TopTV, South Africa's new pay TV operator is sitting on what I would call a complete customer care PUBLIC DISASTER - unwilling, or simply unable, to increase its customer care response to new subscribers despite many promises to do so over the past few weeks, and I can exclusively reveal that hordes of new subscribers who brought TopTV decoders on the very first day, have still not been helped, called back, answered, or even attended to.
Why is this so difficult TopTV and how do you want to run a successful pay TV business if you're jeopardizing customer expectations and a potential subscriber backlash? This from brand-new subscribers who are going to jettison your product when you're simply not helping them? I'm personally aware of hundreds of people complaining directly to me, all highly irritated with TopTV's (seemingly non-existent) level of service. Here is just one very sad example:
It's 20 May today. It's also day 20 since Viola Samuels brought her TopTV decoder. She's still waiting for it to be installed. ''I wish I could say it's been installed after TopTV's promise of 72 hours. But no such luck,'' the tired, disillusioned and sad mom told me who had such high hopes of also getting pay TV for her home. She was so excited when she heard about TopTV and thought that TopTV would bring better television and more TV choice into her home.
''My kids' excitement have faded away,'' Viola Samuels tells me. As is TopTV's hope for that big subscriber growth - if they are not going to take drastic action to help the thousands of subscribers they were quick to woo and no slow to help with getting their decoders installers and activated. While the TopTV channel content is great, TopTV's customer care, customer care call centre and level of timeous interaction with subscribers are leaving a lot to be desired.
Do something TopTV. And quick. You're top down approach is clearly not working. Where are your executives? Where are your people who's supposed to sort out this growing customer care mess? What is up with your messy, incomplete and wrong electronic program guide (EPG) with no available alternative option for TopTV subscribers to see what's on the various channels? Major problems that need major action right now.
ALSO READ: TopTV goes into major crisis control mode; ready to expand customer care call centre.
