody.... but this country's inhabitants love the word, and some live by it... So I thought I'd try it on you. :p
 
what time did you guys phone them, 2am , i phone telkom or mtn, its never less that 15 min
 
what time did you guys phone them, 2am , i phone telkom or mtn, its never less that 15 min


MTN 808 --> atleast 1 hour of waiting from 5pm to 9pm. Peak times that time and you wait forever get answered and then you can bearlly hear the operator cause it sounds like a bizaar with all the other operators speaking. So I know they are really busy but still.

I have to add that 173 for pay as you go is so fast whether its 8pm at night or early in the morning.
 
Telkom - 10 mins on hold, 5 min explaining, nobody knows what to do, they give u another number to call.
Repeat this 10 times, at the end, i just cancelled the line (pity only Telkom ADSL can be used in the vaal).
MTN: MTN - below average.
MTN thro Autopage: Overall Good:
Pros: quick response times, helpful and knowledgable.
Cons: They make mistakes (but rectify quickly), try asking abt porting and u have to use the exact words to get the correct info.
 
I have always complained about Telkom's helpdesk, but CELLC is even more pathetic. I have had arguments with their support staff over them not understanding the most basic of ideas, such as the fact that July and June are actually separate months, for example..

Telkom on the other hand, apart from ripping us off, seem to have improved somewhat on the helpdesk front, at least that has been my experience in the last few weeks.

I will never go back to CELLC, I can't understand why they don't prioritize their interaction with the public more.

Voted with my feet though. Bye CellC.
 
Would have been a much better test if they did a number of tests at different times of the day.
 
cellc

cell c is pathetic!!! i Phone them this weekend the call was answered rather quickly but then they transfer you and cut you off.
After this happening a few times i asked them ( not very nicely ) why i keep getting disconnected.There reply was they are to busy so thats why they are cutting me off!!!:eek:
 
what time did you guys phone them, 2am , i phone telkom or mtn, its never less that 15 min

Geeez 15 min... I would love that! Anytime I phone during office hours it is about 30-50 minutes!!!
 
I have tried to get to MTN - 808 - and in months not had a human reply. I have given up. I tried early in the day, middle of the day even late. I just do not get a human to talk to. I put the handset on speaker put it down and wait and listen, no human answer, maybe I am too impatient and feel that longer than 15 mins is just a waste of my time...... Also I went to the local MTN outlet they phoned - 808- because they could not answer my querie and they could not get a human to talk to. I am in the South Peninsula, that means I must go to MTN in Canal walk where the counter service is good. As you may know thats far away. Then I'm of to the MTN site to spend more time to find all the questions addressed except the one I have....... So maybe I have a stupid question, if only I can talk to a human that can say to me "Thats a stupid question" It is pointless moving to an other provider because they are like the banks all the same......:(
 
082 111

We knew the 082 155 will perform well, so no need to test it ;)

How does 155 perform well? What is the secret sequence of numbers to dial? Those questions are so frustrating...
 
I've got to admit I am pleased with Telkom's helpdesk. These days they answer quickly and the problem is dealt with efficiently.

The last problem I had I made a call to the helpdesk and wasn't put on hold at all (phone was answered immediately) and a technician came out and sorted out the problem the very next day.

Service was amazing, a totally different experience to the Telkom of a few years ago.
 
I was wondering if you could please perform these tests again at random intervals & on different days of the week; a sample size of 1 with no variance is not a true reflection and shouldn't be considered an accurate result.

I've had multiple dealings with the Telkom ADSL help desk recently & whilst I've also had a call answered within 5 minutes, I'd say the majority of my support calls end up unanswered as I put the phone down after 20 minutes. (no speaker phone here, it actually starts to hurt)
 
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