Rivaldo Johannes, New Woodlands
I have been having problems with Vumatel and Web Africa wi-fi networks.
I ordered them to install a router at my residence.
Everything went smoothly until they found out that the conduits were blocked.
One of the houses has two cables running through it, while there should only be one per house.
I reported the matter the same day it was put in – on Thursday April 7.
I was then told that the maintenance team would come out two days later.
Saturday morning two guys came to say that the maintenance team could do nothing because they do not have the actual plan of the area.
They cannot just cut so they will come back on Monday with the proper tools and equipment.
No one pitched on Monday April 11.
I have been asking for assistance but all I am told is that they can do nothing.
An agent told me that I just have to wait. It would take about 24- to 48 hours for a call-out and only 30-minutes to do the complete job.
It has been 12 days now and I have yet to be assisted.
Ewald van der Westhuizen, Vumatel regional director, responds:
Mitchell’s Plain was the first area we launched our Vuma Reach product to.
Our network was designed to cater for one fibre line per household.
However, we soon started fielding requests for a second and some instances a third line to be installed at multiple household or units on a property.
When a property already has two lines running through the duct, as mentioned by Mr Johannes, we need to first send out a technician to assess whether a third line would be possible.
In most cases we are able to cater for the additional household, but this requires some planning and reworking.
There are also instances where unfortunately we are not able to deploy an additional line as the maximum capacities have been reached.
I will ensure that we relook the process to ensure that more regular updates are sent through to residents who happen to end up in this situation.
I can also confirm that Mr Johannes’s line was installed and activated.
