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Top TV placates installers

Candice Jones
By Candice Jones, ITWeb online telecoms editor
Johannesburg, 08 Jun 2010

On Digital Media (ODM) has placated several unpaid installers, saying it is slowly working through the backlog of its billing.

The resolution comes after several installers downed tools last week, saying they were not being paid to provide customers with Top TV satellites and decoders. However, most installers are now getting back to work.

ODM already has a backlog of installations on the cards, thanks to its booming market entrance, which saw its decoders completely sell out on the first day of sales. The company now has around 73 000 subscribers, and additional installers had to be trained to keep up with the demand.

The company's chief marketing officer, Elouise Kelly, admits a problem had come to light with the additional installers. However, she adds that ODM is committed to the new additions and has a team of people working on resolving the payment trouble.

Essentially, incorrect details were captured onto ODM's billing system, and many installers' details were inaccurate. She says the team is now calling all the affected installers to ensure the right details have been captured and the installers can be paid.

Several companies already seem to have been sorted out, and installations have resumed. Installation business, Sats R Us, which also does the installation of DSTV, downed its tools at the end of last month, but has now restarted the installation process.

ODM has had a bittersweet start to life in the market, with solid first month sales causing several delays and contact centre drama.

The company's good sales put it under pressure to bring in additional stock and boost its call centre capacity. At the start, its call centre had 30 members, and was processing roughly 1 000 calls an hour.

The lag made many customers unhappy with the new pay-TV operator; however, it improved its turnaround for installations until the payment troubles began. Kelly explains that the company will not leave installers in the lurch, and has asked them to be understanding while the problem is resolved.

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