VODACOM'S NETWORK PLEASE POST!!

[SecretCode]

1. No, only occasional days.
2. Yes, but it's better than MTN's in the areas I use it - Randburg, and business locations across Gauteng.
3. N/A, I'm on PPDB.

 

[Hummercellc]

IC

thanks IC great work, i wanted it to stay simple but as you normally do add what has been asked on just about everythread here.

So i give up just going to accept the poor 3G/GPRS network from vodacom and carry on paying. Thats all a customer can do.

Vodacom don't give a rats ass about anyone.

They want your money, thats what they want.

 

[vodacom3g]

thanks IC great work, i wanted it to stay simple but as you normally do add what has been asked on just about everythread here.

So i give up just going to accept the poor 3G/GPRS network from vodacom and carry on paying. Thats all a customer can do.

Vodacom don't give a rats ass about anyone.

They want your money, thats what they want.

Not sure why you make these statements?

Firstly, Vodacom have been going out of their way to make contact with you (with some difficulty, as it seems you don't normally return calls) and have tried to help where they can. The people in Durbs again told me this morning they've left messages for you.

So I'm not sure why you keep on making these 'VC don't give a rats ass' statements? From what I can see they are trying to help you.

Or is your nick maybe a hint?

 

[Hummercellc]

sorry V3G my phone is right next to me, and i have had few calls from work and friends but no techie calls and my voicemall is empty...

 

[gmr]

I feel a response to V3G's post is necessary.

"If you feel the current technology is not for you, don't buy it. Rather use XP over Vista, terrestrial TV over DSTV. For connectivity dial-up might be a more stable and reliable, and thus better, solution than 3G. It's your choice."

Some things are choices (I spent the day yesterday "down"-grading a new laptop from Vista to XP because I couldn't handle the aggravation any longer, and now it's running sweetly. Vista or XP? Those are choices, and Vista is a good one, on the right platform. DSTV vs SABC - that's not a choice, it's a no-brainer! You're stuck with DSTV whether you like it (and re-runs) or not. Same lack of choice with mobile broadband - if you can't get ADSL (not in your area, bad service/installation, won't deal with Telkom because they're ethically bankrupt (that's my reason!)) then mobile is your only hope. Dial-up is not a choice, btw.

However, just because we don't have real broadband choices, that doesn't mean that we must be treated shabbily. And "shabbily" includes:

• Not providing decent service in the Call Centre (that means denying knowledge of system faults)
• Overcharging for product and service (yes, we still pay too much for 3G and 3.6 service)
• Expecting consumers to contribute time and effort in helping VC to improve their network. Can you imagine driving boot-loads of coal to power-stations, to help Eskom with their problems?

We South Africans put up with a lot of stuff - I for one am getting really tired of it, and I will be heard. And I won't be fobbed off with "if you don't like it".

Finally (and notwithstaing the above) like many others on this forum, I have nothing but praise for V3G's unstinting efforts to help us. An unreserved "Thank you" to you!

VC - start paying attention to customer service.

 

[Keeper]

1) YES
2) YES
3) I'm on PP. Am switching back to MTN as soon as the remainder of my one GIG bundle is depleted. I have constant intermittend problems with email sending that fails... it kills me...

I left MTN for greener pastures... But I was wrong... Going back with my tail between my legs...

^ What he said.

 

[vodacom3g]

I feel a response to V3G's post is necessary.

"If you feel the current technology is not for you, don't buy it. Rather use XP over Vista, terrestrial TV over DSTV. For connectivity dial-up might be a more stable and reliable, and thus better, solution than 3G. It's your choice."

Some things are choices (I spent the day yesterday "down"-grading a new laptop from Vista to XP because I couldn't handle the aggravation any longer, and now it's running sweetly. Vista or XP? Those are choices, and Vista is a good one, on the right platform. DSTV vs SABC - that's not a choice, it's a no-brainer! You're stuck with DSTV whether you like it (and re-runs) or not. Same lack of choice with mobile broadband - if you can't get ADSL (not in your area, bad service/installation, won't deal with Telkom because they're ethically bankrupt (that's my reason!)) then mobile is your only hope. Dial-up is not a choice, btw.

However, just because we don't have real broadband choices, that doesn't mean that we must be treated shabbily. And "shabbily" includes:

• Not providing decent service in the Call Centre (that means denying knowledge of system faults)
• Overcharging for product and service (yes, we still pay too much for 3G and 3.6 service)
• Expecting consumers to contribute time and effort in helping VC to improve their network. Can you imagine driving boot-loads of coal to power-stations, to help Eskom with their problems?

We South Africans put up with a lot of stuff - I for one am getting really tired of it, and I will be heard. And I won't be fobbed off with "if you don't like it".

Finally (and notwithstaing the above) like many others on this forum, I have nothing but praise for V3G's unstinting efforts to help us. An unreserved "Thank you" to you!

VC - start paying attention to customer service.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that no-one is actively following a policy of screw-the-customer. Customer service is a very important component of any company and it counts very high in VC. AFAIK, more than half VC's employees is directly involved in Customer Care. Have a look at the surveys and VC tends to do quite well.

But it's not to say that things don't go wrong or people don't screw up. Of course they do.

What makes VC's environment quite unique is the sheer size of the animal. Try and put your head around a company with tens of millions voice users and a few million data users. Then think of the technological challenges in getting reliable services to these kind of numbers using an inherently unstable technology.

Then of course you have to bill all these people, but thats another topic all together

Point is, as a consumer it's your right to demand a perfect service and the service provider should strive to deliver this. But, as I said, it's not a perfect world with perfect technology and it's all run by humans, so things will go wrong.

But the real measure is how much it goes wrong. If 0.1% of subs have a problem (i.e. 99.9% don't) at any given time, it still means thousands could be pissed off and for them it's a real issue at that moment.

But it's not to say all customers are treated shabbily.

 

[vodacom3g]

sorry V3G my phone is right next to me, and i have had few calls from work and friends but no techie calls and my voicemall is empty...

Got this from the guys in Durbs today:

I have just spoken to the sub now . This is the third phone call today.
He says the speeds are fine now but at peak hours they seems to slow down. The sites have been checked in Vryheid and they are not congested.
He also says that everything he complains the problem somehow gets fixed. This time we have done nothing at all.

He states he is not too concerned about the problem with 3g in Vryheid as he is moving to Richmond at the end of the month.
I have also advised him that there is no 3g in Richmond and there are no concurrent plans for 3g in the near future.

 

[gmr]

What makes VC's environment quite unique is the sheer size of the animal. Try and put your head around a company with tens of millions voice users and a few million data users. Then think of the technological challenges in getting reliable services to these kind of numbers using an inherently unstable technology.

Your point is well taken, and I agree that, at least on overall percentages, VC does rather well to hold it all together.

On the other hand, when the consumer regards the service as mission-critical, rather than as a luxury item (a la DSTV), then things can become a bit tense when the service is less than perfect. I run a business on the service, and when I have performance like this (Download Speed: 131 kbps (16.4 KB/sec transfer rate), Upload Speed: 20 kbps (2.5 KB/sec transfer rate) for a few days (and Call Centre clearly has no idea how to handle it) then tempers will become a bit frayed.

I realise that the network carries massive volumes (believe me, at 16h30 in the afternoon I can see that!). Personally, as a customer, I'd be willing to pay a reasonable premium for some form of differentiated service that guarantees a higher availablity and response (note - that's not necessarily the same as getting high volume download speed - just better response time will do).

Regards
Graham

 

[JimM]

1) No
2) No
3) No

 

[Pilgrim]

Your point is well taken, and I agree that, at least on overall percentages, VC does rather well to hold it all together.

On the other hand, when the consumer regards the service as mission-critical, rather than as a luxury item (a la DSTV), then things can become a bit tense when the service is less than perfect. I run a business on the service, and when I have performance like this (Download Speed: 131 kbps (16.4 KB/sec transfer rate), Upload Speed: 20 kbps (2.5 KB/sec transfer rate) for a few days (and Call Centre clearly has no idea how to handle it) then tempers will become a bit frayed.

I realise that the network carries massive volumes (believe me, at 16h30 in the afternoon I can see that!). Personally, as a customer, I'd be willing to pay a reasonable premium for some form of differentiated service that guarantees a higher availablity and response (note - that's not necessarily the same as getting high volume download speed - just better response time will do).

Regards
Graham

It would be awesome if VC could have a priority service, but the only way I can think of for them to do it is with shaping, and thank heavens VC does not shape. Do we really want to go down this road?

 

[Hummercellc]

Got this from the guys in Durbs today:

Funny HA HA, i advised Rowan on the whole last line of that quote.

 

[vodacom3g]

It would be awesome if VC could have a priority service, but the only way I can think of for them to do it is with shaping, and thank heavens VC does not shape. Do we really want to go down this road?

I'm also anti-shaping on consumer products.

On the business products, it will make sense to differentiate between guaranteed and best-effort services.

 

[MainMeat]

1) Do you have problems with Vodacoms data network on a daily bases?
NO - Stable for about 24 hours and then a reconnect is sometimes required. DNS seems to be an issue that needs attention as it fails and recovers every 6 - 8 hours?

2) Are you tired of there poor 3G network?
NO - The Network seems stable and I have had more issue with certain ADSL Service providers (such as M-We...just like that!) than with Vodacom.

3) If the option was given to you by Vodacom would you cancel your 3G contract without fines?
NO - PPDB!

 

[ic]

With respect, why should 4,5,6 & 7 matter? Problems are problems. The OP is seeking peoples perceptions & experiences, not trying to conduct a scientific experiment. As I mentioned once before in a post, for the price of the product / service, it should just work. One should expect that one of the biggest telcos in Africa part owned by one of the biggest telcos in the world should be able to bring a service to the market that doesn't require that market to act as beta testing rats. I pay my R449 per month for broadband internet - 2Gb of it, and at 1.8mbps. Such is what I'm promised. It's not what I get.

The apologist attitude towards vodacom around here has been p***ing me off for a while.

Your post would have been much better without your passive "With respect" aggressive "apologist attitude towards vodacom" accusation, which I categorise as trolling, nonetheless I will reply.

The reason I suggested adding more information, is quite simply that most people, and in this case the OP, make assumptions that if they are experiencing a particular problem, then everyone everywhere in the country must be experiencing the same problem. So, a bit more information allows for ranting whilst providing some useful info that Vodacom could then use to narrow down the problems by location and product / service parameters.

The Problems thread has revealed an increase in problems affecting forumites, but unfortunately not enough info - especially Location which very few forumites seem willing to update in their forum profile.

thanks IC great work, i wanted it to stay simple but as you normally do add what has been asked on just about everythread here.

So i give up just going to accept the poor 3G/GPRS network from vodacom and carry on paying. Thats all a customer can do.

Vodacom don't give a rats ass about anyone.

They want your money, thats what they want.

If you want to sulk in a dark corner somewhere, just bcos I suggested that more info be provided by those forumites experiencing problems and more specifically those forumites that actually do want those problems to be resolved, then that is your choice, if you change your mind, you just have to step out of the darkness of that corner and into the light.

 

[Steinie]

1) DNS seems to be an issue that needs attention as it fails and recovers every 6 - 8 hours?

Have you tried www.openDNS.com yet ?

Change your DNS settings to:


208.67.222.222
and
208.67.220.220

 

[Grouter]

Your post would have been much better without your passive "With respect" aggressive "apologist attitude towards vodacom" accusation, which I categorise as trolling, nonetheless I will reply.

The reason I suggested adding more information, is quite simply that most people, and in this case the OP, make assumptions that if they are experiencing a particular problem, then everyone everywhere in the country must be experiencing the same problem. So, a bit more information allows for ranting whilst providing some useful info that Vodacom could then use to narrow down the problems by location and product / service parameters.

IC - Yeah, OK, sorry. I guess one shouldn't post when: angry, tired, brain in "off" mode, etc, etc.

My perceptions are perhaps a little subjective. Vodacom are not at the top of my favourite companies list.

 

[ic]

IC - Yeah, OK, sorry. I guess one shouldn't post when: angry, tired, brain in "off" mode, etc, etc.

My perceptions are perhaps a little subjective. Vodacom are not at the top of my favourite companies list.

I fully understand where you're coming from, and while emotions do spill out in posts, it is still possible to collectively achieve a constructive solution to problems that forumites experience, usually all that is needed, is a bit more info, which is where my suggestion came from.

I've read enough posts in this forum, and have called 155 enough times, to know that it is still very important for us forumites to report the problems that we experience to 155 or [email protected], insist on a reference number - be politely assertive if given the run around, once that is done, people within Vodacom have the location & service & product info and this then feeds into Vodacom's network management systems.

As v3g pointed out, we don't live in a perfect world, and unfortunately that means that there will be problems from time to time, with any service that people are paying for, and expect that it should just work, however very few things in life are ever that simple, unfortunately network management systems are not psychic enough to know every problem experienced by everyone anywhere in the country - especially when those problems are not reported - it would be great if that was the case, but the reality is that it just doesn't work that way.

IMO this forum, and we the forumites that post here - including v3g, can & often do collectively fill the gaps in a constructive way, that does result in Vodacom resolving specific problems that we collectively identify here.

 

[vodacom3g]

IMO this forum, and we the forumites that post here - including v3g, can & often do collectively fill the gaps in a constructive way, that does result in Vodacom resolving specific problems that we collectively identify here.

Probably more than most people here realise.

It's impossible to measure every metric from every location in the country (the monitoring network would be bigger than the actual one!), so good feedback is extremely useful.

A fair number of forumites have done a great deal in the past to help resolve problems, people like steinie, morkhaus, ginggs, hedley and many others come to mind.

That's the power of this forum, it's like having a complete extra technical team! And pretty much one that's impossible to duplicate inside the organisation.