I hate it when things don`t work. I find the unbearable strain of dealing with a succession of morons in an attempt to get a simple issue resolved completely exhausting.
I hate companies that use call centres in the belief that by simply making their agents enter notes on contact they have had with clients, the next agent will be able to seamlessly pick up where the last one left off.
My dislike of such scenarios is so intense that I have managed to create around me a network of service providers that generally don`t mess me around. I like my bank (Absa), even though it refused to finance my dream home (wooden floors, pressed metal ceilings) because of the work it would take to modernise the kitchen I love just as it is.
I love Standard Bank because it did give me my home loan. I have organised myself a personal consultant at Discovery, because dealing with the call centre wasn`t working for me.
I love Autopage Cellular because it never messes up my phone bill, and provides me with articulate and helpful service every time I need it. And, after this weekend, I particularly like MTN for the services it provides to subscribers.
On Friday night, we gaily set off for Sutra nightclub in Boksburg to see international DJ Tim Deluxe spin some tunes. I have no sense of direction, but my boyfriend had been there before, so we hit the road with confidence. Unfortunately, as we approached the series of off-ramps leading to this part of the world, he realised that he couldn`t remember which one Sutra would be visible from.
Now, for me, being lost comprises a large part of my daily existence. It`s how I go through life. I leave a place I am familiar with, and head off in the general direction of my intended destination, but between point A and B, for all intents and purposes, I am lost.
I have no idea where I am. I have no idea how where I am relates to anywhere else I have ever been. Friends laugh at me often for my tendency to go from one destination to another via my house, since that`s the only way for me to make sure I end up where I am supposed to be. All of this is in aid of explaining that being lost doesn`t really phase me - I`m used to it.
My boyfriend, however, does not enjoy being lost. Over the years, we have learnt that petrol station attendants don`t really know the directions to anywhere, and are unable to help at all. So we drove along stretches of highway in the dead of night wondering how to find our party.
Then, I happened upon the idea of calling MTN directions. I didn`t know the number, but I called MTN directory inquiries, and asked them for it. This achieved, I got through to Claude. Claude sadly told me that while he would love to help me, he needs an actual address, not only the name of the establishment.
Over the years, we have learnt that petrol station attendants don`t really know the directions to anywhere, and are unable to help at all.
Georgina Guedes, editor, Brainstorm
More driving.
Then I called directory inquiries back and asked if they had a listed address for Sutra. They didn`t, but I remembered that Sutra is located in the Wild Waters complex, so I asked for the address for that. They told me it was in Margaret Road.
I called Claude back. He managed to locate Margaret Road and directed us there. My boyfriend was dubious about the directions we were given, as they were taking us away from the general area that he was sure Sutra was in.
As we drove around, peering hopefully out the windows of our car, Claude phoned us back. He had managed to locate a Margret Road on his maps, and there, in big writing, were the words "Wild Waters". He gave us new, better directions, and we found the place in no time.
It is seldom in life that I have encountered such a fantastic combination of sensible technology and representatives with a genuine willingness to help. I`d like to offer up a big thank you to MTN in general, and specifically Claude, who got us to Sutra in time to see Tim Deluxe start his set.
Now perhaps MTN should look at combining the two services it offers so that we need only phone MTN HELP for both addresses and direction.
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