Eskom's Response

So here, verbatim, is the response I received from Eskom. My fault for the delay in publishing it: the letter arrived on 22 July - I've been pretty busy since then.

Dear Mr [me]
The document is copied below:

RESPONSE TO ENQUIRIES REGARDING SMS AND NETWORK CHARGES

With reference to your e-mail correspondence received on 21 July 2005. Our response covers your first enquiry regarding the network charges and subsequent four points which you listed in your second e-mail.

Voltage query

The Customer Service Area Manager responsible for your area, Tobie Nortjé, will respond to you directly within seven working days regarding your enquiry.
Mr Nortje is investigating the matter.

Sharecall Solution

Eskom makes use of the Sharecall solution whereby the customer pays the equivalent cost of a local call and Eskom is responsible for the remaining cost, irrespective of distance or duration of the call.

Offering a tollfree service attracts pranksters who make nuisance calls. These nuisance calls create unnecessary volumes on our system and results in legitimate callers waiting longer for their calls to be answered.

Since implementing Sharecall, we have experienced a significant reduction in the number of prank calls. We are now able to answer 80% of our incoming calls within 30 seconds.

Follow up service

We apologise for not having called you directly on your cellphone. We attempt to contact our customers in more than one way to ensure that we follow up successfully and therefore make use of land lines, cellphones, e-mails, facsimiles and text messages, where possible.

In terms of voice-mails, our Contact Centre strives to attend to them within 30 minutes and endeavours to contact every customer who leaves a voice-mail message.

Network Charges

The monthly network charge is an integral part of the tariff for an electricity supply. Eskom does not guarantee an un-interrupted supply to customers at all times and no refund of the tariff or part thereof is made when an interruption of supply occurs.

The network charge is made up of capital for the network on the infrastructure, operations, maintenance and refurbishment. The fact that an interruption in supply has occurred does not affect payment of these charges.


I wish to assure you that Eskom is committed to ensuring the delivery of a high standard of quality of supply and service. This commitment is for the benefit of our customers and forms the cornerstone of our customer service philosophy.

Yours sincerely


Contact Centre- Customer Service
Western Region

In other words: Dear Mikro2nd, please drop dead.

I am still (2 weeks later) waiting for Mr Nortje to get back to me.

BTW, legal advice is that they're wrong about the network charges. I can't say more just yet, but watch this space!