# General Business Category > General Business Forum >  MTN - are they all brain dead?

## Sieg

I have been trying since 24th April 2009 to get MTN to reply to my letter.

Yesterday I had my one and only response from MTN. It was a âprivate numberâ showing on my cellphone. I did not take the call. There was a message. It went as follows: âhel low, how r u dis is flflkxvjlkvjlkfjoj0 from emtee en. Weel kull u laydir.â This call was at 11 yesterday morning. Nothing further from them.

Now, they have:
1. My landline numbers (all three);
2. Four e mail addresses;
3. My Skype addie;
4. My facebook entry;
5. My home address and home telephone number;
6. My office address;
7. My fax numbers: all three of them;
8. My post box address;
9. My income tax reference number [I kid you not]
10. My company number;
11. My identity number with picture;
12. My partner's contact details; and last but not least;
13. My cellphone number.

But can they respond? I am not holding my breath.

How about arranging a funeral for MTN for the weekend? If they are brain dead, then we should bury them. It is the right thing to do.

Sieg

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## Dave A

> It went as follows: âhel low, how r u dis is flflkxvjlkvjlkfjoj0 from emtee en. Weel kull u laydir.â


You have got to be joking  :EEK!: 

Given the lack of response you must be asking about something really tricky that involves more than the use of thumbs.

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## tec0

Dude, why not e-mail them from the contact us link on the MTN website. The automated response will like give you a reference number and stuff. Now this number you can use to smoke the manager dude sitting up in MTNâs tower. But again I think all the info they have of you is seriously to much information.

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## Sieg

> Dude, why not e-mail them from the contact us link on the MTN website. The automated response will like give you a reference number and stuff. Now this number you can use to smoke the manager dude sitting up in MTNâs tower. But again I think all the info they have of you is seriously to much information.


I did that too: tried to contact them from their website. Got the standard automated response with a reference number. They promised to get back to me within twenty four hours. That was many weeks ago. I have e mailed them on that same e mail address every day. No luck. Guess the robot died. 

Here's their one response:

"Good day 

We would like to apologise for the delay in actioning your request.

Our team is busy resolving and will revert to you.

Thank you for your understanding and patience.

Regards
Kate Lamola
Key & Government Support 
Business Channels
cell: 809
Tel: 083-1-809
email: business@mtn.co.za"

Sieg

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## tec0

Interesting fact is that not even the MTN shops have direct access to helpdesk or technical helpdesk or so I was told by the MTN Manager at my local MTN branch. Secondly you can have a look at your MTN contract and see if they are not violating any agreements on their side. But those contracts are as one-sided as they can get so I donât think you will have any luck with that.  Lastly I recommend the consumer counsel. YES the consumer counsel is useless. However if you think about it. You do have enough prove that they are NOT responding to YOU. So go and make a formal complaint at the consumer counsel and start with legal proceedings. Perhaps you can make a difference were others have failed. Think about it... just give it a thought before you go to sleep.

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## Dave A

Apart from the obviously shocking response time, what sort of problem are you having, Sieg?

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## Sieg

My 
Telecoms
Nightmare

[I am not the author of that acronym]

Dave and TecO: One of the things I asked for, was a copy of my subscriber's agreement. So, I can't even check what that agreement says. 

I also have a billing problem: they have billed me in excess of what my monthly payment for that particular contract should be. They have also not for the first month of service, provided me with an itemized account. I have also asked them for the actual date on which they commenced services (as there is also a discrepancy with that) and have asked for the actual date on which the contract will end in March 2011 (so that I have no trouble when that date arrives, as I had with iTwak.)

Sieg

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## Dave A

Ah! Detail...

So by default they give you the mushroom treatment  :Stick Out Tongue:

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## tec0

I stand to be corrected but as far as I know some MTN shops have the capability to give you your billing details. Secondly they are withholding information. That is a big no, no in the legal world. Withholding information is one of their tactics to keep customers in the dark. 

However if you have enough grounds and I think you do just get court order and have that information released. If they still donât want to release the information you seek, you can turn this into a criminal offence. Also take into consideration that you donât pay for anything once the case becomes criminal in essence. I would just love to see an MTN dude sweating like a pig! Hope they put it on YouTube    :Yes:

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## Sieg

> I stand to be corrected but as far as I know some MTN shops have the capability to give you your billing details. Secondly they are withholding information. That is a big no, no in the legal world. Withholding information is one of their tactics to keep customers in the dark. 
> 
> However if you have enough grounds and I think you do just get court order and have that information released. If they still donât want to release the information you seek, you can turn this into a criminal offence. Also take into consideration that you donât pay for anything once the case becomes criminal in essence. I would just love to see an MTN dude sweating like a pig! Hope they put it on YouTube


I am in the process of:
1. Preparing an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act;
2. A summons to be issued out of the Magistrate's Court at Pinetown for delivery and debatement of an account;
3. A formal complaint to WASPA against MTN for breaching the code. 

Sieg

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## tec0

> I am in the process of:
> 1. Preparing an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act;
> 2. A summons to be issued out of the Magistrate's Court at Pinetown for delivery and debatement of an account;
> 3. A formal complaint to WASPA against MTN for breaching the code.


Good! YES YES YES! Sieg  :Applaud:

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## Dave A

Don't stuff around with lawyers... Be a lawyer!  :Stick Out Tongue: 

Your profession has its perks, Sieg.

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## tec0

If anything you became the voice of many and a hero for those who suffered under MTNâs BS for far too long. All I can say is; it is about time that someone takes harsh and decisive action.  :Yes:

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## Frankincense

Tec0 :"Withholding information is one of their tactics to keep customers in the dark."
 ...soon there will be no more paper-based transaction bills...only many emails...in the name of "earth goes green"... while the suppression of developing economies via economic emission regulations carries on....

If people are definitely kept in the dark globally by the Corporatocracy member above....and if destiny demands a rabbit to be snared, help set the snare. We as humans have devalued in their sight and are of little significance.  This will ensure that all things should come to an end quicker than slower. There shall be no more delay! Resisting, Objecting, Appealing for personal financial freedom & transparency....how Noble.

"takes harsh and decisive action. " - who can make war against the Corpratocracy member as above?...I expect a minor settlement and some re-imbursement may occur.... BUT it's happening to many all the time, and has become a way of system/note and subjection...A new syllabus of "Global Education"....

The controllers see clients as rabbits...and they are on a rabbit farm....settin snares for 'em rabbits...and if you happen to find yourself on that same Global Village...and you kick a snare and get caught with lawsuit cases....just take out your foot, and replace the snare carefully...as it's work is on someone else's scorecard.... :Yes:

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## tec0

Francois  :Whistling:  

Reason behind thought is as old as a lock and key. To force someone to sign away their lives is as old as devil is young thus one need to understand the traps. For all corporations demand your wealth, health and life to be formally devoted to them. It does not matter if we cut down a tree to make the system work it does not matter if you get e-mails instead of post. The truth is never will pen and paper completely disappears for it is almost infallible if used correctly. Being a student of 0 and 1 I know that all digital media is fallible partly because it is not physical and partly because it exist in a corruptible media. 

The question is how to stand when one must kneel! If one stand many will stand by example thus more will learn the system and they will lead by example till such time where corporations can no longer force you to kneel.

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## Sieg

> Francois  
> 
> The question is how to stand when one must kneel!


This reminds me of Martin Luther: "Hier stehe ich, ich kann nicht anders!" [Here I stand, I can do no other." I believe, as long as humankind [woman and man] have brains, they will have thoughts. And those who can think, will oppose what is wrong and speak out. Luther believed that purchasing salvation for one's sins, was wrong. [This was how the Catholic church made its money]. Luther spoke out. 

And when we are daily faced with Governments that tread on our human rights, on local authorities who believe that they are "authority above all else", on faceless corporations that just take take take, then we who can think must speak out. We must. We have no choice. 

And because I believe that the telecommunications industry consists of the robber barons of the twenty first century, I will speak up. I will make sure that I am heard.

Sieg

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Dave A (21-Jun-09), Graeme (18-Jun-09)

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## tec0

I say it once and I shall say it once more: masses follow by example. Please keep us informed so that we know what to do when the time comes for us to stand against these overbearing service-providers! They do what they want with us without consequence. However I belief that your actions will give others a much needed voice. 

The best of luck to you Sieg  :Yes:

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Dave A (21-Jun-09)

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## Dave A

It's at times like these that I feel all the effort put into this forum is worth it.  :Thumbup:

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## kwanele

Please give me the funeral date i will definetely attend! The companys' customer service i very poor, i think the company is growing too fast and does not the have necessary resources to meet the demand. Too much growth too early can be deadly you know.

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## murdock

i am with virgin mobile need i say more  :Banghead:  :Banghead: 

finally after 2 years of absolute hell my contract expired last month...well thats what i thought...as per documents it did but as confused as they are... they just needed to scr*w me for a little more...so they slapped me with a handset fee of R900 and the normal R209 monthly contract fee which had already expired in june and i had already contacted then got a REFERENCE number to prove it...so i took medication lots of it...then dialed 123 eeeeeeeeeeer we are so sorry we will reverse it and make it right next month.

think about this a little how many people out there get charged for some trival thing be it R1 more than they were suppose to...if standard bank makes a R1 mistake on each persons account every month they make an addtional R25 million + interest.

virgin how many customers? they over charged me by R1109 last month...i tell i am in the wrong bussiness....lets all get together and start a bank...in the old days...get rich quick schemes where churches and charities now days its banks and cellphone contracts...or cellphone downloads.

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## daveob

hmmm ... this doesn't sound right.

I would go to the bank and get the debit order reversed and tell the bank that the supplier does not have authority to debit you - which they don't as the contract had expired.

Better to have the supplier chasing you for a few bucks than you chasing them for a refund. That way YOU get to be the one to show how slow you can go.

Remember *the golden rule* : he how holds the gold makes the rules.

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## Frankincense

"I would go to the bank ".......the deadly growth would by quantum design be pervasive...it's power will be revealed.... :Slayer:

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## tec0

As of now I am on my last months of my Contract. In all, our mobile suppliers know that we are but a flock of sheep. We must go to them for a mobile service because there is simply no other. Thanks to my Contract I will never sign another mobile contact in my life! The perks of having an expensive phone is really overrated. Yes you can do cool stuff with it but the COST my goodness the COST! 

My next phone will be something small and almost useless. No more video calling, no more internet and most definitely no more 3G. 3G is not there to help you with faster internet, it is so that you can lose money faster. Much faster! 

Dealing with our mobile companies is a bit like having sex with a cheese-grater.
 :Stick Out Tongue:

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## Dave A

> Dealing with our mobile companies is a bit like having sex with a cheese-grater.


Now if that doesn't make you cross your legs, nothing will  :EEK!:

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tec0 (17-Jul-09)

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## murdock

i decided to not to renew my contract with "virgin" (lucky for them) but i loose out hands down...i hear the ad on ECR says richard branson doesnt need your money so dont expect to get any service.

when i had a contract (well they say not a contract) i got a phone for 200 a month and R200 worth of airtime now i dont have the contract i just pay the R200 for the airtime an use my old phone.

with mtn i have to buy airtime on pre paid and get nailed more for per minute billing...so you cant win.

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## tec0

I use to deal with Virgin Mobile all the time but as of late it is just not worth it anymore. I have no GPRS capability while I am on their network or the GPRS will be as slow as a snail on drugs. Or I will lose connectivity every time I blink my eyes. But yes it is true Virgin Mobile is really a cheap option if you are on a top-up contract.

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