First off, its a great product. Unless its not working - in which case I cut them no slack whatsoever. They want to be a business, and in the electronic field - they better behave like a business.
I believe in consumer activism. If something is being paid for, it must be delivered.
To come up with 'gee cut them some slack' or 'teething problems' as justification for you and I as consumers to sit on our behinds and allow stupidity, bad service or no service' - is to let that company think that this form of behaviour is acceptable. (Like an abusive relationship, people behave in certain ways because thats what other people ALLOW).
You dont, as a consumer, 'teach' anything to a company, by tolerating shoddy, bad, or inefficient service - except the knowledge, to the company, that this shoddy behaviour is 'acceptable' and normal.
As a consumer, paying good money, its not our place to be lab rats - and it does nothing for our general self respect or sense of self worth, to be given any reasoning whatsoever which results in us sitting back and accepting a company's bad service or behaviour.
This doesnt mean to say that I dont think Sentech is providing a great product. They are. But thats as far as I as a consumer can go. Dont ask me to 'cut a company some slack' or do anything to offset an absence of service. This is consumerism, not a friendship.
They know this, and behave accordingly - so I must also operate along similar lines.
I'm not an animal whose loyalty can be bought with a regular meal or service. I'm a consumer who is paying for a service. So I'm not 'grateful' that service has been restored. Why should I be? I'm paying for it. Loyalty is irrelevent, patience is not required, its a business transaction between US and THEM. Lousy service, or a clear breakdown in company-communications is not my problem - its theirs. The reality is they've failed me, and they've failed all of you.
Okay.
Now they have continued their otherwise excellent service. Great. I'm the first to compliment them, but I'll also be the first to cut their throat if they think that the inferior service over the previous few days, means it is acceptable behaviour on their part.
This is business. Not a personal relationship. I pay - you pay - they provide. Clearcut. No confusion. So suggesting that allowances should be made because they're new, is doing them a disservice, in the long run, because they as a company, will fail to grasp their place in this business relationship. We pay - they provide. This simple truism applies to any service you spend money on - so not attacking Sentech for their stupidity over the last few days, will mean they wont learn - and they'll potentially do it again.
So dont misunderstand me, I'm a very happy Sentech user - but that doesnt blind me to the reality of their function in the business arrangement we have going..
And saying its 'typical South African way of thought' (demanding everything now) - just clouds the issue.. the approach I describe above, is the only approach you can have in business. Sentech isnt 'frikkie the neighbour fixing a car in the driveway on weekends for small change', its a Company, running partly on our money. So this isnt throwing toys, or being in a 'high chair (whatever that means) - its pointing out a fundamental part of the PROVIDER->CONSUMER construct that most of the modern world runs by.
I was irked and outraged that they had the nerve to not only fail in their service providing, but attempt to shirk their responsibility in this regard when called on it - and now I'm content that they are doing what our money requested them to do without interruption in the first place. Like they say in the Mafia movies, its strictly business. Do it, or fail. It's that simple. Dont say you're a business and then rely on anyone's forgiveness, loyalty, or willingness to cut you any slack because of what you didnt do.
But hey, I think Sentech are great, and Im happy
But that doesnt mean anything beyond the fact that 'Im happy with now getting the service Im paying for'...
