Customer Service Failure at Starcomms Plc

I am ashamed to say but I spent most of today being angry. Angry at the mediocrity we are often forced to deal with in this country of ours. Angry that as a customer, I am not valued even despite the fact that I am part of the reason why Starcomms Plc is in business. I was so mad till I decided the only thing that would make me feel better was to write to them and get an opportunity to vent out my utmost dissatisfaction with the poor service rendered to me and any subscriber suffering a similar plight.


October 9, 2009

Chief Executive Officer
Starcomms Plc
Plot 1261C, Bishop Kale Close,
Victoria Island,
Lagos




Attention: Management

Re: Customer Service Failure

I am an angry customer. I am angry because I feel I am being taken for granted and that Starcomms Plc is ripping me off my money’s worth. I feel that rather than partnering with its customers, Starcomms Plc is cheating its customers.

I run a small business and I subscribe to the 24/7 internet service provided by Starcomms Plc. Every month I make a conscious effort to pay my subscription rate on time to avoid being disconnected and every month I suffer the same plight.

Yesterday on the 8th of October 2009 I went into a GTB bank myself and paid in my subscription fee to avoid being disconnected on the following day. My service was disconnected at exactly 12 midnight of the 8th of October 2009 and it is now 2 pm of the following day and my internet connection is still not back up.

What I cannot understand is why an ISP like Starcomms, in this day and age cannot provide a seamless internet connection service for customers like me who want to ensure that they are connected 24/7 just like the name of the tariff plan suggests.

Today and every month because of Starcomms Plc, I cannot do business with my customers for at least two thirds of a day as I am usually reconnected in the afternoon of the following day. I do not understand this phenomenon so I ask;

Starcomms Plc, why must we be disconnected every month even though we try so hard to do everything we need to do to ensure we are not disconnected?

Starcomms Plc, why do you collect payment for a service that you cannot render? If we have exchanged money then I believe you owe me a service from the moment you receive my money. In the worst case even if you had not recognised the money I paid in yesterday on the day it was paid in, why am I not re-connected first thing in the morning of the following day i.e. by 8am today the 9th of October 2009?

Why do I always have to call in to Starcomms every month, harassing people I know who work there to speed up the reconnection of my Starcomms internet service? What would I do if I didn’t know people who could help me?

If I am billed based on a 31 day cycle why would you count a reconnection time of 3pm on a particular day as day 1 of my service? Especially since I had made payment on the previous day but due to your own service failures I am reconnected at 3pm on the following day. What happens to the lost hours between 12 midnight and 3pm where I had no service and yet Starcomms had received payment for those hours? If I pay for 31 days I should get 31 days, no more, no less.

I am frustrated and tired of your poor service and this is not the only problem I have had with your organization.

Two months ago I suffered a similar plight where I had to buy a new USB modem for the internet connection I currently have. I had problems with the USB on the day it was bought and proceeded to return it the next day. I was told that I could only return it at the Starcomms shop that it was bought at. I live in Ilupeju and I bought it at Lekki on a Saturday. I had to drive all the way to Lekki on a Sunday just to return it. That in itself is a shame for such a large firm with branches all over the country to request that refunds must be made at the same store of purchase.

On returning the USB modem to the shop, I was told by the customer service advisor that company policy would not allow them refund my money till somebody else had bought the same item as the cash received from the person would be used to give me a refund. As a result, I left the Starcomms shop with no service, no USB modem and no money. Starcomms a big firm, kept hold of N26,500.00 belonging to a small firm like mine on the basis of a company policy that makes no sense and shows low regard for the customer. I was called back 3 days later to pick up my refunded cash. During this time, Starcomms cared less about the fact that I would have no internet service for the period they held my cash.

In my entire life, I have never seen where customers are treated like beggars with no choice.

Starcomms Plc is taking its customers for granted, forgetting that your customers make you who you are today. You may get away with it in the short term but you will not get away with this in the long run. It is sad and appalling that in this day and age with everything we know about customer service that companies like Starcomms are cheating their customers.

What is even sadder is that with advancement of technology solutions, Starcomms cannot device a means of ensuring that the services of loyal paying customers like me are not disrupted every month.

Starcomms Plc, I want you to know that it is technically feasible to device a system that detects customers who have paid before their subscription fee expires so that they can enjoy a seamless transition to the next month without being constantly reminded that they are at your mercy. Please invest in the right systems and service your customers by giving them value for money not lost business and wasted time calling your office.

Starcomms’ role should be one of a business partner and not a business destroyer. Small businesses and entrepreneurs suffer enough in this country. Starcomms should not add to the plight of the small business owner or its customer base as a whole, whether businesses or individuals. We demand and deserve value for our money. Please speak our language!



Yours Sincerely,


Their response is below and was received after sending an email to ceo@starcomms.com, I guess they thought I was a guy. Note; no reference to a refund for loss time, business losses or grievance.

Dear Mr,

Please accept our sincere apologies for the delays you have experienced in your renewals. I would request that you let us have your data device number with the payment particulars including location of payment to help us facilitate your renewal.

Yes, we are aware of the issues with time delay in payments made by the bank and Starcomms has been working on resolving this issue and ensuring that customers do not have to be in agony on the delays experienced.

Starcomms has just soft launched not one but three different modes of online renewal process for its Retail Data Subscribers who can now pay from the comfort of their home or office and experience instant renewal of their desired subscription pack. The three different modes of online renewal are detailed below.

1. Through SMS from your Starcomms handset. This is by sending a pre-defined string as an SMS/ Text to 37938 from a Starcomms handset.

Package ID Package Name Value
241 1MTH PURPLE ALWAYS-REN 15,950
242 PURPLE 100 HOURS REN 6500
243 PURPLE 250 HOURS REN 15,000
244 1MTH PURPLE NIGHT REN 5,000
245 1MTH PURPLE BUSINESS REN 7,000
246 PURPLE 7-11 REN 1 MONTH 5,000

The string would be *Package ID*Data Device number*1234#.

For example for a renewal on an 1 month Purple Always Renewal plan you need to send the following SMS *243*07028962561*1234# to the number 37938.

1. The second and third mode of renewal are both through the web. You need to visit our website www.starcomms.com and register yourself and you could pay either using our recharge cards or an Interswitch card.

Regards



Sajan
Sajan R Suvarna

Deputy Director – Data & Retail Sales