It is SAD that in the year 2023, a communication company (Airtel Uganda) hire people/managers who don’t know to communicate, I find this very sad.
It is now years I have been tweeting and complaining on social media about Airtel Uganda, and they cry that I bash them and “hate” them! They (their managers) get offended by my language to them, and yet they simply don’t communicate, They don’t read emails, don’t reply to emails, and don’t communicate when and if there is an issue!!!
Every other day – they ask me online – how they can help me – YET THEY CAN’T!!! it is the managers – account managers that are supposed to sort things out, customer care managers and now there is a new title Lead Contact Experience – WTH !?!? still useless, send emails with “Jesus Loves you!” in the email signature – is this professional? Not sure, I don’t mind it – but made me laugh, That person can’t handle pressure but he loves Jesus… LMFAO.
I am not perfect – BUT – am a client !! I pay my bills, I have been with Airtel ever since it was Celtel, now 25 years with them, yet too many times we are taken as if we are thugs, For 20 years I pay my bills, if 1 bill was not paid in time for whatever reason – why do you act like UMEME of 10 years ago (which even they nowadays MUCH better, they don’t cut off, they communicate and tell you – last warning – PAY) BUT Airtel Uganda, they just cut you off – even when I actually proof that my bill was paid – it then takes an all-day to reconnect, why to inconvenience!?! And so what is the job of an account manager? Not to call me or my managers to ask for payment before cutting off !? don’t they know my number to call? LOL it is my telecom – I think they know my numbers, and if not call – because maybe it is difficult for them to WhatsApp – email – SMS – anything !?!?! why can’t they communicate!!?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi-1mC0KJhY maybe click to learn … Airtel should get some training in place for their managers
Next – one of my lines got a technical issue and all of those managers are telling me how what I expect is NOT possible on post-paid lines – BUT what I ask has been done successfully for 2 years and still does, all I want is to load – gift data bundle from my line to one of my other lines, it has been working – I sent proof to show it has been done, I been directing them (those managers) to my bills to see for themselves – HO I forgot – they are lazy (BTW the word lazy to them is offensive) but they sent me emails that what I want is not possible, they sent me texts and text on DM to tell me it is not possible BUT just yesterday I gifted another line of mine with data – just to see if it is possible or been cancelled recently – guess what – it was done successfully, so how do their Lead Contact Experience tell me it is not possible !?!?! is it due to laziness? incompetence? stupidity? ho sorry – those are abusive words to them – BUT I was taught – that if someone tells you any of those words and you are NOT – proof to that person that you are not – don’t get offended by any “stupid” word, not to mention that acting stupid – does not mean that I think you are stupid, you just act like that, AND – for G*D sake – am your client, I pay you to serve me, so do that!! If you are all about Experience – what are you doing to make me – your customer get it, I have a technical issue for 2-3 months and all am told – it is not possible to do – yet am doing it – still – and it works with all my other post paid lines, only 1 line it worked with for last 2 years stopped for some reason and you failing to dig in, find the cause and sort it out for me.
BTW – this Lead Contact Experience person – I got his contact from the MD of the company, I thought he would be the sharpest person to assist me promptly, I sent 3-4 emails – none of them got any detailed answer, I asked questions, requested information – zero feedback to the point. So I wonder – how do people get hired to work for Airtel Uganda? Surely not based on skills and surely not based on their capacity to serve clients or to handle pressure, BTW – I have not abused any of them – I used hash words but not used any serious abuse word like “F” words or “BS”
All I expect from my service provider is to provide me service, sort my problems, as promptly as possible, and yes – communicate to me !!! COMMUNICATION – isn’t it so basic to ask from a telecom !?
The other day – Saturday of all days – my sim card died (was over 6 years old sim) I asked Airtel on Twitter and contacted all those managers to advise me (via WhatsApp) what to do, After they all took way too long I went to the service centre, those told me I need this and that, but don’t be surprised – they didn’t tell me all I need to bring – they 1st told me to get company letter and police report and to come with my passport, I went home – to office and police – 2hrs later was back, every time you come, you need to queue, some 30+ minutes, and this was my 2nd time in the queue, I get to the counter lady – she checks and now she tells me, she need my certificate of incorporation, now back to office – Saturday afternoon, got it – another 40min gone, back to another queue, waited 20min by 4pm I finished – got a new SIM card – AND THEN – the punchline – the lady telling – sorry – now for the line to be activated – those managers and their managers who don’t work on weekends – will have to activate my sim, and that will be on Monday – so the all weekend NO LINE – what a waist of time – why didn’t all those idiots – didn’t tell me from the word go, took 4hrs running try to sort my self out to find that this should have ben done by my staff easy on Monday, without me stressing wasting my Saturday on this !?!? what is this if NOT communication !??!
BTW – Monday – not until 12 my sim card was activated!!!
So on that Saturday I went to MTN and got myself an MTN sim card, never wanted one, but in less than 30min I got an MTN sim car working, active, and not dependent on AIRTEL, the problem is that after 20+ years with my number I can’t just drop it.
If only the law for mobility took place in Uganda, that clients could keep their exact number with its prefix and move to another telecom, I think we should see which is the best telecom, I highly doubt it would be Airtel.
Now after sharing a tiny bit of my poor experience with Airtel Uganda, it would be nice to know what others think, as I will keep on demanding my service and support from these useless people at Airtel, BTW – not all are useless when one serve me well I also know to give compliments, and I know to give good feedback. I just wish I would have more of those good people trying to serve me than those managers at Airtel.
Lastly, in my last few DMs, I even asked to meet the MD, and as much as I have him connected to me on LinkedIn, I wanted those people to coordinate a meeting so they will tell him all those issues I have and my demands from my service provider called Airtel, but they decided not to coordinate this for me all this time.
Maybe next time if I still don’t get sorted – will actually mention names …
