Neotel? What Neotel?

Over the last few months, I have heard more than one complaint about the service consumers have received from Neotel.

I generally believe people have a tendency to overreact when it comes to service levels in this country, and I wanted some empirical evidence that there was, in fact, a deficiency in Neotel's service.

Having explored the option, I have come to realise the hope of decent service delivery for telecoms in this country has now died in agony. Well, at least for the little guy.

When Neotel finally got off the ground a few years ago, it came to symbolise consumers' telecoms saving grace; their freedom from the diabolical bowels of Telkom's service. That hope quickly waned with the realisation that Neotel wanted big business, not the masses of consumers clambering for a change.

It would have been so simple for Neotel to seize this perfect opportunity. Neotel has never claimed to want to compete on price, although it has made significant market price shifts. All the company had to do was provide service, where at the time Telkom wasn't doing so.

For ages, I have been contacting the Neotel call centre to order a connection for my home. For months they have been telling me I have no coverage in my area. Fair enough, since neither MTN nor Vodacom can get it right there - something about living in a ditch bungling the wireless reception.

The problem is that I was promised by numerous call centre agents that I would receive a call telling me when coverage became available. Well boys - your online map says there is coverage and last time I checked, my phone is not on silent.

So, instead of waiting, I filled out a fancy form, placing my order with the company to get in on the action. I did it the week before Seacom got up and running, thinking it was a good time to get some of that pie.

My spirits lifted when I received an SMS saying my finances were in order and I would get my connection in seven days. My first thought was - what happened to the promised 24-hour turnaround time for the consumer? But being a kind-hearted soul, I let it slide.

I am certainly not so sympathetic anymore. A month later and I have not heard a breath from the company. I am now at the point where I have given up all hope of being part of the Neotel dream, and am researching new options.

I am now at the point where I have given up all hope of being part of the Neotel dream, and am researching new options.

Candice Jones, telecoms editor, ITWeb

Besides, more and more, I hear friends and readers complain about the service and quality of the Neotel offerings. And I am no longer sure I want to have to deal with poor quality and abysmal service.

In June, ITWeb reported that a local entrepreneur had decided to report Neotel to the regulator for just that reason. We had a flood of responses from readers, saying the connection was getting slower and more unstable. They said the consistent complaints and queries were being ignored by the company's call centre agents.

Neotel has not hidden the fact that its real target is big business. Its first products were enterprise offerings, and consumers and small business had to wait for quite a while to get a glimmer of recognition.

The company seems to think its bread is buttered by big business, when it has millions of consumers waiting in the wings to star in the grand Neotel debut. While the company waits for number portability, consumers wait in hope that a better option will come along.

Although, the current opportunities are slim. MTN can't tell me why my 3G connection dropped every half an hour for over two months. “We can't help you if you are running Windows 7,” was its call centre's excuse. I haven't used Vodacom Internet, but I haven't heard resounding praises about it either. And let's not even get started on iBurst.

I have come to the decision to try Telkom again, and I wonder if I should call Neotel and cancel my application.

It's been over 10 years since I last experienced Telkom's service. A well-respected industry colleague tells me its service is really up to scratch now - I beg you to set the record straight if you have a different opinion, but I live in hope.

* Neotel customer service finally contacted the author this morning to confirm the order of the service, but was firmly told “too little, too late”.