Vumatel/Cool Ideas - previous tenant didn't cancel now I'm stuck

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donaldza

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Has anyone experienced this before, it is seriously upsetting, especially now!

I moved into a new place just before the lock down ended and specifically chose this apartment because of the existing Vumatel installation.

Anyway, after back and forth between Vumatel, Cool Ideas and myself now for almost 2 weeks Vumatel has basically told me that the previous tenant didn't cancel their service before moving out - so they can't give me a new service. I can't get hold of the previous tenant as they've gone back to Germany so I can't get them to cancel it either!

What the hell should I do? This seems like a serious gap in the system - obviously I have a signed lease etc saying I'm the new tenant.
 
OK so update here @PBCool tried to help but it appears the muppets at VOX refuse to release the line even though its not in use and the previous tenant has disappeared.
 
donaldza said:
OK so update here @PBCool tried to help but it appears the muppets at VOX refuse to release the line even though its not in use and the previous tenant has disappeared.
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We have escalated to our contacts at Vox to resolve.
 
donaldza said:
Has anyone experienced this before, it is seriously upsetting, especially now!

I moved into a new place just before the lock down ended and specifically chose this apartment because of the existing Vumatel installation.

Anyway, after back and forth between Vumatel, Cool Ideas and myself now for almost 2 weeks Vumatel has basically told me that the previous tenant didn't cancel their service before moving out - so they can't give me a new service. I can't get hold of the previous tenant as they've gone back to Germany so I can't get them to cancel it either!

What the hell should I do? This seems like a serious gap in the system - obviously I have a signed lease etc saying I'm the new tenant.
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I had exactly the same issue (with Vox/Cool Ideas/ Vumatel) when my tenant moved out of my property. The only way I was able to resolve it was to threaten my tenant to hold back his deposit until it was resolved. It still took Coolideas / Vumatel 2 months to resolve.
It is quite retarded the way Vumatel have setup their systems. Neither the ISP's or Vumatel can understand logic as well or are clearly not interested in fixing the obvious hole in their systems.

Even moving from Coolideas to another ISP was a disaster and as usual the answers were, its a Vumatel issue, there's nothing we can do.Telkom provides better service.
 
craig1606 said:
I had exactly the same issue (with Vox/Cool Ideas/ Vumatel) when my tenant moved out of my property. The only way I was able to resolve it was to threaten my tenant to hold back his deposit until it was resolved. It still took Coolideas 2 months to resolve.
It is quite retarded the way Vumatel have setup their systems. Neither the ISP's or Vumatel can understand logic as well or are clearly not interested in fixing the obvious hole in their systems.

Even moving from Coolideas to another ISP was a disaster and as usual the answers were, its a Vumatel issue, there's nothing we can do.Telkom provides better service.
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Well in most cases people move house with an outstanding amount to the ISP, so the only leverage we have is to hold the line. Not ideal but ISPs lose out every time.
 
Yup, dealt with the exact same problem, previous tenant forgot/neglected to cancel his line in time. I also don't understand why holding the line is leverage to make the previous/cancelling tenant pay. Surely logically you would stop the service as soon as possible so the non-payer wouldn't keep using the data if he has no intention of paying for. Or if he IS going to pay anyway, releasing the line wouldn't suddenly let him off the hook for payment owed?

I assume I'm misunderstand this, though.

I managed to fix it by having the previous tenant email his ISP (In my case his ISP was Mweb) asking that he no longer lives at the address and to release the line. After about 4 calls to different call agents, I finally talked to someone that understood and emailed Vumatel to release the line. Took 5 weeks to sort it out, but was able get it released in the end.
 
Easiest way with Openserve is order a new line. Add a B or C letter to the house number and viola. New line installed no questions asked. Unless the split is full and there is no space at the poll or the splitter in that case too bad.
 
cavedog said:
Easiest way with Openserve is order a new line. Add a B or C letter to the house number and viola. New line installed no questions asked. Unless the split is full and there is no space at the poll or the splitter in that case too bad.
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Then new ISP pays installation, again ISP loses ;)
And another port on the OLT PON tree gets used which then becomes a limit in the area.
 
PBCool said:
Then new ISP pays installation, again ISP loses ;)
And another port on the OLT PON tree gets used which then becomes a limit in the area.
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Yeah but some ISPs who I won't mention because it's not appropriate complicates the cancellation process to squeeze extra out of the consumer. ISPs aren't always the good guys ;)
 
cavedog said:
Yeah but some ISPs who I won't mention because it's not appropriate complicates the cancellation process to squeeze extra out of the consumer. ISPs aren't always the good guys ;)
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Well the way we base our cancelations is on the FNO, which most are a calendar months notice.

Which is why most renters just leave as they forget to give notice, then we're stuck with the line fee for another month.
 
PBCool said:
Well the way we base our cancelations is on the FNO, which most are a calendar months notice.

Which is why most renters just leave as they forget to give notice, then we're stuck with the line fee for another month.
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Line transfer aren't that easy it's what I miss on the old adsl lines.
 
PBCool said:
Well in most cases people move house with an outstanding amount to the ISP, so the only leverage we have is to hold the line. Not ideal but ISPs lose out every time.
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Leverage against who ?
It is absurd using this again the person who wants to sign up as a new client
The owner of the property who did not sign up for the service

All I can see is that is used as a tactic to have people not in any way related to the contract paying to have a line released.
 
biena said:
Leverage against who ?
It is absurd using this again the person who wants to sign up as a new client
The owner of the property who did not sign up for the service

All I can see is that is used as a tactic to have people not in any way related to the contract paying to have a line released.
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No the person that signed up is liable, so all that happens is we blacklist the tenant and release the line, but it's a process.
 
A relative moved from Cool Ideas to Afrihost, also ended up without internet for more than a month, in spite of proper notices given, etc. Also with Vumatel involved.

There is definitely a serious problem in the way these transfers are handled.
 
Jola said:
A relative moved from Cool Ideas to Afrihost, also ended up without internet for more than a month, in spite of proper notices given, etc. Also with Vumatel involved.

There is definitely a serious problem in the way these transfers are handled.
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I would put money on the fact that this was just after Vumatel introduced the new portal. ISPs would release the line, new ISP would apply and get the error the line still has an active service.

So at that point the line would be on limbo until a manual intervention from Vumatel.

We dealt with tons of such cases at the time, was just an integration failure really.
 
Interesting few posts above regarding holding the line from the ISPs point of view.

PBCool where does the breakeven point lie?

Would you not sometimes lose more when a new client potentially could have paid a month or two months but is waiting for a line that hasn't been paid up, but is also not still being billed?

Wouldn't it be easier to have the new client set up ASAP and then chase the old client for the money that's due? Holding the line isn't going to make them pay up any faster I would think. It just serves to frustrate the new guy.
 
RiNCEw1ND said:
Interesting few posts above regarding holding the line from the ISPs point of view.

PBCool where does the breakeven point lie?

Would you not sometimes lose more when a new client potentially could have paid a month or two months but is waiting for a line that hasn't been paid up, but is also not still being billed?

Wouldn't it be easier to have the new client set up ASAP and then chase the old client for the money that's due? Holding the line isn't going to make them pay up any faster I would think. It just serves to frustrate the new guy.
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Well in these scenarios it's cross ISP, IE Vox trying to get their outstanding amounts and moving to us or vice versa. Not so much of an inter ISP case.

But we have also had cases of couples running up debt, and then a spouse trying to sign up as a "new" customer, which then attracts a connection fee again. So can become a bit complicated.
 
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PBCool said:
Well in these scenarios it's cross ISP, IE Vox trying to get their outstanding amounts and moving to us or vice versa. Not so much of an inter ISP case.

But we have also had cases of couples running up debt, and then a spouse trying to sign up as a "new" customer, which then attracts a connection fee again. So can become a bit complicated.
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Jirre some dodgy people out there... WTF?
 
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