RR
Renee Randall-taylor
Active since Jan 2021
57
Reviews
0
Industries
Reviews
57 reviews4 months ago
Vox & Vumatel: A review
Vox Support Since Vumatel did their maintenance I was left in the lurch and was “connected” but “without internet”. Well, what is the point of that? No work could be done for days. I should be credited for this but must email the company. They can obviously not monitor their customers usage or do not want to credit them. It obviously is only about the money, money as the song goes. Vox’s costs are way higher than other companies that supply fibre. Why is this? Vox’s support was not great except for Evan who was a shining star trying to help me telephonically. Moses and William from Vumatel were superb when they came to check, but Peter was a different kettle of fish. I asked on WhatsApp what he had done, but received no response even though my internet situation had not been resolved. The Vox technicians are also lacking. They are supposed to phone and make a time when they will come and see you. None of this happens. You receive a message that they arrived, but you were not home so they left. In what world do we live that these technicians assume that all home owners sit at home twiddling their thumbs, waiting for them to arrive? Finally, I must mention Martin from Vox as he challenged me to do so when I was upset about his conduct. I asked him about safe guarding my router. He said he would give me an extender which I was prepared to pay for, but he left without keeping the commitment he made. He said he could not help me and that I had to remind him on the Monday. He arrives here, leaves a message and then leaves. When I phoned him, he said he could not help me. I do believe in over-perform and under under-promise, but he over-promised and I still have the same predicament. Please do not ever send this technician to my door again. I phone Vox and ask for a lower rate as I do not mind the slower line speed as I am at retirement age. They quote me an amount and I agree. I then get pestered with having to start a new contract and the amount quoted is much more than was given telephonically. I do not want to contact this company because I now refuse to respond to AI, to send messages on WhatsApp which they tell you to do, only to receive a message that they do not reply on WhatsApp. Then they have a “zone” they insist you contact – why should I use my mobile data which is for emergencies for this? Is this a joke? Can a human intervene and resolve this situation? R.R-Taylor feedback@voxtelecom.co.za info@vumatel.co.za
56 replies
4 months ago
AARTO: What a conundrum
AARTO Review I am quite impressed that AARTO is trying to bring in stricter measures, but I do not know how these will be implemented as our roads’ infrastructure is so defective. Often drivers cannot see the lanes in which they are driving, there are potholes everywhere and traffic lights often do not function. It is as if COJ uses very bad, cheap paint as the areas that are re-painted are often hardly visible 3 months down the line. When last have we seen yellow lines being painted? I wonder if people even know that one cannot park on yellow lines. Frequently I see people just parking in the middle of the road to make a call with their hazard lights on. No evidence of the yellow lines that were there before. And, why are there these strict measures for most tax paying drivers but the mini-bus taxis seem exempt from all rules and regulations? How is this fair? Is this Animal Farm where some are more equal than others? How can laws be imposed when a huge sector of the community is exempt in terms of these rules and laws? I cannot see how AARTO can enforce these measures if everyone cannot be treated EQUALLY. I can see many issues being contested in court unless ALL are treated equally and the infrastructure supports the rule of law. R.R-Taylor. info@aboutAARTO.co.za
0 replies
4 months ago
Multichoice ********** service
Multichoice Customer Care Centre & DSTV It is interesting that 16 major channels are coming to an end on 31 December from the Premium package. Comments suggest that negotiations have stalled, the costs etc. I do not believe this. There is money for SA productions on Showmax on which I have not seen a single show advertised that I would like to see, there is Catch-up which no-one needs due to the constant repetition of programmes and then we have Bravo, another daft channel which will probably go the way of Honey and other such channels. Meanwhile the pricing for Premium subscribers will remain the same. If you are a Compact or Compact plus subscriber you can upgrade to Premium without additional cost, what do Premium subscribers get? Less and less for more and more? I see this as dishonest advertising and marketing. The people who go for this option do not know it yet, but they will be deprived of most of the few quality programmes that will cease to exist on 31 December. Content also seems to have a distinct bias in terms of groups targeted and silly and tasteless programmes seem to be the order of the day. And then there is the Multichoice Customer Care Centre that provides ********** service. No special lines for the elderly or the disabled. I was 6th in the queue yet had to spend 5 hours in this facility before I was seen by one of the Multichoice employees. At lunch and tea time there seems to be a mass exodus with very little consideration for the waiting customers in this “Care” Centre. Ever heard of staff working on rotation? I think one of the Multichoice bigwigs needs to do an Undercover Boss experiment and go and see what really goes on. Many people take up the couches to fall asleep as they know they will wait for a very long time. In addition, no discounts for pensioners either. This must be the only company in SA that disregards pensioners. I am now looking at streaming options to use on my computer. Who needs a TV at all? Multichoice is the parent company and DSTV is their flagship. Well, how the mighty have fallen. The only programmes that seem to not “die” are the Housewives, The fabulous fat life or whatever and Lottery Dream house. Even Cake Boss as we are still watching shows from 2016! There is very little content for the more discerning viewers who would like their intellects stimulated. Shame on you Multichoice and DSTV especially for conning Premium subscribers! R.R-Taylor multichoice@tip-offs.com info@multichoiceafrica.com
0 replies
4 months ago
Woolworths Sandton City Great service in parts
Woolies service in the beauty department, Sandton City Today I went to Sandton City to use my “gift cards”. I got there and went to the Beauty department as I was looking for Clinique and Elizabeth Arden products. The employees in this department are absolutely fabulous. They are: Bonnie (at the counter), Sharon (the Elizabeth Arden sales lady) and the Clinique sales lady with her dyed hair. I cannot remember her name, but she looked striking and was also very efficient. I then proudly take out my “gift cards”, but they do not go through. I am sent to the Information Centre, message a number I am given. The response I get is that it could not be sent. The lady at the Info counter gives me my balances, but I am told that I have to wait as there is a glitch. Sharon was helping me as the whole situation was quite embarrassing and more and more people were lining up to pay with their “gift cards” but nothing could be done. We were all left standing twiddling our thumbs. Sharon was very helpful in trying to calm me down, bringing me water and a chair and Bonnie went to great lengths to contact the people she thought could help. Eventually things got sorted out and I could leave with the goods I had purchased. It is shocking though that no-one from management could help or reimburse me for the time that was wasted and the parking cost that just went up and up. I will go to Woolies beauty department again, but will ask my kids to rather give me the cash instead of Sandton City’s gift vouchers. R.R-Taylor custserve@woolworths.co.za / complaints@wfs.co.za
0 replies
4 months ago
FNB's interest rates
FNB’s interest rates I am extremely concerned about the low interest rates offered by FNB. Whether it is a fixed or flexible investment the best they can do is in the region of 7%. This is quite shocking. I invested a little nest egg and at the time the interest level was at 12%. I asked my financial advisor’s advice and he checked and said, no… interest on savings (fixed or flexible) average 7% currently. I feel I was conned into investing my money and was not told about the tremendous decrease so that I could make a change and look elsewhere. We live in a country were everything is getting more expensive and about 50% of our incomes go to tax in some form or another. We are encouraged to save which is becoming more difficult as it is getting more difficult to make ends meet. When one approaches the bank for credit they charge in the region of 20%. Yet for savings only 7%. This is daylight *******. I am currently looking around at other ways of investing my money because FNB is not being of service in this regard. R.R-Taylor
56 replies
4 months ago
Sandton City
I am pretty disgusted with the gift vouchers I have received from Sandton City, Cresta Mall, Takealot and Woolworths. I personally will NEVER pay for gift vouchers for any of these companies again. I will rather give the recipient the cash so that he/she has a choice about when, how and where to spend it. The reasons: 1) The vouchers now have expiry dates. How is this legal? Surely, I am entitled to use / buy with the vouchers when I want to as they have been paid for? Is it my problem if these companies cannot properly account for this? As far as I am concerned this is theft! 2) In the past one could use Cresta or Sandton vouchers at either mall. Now the user gets penalised and has to pay for this "luxury". More theft. When you find what you want to buy is at Cresta, but not at Sandton and visa versa and the store you are using is at Sandton and Cresta you will get penalised any way. Why has this changed? I spent three hours at Sandton and the products I wanted to buy were not at Sandton, but Cresta had these products. I left and used my voucher to pay for my parking ticket. 3) If vouchers cannot be used at either mall and I cannot find what I want, am I not entitled to get the cash back?? Please advise as I think this is daylight ******* and not a gift voucher at all. 4) Finally, if you use this voucher and you do not use the entire amount, they cannot give you any evidence of the balance that you have left. I am sure this is yet another method of cheating customers, because at my age I cannot remember these details as proof of my balance is currently being withheld. This is a disgrace! Please advise whether I can come and collect my cash from the various vendors, because my gift vouchers are gifts to me, paid for but I cannot use all the money I have been gifted with all the "penalties" that have been imposed. R.Randall-Taylor
0 replies
9 months ago
ABSA, Cresta : Shoddy service
ABSA, Cresta The service at this particular branch is extremely poor. First of all, it says on the website that they open at 8.30 on Saturdays. I am not one of their clients, but my domestic worker is. We arrived there before 8.30 and waited until after 9 am before their doors opened. Apparently, someone forgot or could not find the key. Interestingly enough, at this time, employees are entering and exiting. I am assuming they have some sort of coffee break before their work day starts. Also, no sign of a manager anywhere. Were they waiting for him to “open” the branch? Chatting to some of the ABSA clients whilst we were standing in line, I was told that this regularly happens. Why not correct the times on the website? Eventually, we gained access. We were then sent to a person who would supposedly help us. His name: Tshifhiwa Nefumembe. The query was quite simple. Annah had received a confusing message advising her that her funeral policy had been cancelled. We asked him, he made a call and then told us that the Funeral Insurance Section was not available on Saturdays so he could not help us. How do I know his details, well…he gave me his email address to do his work. I seem to recall his number was 16 but stand to be corrected. He then asked me to send him a reminder email if he did not get back to me on the Monday. I agreed to do this, although this should not be my responsibility, but HIS. Maybe there is just no concern for clients who are not wealthy or influential enough. I sent a follow-up email, no response received. I emailed a second time, still no response. The irony is that I said to him: “Don’t let us down…I like writing reviews on Hello Peter”. This was to no avail. Such shoddy service and Annah, my domestic worker is still in the dark. Shocking! ABSA used to have a sterling reputation. How times have changed. R.Randall-Taylor
109 replies
15 months ago
STAGE ZERO - Avoid if possible
STAGE ZERO – A disaster waiting to happen! This company is shockingly bad. I cancelled my account with them months ago as I do not need their “service”. What “service” this is, is beyond me. I have asked a few times via email what this “service” entails for which I am being charged. To date, no response to this question has been received. It is probably some “admin fee”. Who knows? Yet they continually email me telling me that I am in arrears. They then sent couriers to my home in Northcliff whilst I was at work in Sandton. I wonder if they have realised that we are no longer in the time of Covid when everyone worked from home and worked online? The name of the courier company they used is Skynet. Well, neither Stage Zero or Skynet arranged times when collection needed to take place and because I was not at home, the threatening emails continue. How do I get rid of this company and this contract? I tried to find a Johannesburg address so that I could go and drop off the item. They are based in Parow – so that is not possible. If you look at Google the contact number and the options given (AI generated) are very limited and when you leave a message, no response, but the same threatening letters or SMS messages. Please can Stage Zero TERMINATE my contract with immediate effect and stop harassing me? Gosh, they must be battling financially to be doing this to a 60+year old. How pitiful. Shame on them! When I cancelled the contract in 2024 they wanted me to return the UPS. I asked them what it looked like as I have been paying for this for years, but I have not used it. They told me to look for a green box. I became frantic as I could not remember having a “green box”. My domestic worker helped me look through all the tech paraphernalia I have only to discover that it was not a “green box”, but a black box with a green sticker on it. Do they know what their “product” even looks like? After the UPS was found, I contacted a manager via WhatsApp with photographic proof of the UPS so that it could be collected. This was in October of 2024. Well, even after a commitment was made to have the UPS collected, no calls, no WhatsApp messages, nothing, and the harassment continues unabated. Do they think that all clients have unlimited wifi access and sit patiently at a computer every day awaiting their calls? How naïve can they be? A WARNING TO ALL CLIENTS OF STAGE ZERO- cancel your contracts with immediate effect if you are “renting” a UPS from them. A UPS can be purchased for between R800 to R1000 and then you do not have to pay this company a “holding” not “service” fee when you do not use their devices. A request to Stage Zero to follow the correct protocols when dealing with clients. If you want clients to respond, improve your availability, use ChatGPT to improve your communication and CONTACT and ARRANGE times with clients when delivering or collecting goods. A final request is to please DO what you commit to do and stop harassing your clients. This is conduct unbecoming, to say the least. R.Randall-Taylor
56 replies
20 months ago
DSTV's Repeat Performances
DSTV- A waste of money I am so tired of spending a fortune every month on DSTV and I am now looking at other options. I only watch news channels and approx. 5-6 channels that have been worth watching in the past, but now there are so many REPEATS, some only an hour apart that the best channels I am listening to at present are the audio/music channels. I am not sure who is in charge of structuring the program schedules, but there seems to be no oversight in this regard. How many re-runs have we now had of Hometown, not to talk about Bones in the past. Surely enough is enough already. Maybe Bones will soon be advertised again as a “new” season. What lies! What does DSTV offer pensioners? There are special deals for businesses and they have a choice of channels, not so pensioners. We have to pay for channels with languages we do not understand, religions we do not follow, watch garbage programs on 132/135. Have constant repeats on HGTV and the Crime channels ad infinitum. My goodness, now we get “Naked Crimes”. At my age I am not interested in such *******. These are probably the cheapest programs DSTV can afford and now we are inundated with such junk. My goodness, unbelievable! How the mighty DSTV has fallen in terms of quality and programs worthy of our attention. The quality of programs on offer has diminished substantially. Is there a new management who rake in the money, but no quality control for what we and especially our grandchildren are exposed to? I remember the days when we had at least one decent new movie on Sunday evenings. That is now long gone. Now we have to pay for this amount of *******– why? Just more greed from DSTV. Showmax has not advertised anything of interest yet and Netflix I can watch at a much cheaper rate. Who wants to add to the unnecessary expense of adding it to DSTV’s funds? BBC channels have diminished. How many repeats have we now had of Midsomer ******s and gone are the days of decent shows on the History channel. Curiosity channel was fun…long ago, but now it is just ongoing REPEATS…again. Now and again when there is a good show it is often so late in the evenings. This is probably yet another ploy to get away with showing REPEATS. DSTV stop cheating the South African public and make more options available especially to pensioners so that we can have affordable entertainment. Surely, we deserve this after so many years of loyally paying for your services. Subscribers deserve better. R.Randall-Taylor
106 replies
20 months ago
SA Home Loans
SA Home LOANS: Complaint I have been a client of this company for many years now and I am not happy with how my mortgage has been handled. A few years ago, I started paying extra to get the mortgage completed quicker. I have poor eyesight and as we only receive a statement every three months I did not notice that as I was paying more, SA Home loans was steadily decreasing the original payment agreed upon. Why was this done without notifying the client, me? Is this one of the sneaky ways in which mortgage companies want to keep clients paying over longer terms? Needless to say, my money saving measure was thwarted without my authorization. Is this ethical and legal for a company to do this without consulting their clients? I hope I will receive a response from this company in this regard. R.Randall-Taylor
53 replies
Review Distribution
5 Star
10 (17.54385964912281%)
4 Star
1 (1.7543859649122806%)
3 Star
3 (5.2631578947368425%)
2 Star
4 (7.017543859649122%)
1 Star
39 (68.42105263157895%)