OK, it’s a rhetorical question, but after my recent trials and tribulations with the moving of my DSL line, I wonder if the collective neurons of the entire administrative staff could raise a glimmer from a twenty watt light-bulb.
What’s happened now? you ask. Well, I’ll tell you.
When the KPN moved my analogue phone line on 21st December, I made an appointment with them by telephone to come back in January and install a second wall socket for me. The engineer who had installed the line had been unable to connect the downstairs socket, instead connecting the one in the front room on the first floor. This was inconvenient, however, because the base station and thus answerphone was then located upstairs, making it awkward to check for messages as one entered the house.
So, as I said, I made an appointment to remedy the situation. The first engineer had told me that his colleagues would be able to pull cable to allow the downstairs socket to be connected.
Well, come the day of the appointment, what happens? The KPN sends the engineer to our old address, the address from which the phone line in question had already been moved when the appointment was made. Go and stand in the corner with the dunce’s hat on.
Now, fair is fair, so I must admit that when I received voice mail from the engineer, saying that he had not found me at home (yeah, mate, I don’t live there), and I then called to ask if the situation could be rectified, I was put through to a very helpful woman who listened to my story, then called the works department of the KPN, then called me back to say they would still try to fit me in the same day at the new address. Grand.
A couple of hours later, the KPN engineer shows up with a second engineer, who he was clearly training. To cut a long story short, this new engineer was able to connect the second socket downstairs without pulling any cable at all. It was already wired.
In other words, the first engineer hadn’t done his job properly and had connected the upstairs socket needlessly. The supply of the first working socket is free, because that’s a prerequisite to be able to use a phone, but the connection of second and subsequent sockets is a paid service. Hence I am now expected to pay for the privilege of having the KPN enable me to use the phone where I wanted it put in the first place.
Doh!
Sounds like capitalism in action. They just dont care that you think theyre moron, because they have your money. 🙂
Actually, the KPN called me in the car today in response to my complaint. So much for handling complaints within 3 or 5 business days, as I was told on two separate occasions. This response came in more than a month after lodging the complaint!
Anyway, without any badgering, they offered to credit me for the period I was without a connection, so I’ll see that credit on my next bill. They did (of course?) miscalculate the amount they would credit me, but when I pointed this out, they immediately agreed to credit me the full amount.
This is the first time they’ve ever initiated contact with me and it was to apologise and refund some money, so they did at least ultimately manage to break their long-lasting rally of utter disregard for the customer.