Comments on: Vodacom service: Experience the dancing bear http://fronttoback.org/2009/09/14/vodacom-service-experience-the-dancing-bear/ Your users experience it that way around. Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:59:29 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: AJK http://fronttoback.org/2009/09/14/vodacom-service-experience-the-dancing-bear/comment-page-1/#comment-22599 AJK Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:47:51 +0000 http://fronttoback.org/?p=215#comment-22599 After reading your article, I felt relieved. It was as if I had vented my own frustrations with South Africa's monopolistic culture. Thanks. After reading your article, I felt relieved. It was as if I had vented my own frustrations with South Africa’s monopolistic culture. Thanks.

]]> By: Darb http://fronttoback.org/2009/09/14/vodacom-service-experience-the-dancing-bear/comment-page-1/#comment-22582 Darb Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:38:56 +0000 http://fronttoback.org/?p=215#comment-22582 I think poor customer service in SA comes with the territory of having strong monopolistic cultures. Vodacom doesn't have to try any harder to sell iPhones because they are the Apple chosen partner, and iPhones sell themselves (as a side note, Apple's South African representation is regularly disappointing...laptop drive replacements taking 3 weeks...wtf?). Cellphones fly so fast off the shelves in SA that I suspect the only reason they can't sell more of them is because of their own convoluted and unreliable processes. I know I have had many occasions where companies make it difficult to spend money with them. When I was up for a contract renewal, I walked into the very same cellucity, told them what phone I wanted (they didn't have stock at the time), which contract I wanted, left my contact details, and never heard from them again (so I voted with my walle by default). Mind boggling. I think poor customer service in SA comes with the territory of having strong monopolistic cultures. Vodacom doesn’t have to try any harder to sell iPhones because they are the Apple chosen partner, and iPhones sell themselves (as a side note, Apple’s South African representation is regularly disappointing…laptop drive replacements taking 3 weeks…wtf?). Cellphones fly so fast off the shelves in SA that I suspect the only reason they can’t sell more of them is because of their own convoluted and unreliable processes.

I know I have had many occasions where companies make it difficult to spend money with them. When I was up for a contract renewal, I walked into the very same cellucity, told them what phone I wanted (they didn’t have stock at the time), which contract I wanted, left my contact details, and never heard from them again (so I voted with my walle by default). Mind boggling.

]]> By: Carien Fouché http://fronttoback.org/2009/09/14/vodacom-service-experience-the-dancing-bear/comment-page-1/#comment-22383 Carien Fouché Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:50:42 +0000 http://fronttoback.org/?p=215#comment-22383 Hurrah for hellopeter! It's scary to think that one gets helped a hell of a lot quicker when going the hellopeter route vs. going the customer service/helpline route. Hurrah for hellopeter!

It’s scary to think that one gets helped a hell of a lot quicker when going the hellopeter route vs. going the customer service/helpline route.

]]> By: Dennis Williams http://fronttoback.org/2009/09/14/vodacom-service-experience-the-dancing-bear/comment-page-1/#comment-22311 Dennis Williams Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:56:44 +0000 http://fronttoback.org/?p=215#comment-22311 Hard-hitting and oh so true. nice post and I liked the 1:30sms! Maybe the pressure just is not enough (yet) for SA companies to sit up and listen. we can hope tho and soon they won't have the choice anymore... maybe they're aiming for the service recovery paradox :) I'll see if I can push this into the right hands. you never know! keep em coming. Hard-hitting and oh so true. nice post and I liked the 1:30sms! Maybe the pressure just is not enough (yet) for SA companies to sit up and listen. we can hope tho and soon they won’t have the choice anymore… maybe they’re aiming for the service recovery paradox :) I’ll see if I can push this into the right hands. you never know! keep em coming.

]]> By: Debre Barrett http://fronttoback.org/2009/09/14/vodacom-service-experience-the-dancing-bear/comment-page-1/#comment-22261 Debre Barrett Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:16:14 +0000 http://fronttoback.org/?p=215#comment-22261 It's worth also mentioning the DEAD BEAR. We moved our accounts from Cell C to Vodacom. We'd been on contract with Cell C for 2 years, and their customer service was rubbish throughout - one of our lines NEVER had voicemail despite numerous calls to their customer service. So, when we moved our accounts I was expecting bad service from Cell C, as they had proven themselves time and again to be a dead bear. Stiff with rigor mortis. They did not disappoint! They managed to BOTH port my number to Vodacom, AND give it to someone else. So for 5 days, some calls came to my phone, and some calls went to a poor unfortunate chap called Denzel, who had made the mistake of signing up with Cell C. How did I eventually get it sorted? A quick call to Cell C customer service? An email? NO. A complaint on www.hellopeter.com. The funny thing is, my expectations of Cell C were so low, I didn't even get annoyed about this. It’s worth also mentioning the DEAD BEAR.

We moved our accounts from Cell C to Vodacom. We’d been on contract with Cell C for 2 years, and their customer service was rubbish throughout – one of our lines NEVER had voicemail despite numerous calls to their customer service.

So, when we moved our accounts I was expecting bad service from Cell C, as they had proven themselves time and again to be a dead bear. Stiff with rigor mortis. They did not disappoint!

They managed to BOTH port my number to Vodacom, AND give it to someone else. So for 5 days, some calls came to my phone, and some calls went to a poor unfortunate chap called Denzel, who had made the mistake of signing up with Cell C.

How did I eventually get it sorted? A quick call to Cell C customer service? An email? NO. A complaint on http://www.hellopeter.com.

The funny thing is, my expectations of Cell C were so low, I didn’t even get annoyed about this.

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