SA's third mobile operator, Cell C, has responded to criticism from local comedian Trevor Noah by publishing a full-page letter of apology to its customers in Sunday and daily newspapers.
Noah recently poked fun at SA's mobile industry, saying the cellular networks are horrible and calls are continuously being dropped. He zeroed in on Cell C, saying the operator had the worst network of the three, including MTN and Vodacom.
Now the viral effect of social media has resulted in almost 10 000 views of the clip on YouTube, as well as numerous comments on Noah's Facebook page regarding the issues he raised.
Industry responds
Cell C CEO Lars Reichelt responded with a letter in a full-page ad in newspapers, saying: “Dear Trevor Noah, I have seen your Facebook page and your video clip about SA's mobile operators and, in particular, Cell C.
“Your criticism about spotty coverage, dropped calls and overall lack of delivery is not unfounded and, as the CEO of Cell C, I would like to apologise to you and every Cell C customer who is experiencing similar problems,” he wrote.
He goes on to explain that Cell C is focusing on the rollout of its 4Gs network, its new customer care and billing system, and upgrades to its operational process to improve its services.
SA's two other mobile operators, MTN and Vodacom, did not escape criticism, and Vodacom says it relies on social networking to identify and fix problems relating to customer complaints. MTN could not be reached for comment.
Executive head of corporate communications at Vodacom Group Richard Boorman says: “I think that we're already a step ahead on this one. We use social media on a daily basis to directly engage with our customers on all sorts of issues, including complaints.
“Facebook and Twitter have proven to be rich sources of feedback and we're pleased to be able to use this information to identify and fix any problems,” he concludes.
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