Archive for the ‘Consumer issues’ Category
Sunday, February 5th, 2012 |
Telkom has not been on my radar for quite a while now. No adverts on tv or radio or the internet or billboards or anywhere else. 
I hardly even notice the Telkom branch in my local mall even though I pass it most week days and some weekends.
But last week all that changed…
I walked by Telkom’s little shop as I normally do in the evening after work and noticed a long line forming from within to right outside the shop. My first thought was that they were customers paying their monthly phone bills, seeing it was the end of the month.
Not that it made sense, because you can pay your phone account or any account anywhere these days.
The next day at around 5.45pm I passed it again and noticed that the store was once again packed. This happened every day for the entire week.
It made me realise that one of the most annoying parastatals had gone very quiet recently. No adverts to remind us how Telkom connects grandparents and grandchildren and university students and parents. And they used to serve us those adverts when they had no competition. Now that Neotel is around, Telkom has given us nothing. Not a cute advert in sight.
Neotel themselves are more like a state secret than anything else. I only know of one person, my sister, who uses Neotel.
The Telkom mystery bothered me. What were so many people doing in Telkom’s shop and how did they find out about whatever deal was on offer. I saw a few advertisements outside the shop door (had not noticed them before) and a few hanging from the room in the store.
But nothing that looked particularly appertising to me!
I still haven’t discovered what everyone wants from Telkom these days, because the last time I checked they were the scourge of society.
Mind you, I have not heard a complaint about Telkom on a long time…
Have they redeemed themselves in the eyes of telecommunication customers or are the cellphone operators and Neotel making Telkom look a lot better than we thought they were.
Better the devil you know and all that…
Posted in advertising, Consumer issues, technology | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 |
Vodacom is once again testing my last nerve.
Here’s the latest annoyance:
I bought 500MB of data for my cellphone on Saturday morning through FNB’s cellphone banking. Nothing unusual.
Monday morning I woke up to one of Vodacom’s SMSes to tell me my bundle has expired! What the hell are they joking?
I wondered if I had a 1 month nap and that it’s now April Fool’s day. Fortunately not yet.
First thing Monday morning, I called Vodacom’s 111 number. I might as well not have bothered, because Vodacom’s answering service will test the patience of a saint!
And I’m very far from a saint.
Next I sent an e-mail, thinking it would be easier. And at least I would have a record of my complaint.
Vodacom claims they will have a consultant contact you within 12 -24 hours and true to their word I received contact from their consultant - telling me she will pass on my query to someone in a higher department.
So I’m wondering, do Vodacom hire people to just open their customer e-mails, reply that they have received an e-mail and do nothing else?
Up until now, I have received no other correspondence from Vodacom, more than 24 hours after my initial complaint.
Not that we can expect anything better from our telecommunication companies in this country!
Posted in Consumer issues, vodacom | 5 Comments »
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 |
Now that someone is actually doing something about our high cellular costs, MTN has written to parliament to put their case.
Amongst a whole lot of other reasons for charging some of the highest cellular rates on the entire planet, they’ve explained that reducing costs would mean the poor would suffer!
Seriously! They actually said that!
Their reasoning is that by reducing their huge profits they will likely not be able to contribute to their social responsibility programmes.
Heck, why don’t every other company in the country just overcharge us and then use those profits to make themselves look good?
Oh wait, they are probably doing that any way.
Just to add insult to injury, MTN says people in the rural area will also be at a disadvantange because of infrastructure issues.
Whatever that may mean.
Isn’t the infrastructure already there?
They intended reducing interconnect costs in January/February next year – after the lucrative holiday period – of course.
Their generosity knows no bounds!
And it’s not as if MTN is the only one to blame. Our entire telecommunications network is one rip off – including Telkom, Vodacom and the rest of them.
Posted in Consumer issues | 2 Comments »
Thursday, September 17th, 2009 |
It might seem a bit odd that Jacob Maroga, CEO of a failing organisation like ESKOM, should be getting any increase, much less one of 26.7%.
And he didn’t even have to beg or go on strike to get his salary increased to R5million!
Considering the fact that this country is in recession, has high unemployment and poverty rates, you would think there would be some circumspection from the ESKOM board. Seeing it’s not their money, but ours being paid to him.
But when you see what ESKOM has accomplished this year alone, that man deserves what he gets.
- He was able to wrange a 33% increase in electricity tariffs from us consumers. You would think we would be out there protesting, but no…South Africans rich and poor alike – all accept the increase and pays up.
- They’ve trained us to use less electricity, but as soon as they realised they were getting less of our money, they charged us more for less. Who gets away with that? ESKOM! That’s who!
- They are mentally preparing us for another huge increase next year. Isn’t that very considerate?
- They’ve conditioned us to accept rolling blackouts as if we’ve always had them.
- They are able to stress us out (even when we’re relaxing) by telling us to switch off our geysers and swimming pool pumps any time of the day or night. Even though many of us watching SABC channels don’t even have swimming pools. Not even our bosses or family can talk to us while we’re watching 7de Laan and Generations.
- They’ve managed make us believe that we the paying public are to blame for their lack of planning. And they’ve taken no responsibility for their mistakes. And they got away with it.
Damn, that man deserves more than a 26.7 % increase.
Posted in Consumer issues, society | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 |
Since reading the article yesterday about Woolworths using eggs from battery chickens in their cooking, I’ve not been able to get the image of those poor chickens out of my mind.
Although it angers me that Woolworths are admitting to their use of the eggs, it is even more upsetting that the mainstream media are strangely silent on the matter.
No hysterical e-tv coverage like they went on about swine flu, or heat magazine the way they went about Joostgate or the rest of the media the way they carry on about Julius Malema.
By no means am I vegetarian.
Nor do I intend becoming vegetarian anyday soon, but I do care that the food I eat comes from sources that have integrity.
I want to be able to choose whether to pay more or stay without.
As a consumer I want to know when the chicken, red meat, eggs, milk, cheese, etc. comes from a battery farm.
At least I’ll be a lot more aware in the future of what I put into my supermarket trolley.
Posted in Consumer issues, Environmental issues | No Comments »
