We have been advised by Telkom staff that we should move from the property where we have lived for 40 years, because the company is not prepared to replace a stolen cable which would deliver the ADSL for which we have been paying and begging for four years.
They have offered us wireless options, but, as I have pointed out to them, and they have pointed out to me, our residence is in the middle of a 36ha black hole for signal.
That being the case, one would think that I, and my neighbours, would take precedence for the re-installation of the missing cable, instead of connecting us up to another old cable that meanders 16km through another suburb before dropping the crumbs – if any – of data capacity into the house line.
There are many days when we get no Internet at all and, most days, the line synchronises at half a meg if at all, and actual download speeds are at around 20kbps.
But the quality of the line is so bad that we can barely even do a Google search or receive an email.
Are we living in Blikkiesdorp?
No, we are 8km from the Northmead Mall.
Telkom parastatal will not allow us to communicate with anyone who might be in a position to deliver the service for which we are paying, but only with the “two-hour waiting queue” helpline or desk – online is obviously out for us.
Numerous visits to the Telkom office have brought us into contact with polite and helpful (in their own field), but powerless staff, and even more helpful, patient and ultimately powerless technicians, all to no avail.
Telkom should communicate and deliver, particularly since they have the monopoly on land communications in our country.
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