[kictanet] why safaricom has no competition

[robert yawe]

Hi,

We are always giving Safaricom flack on all issues including the lack of rain but today I have realised that they are still the better option.

I read on the Airtel website, http://africa.airtel.com/kenya/choose-your-number-148, about a service that allows you to choose your own number directly from your phone. 

So I dashed to the nearest Airtel Shop to purchase a SIM card, I asked the attendants whether this service is available and they said I should go to one of the customer service centres.  This already indicates that the information on the web site is obsolete, how much does it cost to update a website, I wonder.

So off I went to Kimathi Street service centre and for a minute I thought it was a classroom as there where rows of chairs facing the front, of the class.  Any customer service centre that has more chairs than a post Michuku Matatu definitely has serious problems.

As I had 10 minutes to kill I decided to pick a ticket just to go through the menu and there was no option for SIM card services so it seems that stopped offering this service and since there where more than 14 people already seated in the queue I decided that this was an exercise in futility.

I decided to humour myself by buying an Airtel SIM card and try following the instructions on the web site, alas to no avail.  The instructions do not correspond to the menus on the phone, then after cycling through a few options I get the correct one just to get the message that I cannot change the number because i have a pending "Kopa Kredo" balance and that I need to clear it before proceeding.

Note that this is a brand new SIM card so does it mean that on purchase the SIM card already has a debit balance?

I then go to the "Kopa Kredo" menu option and receive the message "dear customer the kopa kreda system is currently unavailable".

After spending 30 valuable minutes on this exercise I got a flash of brilliance and instantly went into a trans.

I felt an inner force in me remove the SIM card from the phone, fit it on my thumb and flick it into the direction of the bin where it bounced off the edge and went straight in, what a feeling of relief.  I then put back my old trusted Safaricom SIM card and continued with my day.

Now I understand why Safaricom had no issues with number portability as they say in Harlem "Once you go "green" they is no going back".

Enjoy a connected weekend

Regards

Disclaimer: This post reflects the feelings of the writer and has been done without any monetary or other kind of incentive from the mentioned organisations.  The tests where done under an impartial and controlled environment, you are free to try the same at home.
 
Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
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