Airtel Kenya have the worst Customer Care; No one cares, No one follows up on Issues

Update: This issue has been sorted out. Took 6 days, a series of tweets and this complaint for this to work.

Sometimes the best way to approach a problem is to make it public and hope someone above will listen and help you out. I have had the worst week in my entire lifetime as Airtel Kenya’s customer and since no one seems to be keen on helping me out, I have decided to write about it here.

This post is to detail just how useless the customer service of the second biggest telecommunications company in Kenya is.

5 days ago I woke up and found out that my Airtel SIM Card 0738608489 had no network. My phone was on 3G only so I switched to AUTO and there was nothing. I tried 2G only, nothing. I tried manual connection and found out that both networks Airtel 3G and 2G were available but my SIM Card for unknown reasons just couldn’t connect to either. I thought maybe it was an error that would resolve itself. It didn’t.

So, as usual, I went to Twitter and told Airtel about my issue.

• 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡-𝑖𝑠ℎ@TechishKenya

Whole of today, my line cannot access the @AIRTEL_KE network no matter what I do. Can't access 3G/2G. Changed devices and still same issue.

1:31 PM · Mar 6, 2017

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With unliminet, Airtel have the second best offers on internet bundles in terms of pricing. And since their network is available where I live (though not strong indoors), I rely on them. I usually buy unliminet weekly bundles. Now that my SIM wouldn’t access the network, I felt very uncomfortable that my internet was expiring without me using it.

Airtel replied and said they were checking out my issue. But the customer care agents on Twitter didn’t seem to be too concerned.

• 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡-𝑖𝑠ℎ@TechishKenya

@AIRTEL_KE aki I've told you hapo juu I've tried different devices. I've tried 4 devices in total.

3:40 PM · Mar 6, 2017

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They asked me for many details and I gave them everything. No one called me. No one said what was going on. No one said how long it would take. It was just a mess.

So I drove from Maseno to Kisumu to Airtel’s main offices in the city.

I told the guy I approached at the office about my issue and that I had tried contacting Airtel on Twitter and there was no help coming through. He told me my SIM card was too old and that all it needed was replacement and that that would cost me Ksh. 100. I gave him the money and he went about his issues, gave me a new SIM card and told me all was well.

I switched on the phone and still, I couldn’t access the network. I told him about this and he was take aback. He took the SIM card and went on to work some things on the computer. He then told me my SIM wasn’t picking its serial number and this was the issue that made it not conncect to the network. He tried calling some numbers and said no one was picking up. He then said he’d written an email to Nairobi offices and that I should leave my alternative number to be contacted on when everything was worked on. I gave him my Safaricom line.

• 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡-𝑖𝑠ℎ@TechishKenya

.@AIRTEL_KE they replaced my line. Gave me a new sim card. Nothing
They told me serial number haisomi. And the problem isn't on their system

6:57 PM · Mar 7, 2017

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I was very angry at this point since I had traveled all that way imagining in my head that the this office would be the one to help me out. Kumbe they had to email Nairobi!

• 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡-𝑖𝑠ℎ@TechishKenya

.@AIRTEL_KE you guys are a bunch of jokers. I've traveled from Maseno to Kisumu to have customer card check up the line. They've failed too

4:53 PM · Mar 6, 2017

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The agent at Kisumu gave me a second new SIM card and told me to try it out after a few hours. That SIM Card still isn’t accessing the network to date.

I have been patient. I have gave Airtel Kenya all my details. Numerous times.

Bharti Airtel India Tweeted me. They asked for my details and I DM’d them.

Airtel Cares@Airtel_Presence

@techishkenya Hi! Please DM us your contact number using the below mentioned link so that we can connect with you to assist. Thank you, 1/2

8:01 AM · Mar 7, 2017

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Nothing has come of that.

Every day I send out a tweet and I either meet a clueless agent who won’t go through the conversation to know what it is about or the same rhetoric that they issue is being worked on by the relevant department.

• 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡-𝑖𝑠ℎ@TechishKenya

.@AIRTEL_KE hello. It's been two days and I can't access your network. Read the conversation above.

6:26 PM · Mar 7, 2017

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My internet bundle has expired without me using it. I cannot access my bank account as it was registered under this number. I cannot do things. It is so painful considering all the times I have contemplated quiting Airtel.

• 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡-𝑖𝑠ℎ@TechishKenya

.@AIRTEL_KE you seem not to care about my grievances. Nobody has called. Nobody has done anything.

6:29 PM · Mar 7, 2017

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I wonder how Airtel Kenya wants us to trust them when they keep doing shit stuff like this. They have good products yes, but encounter a problem and you’re all alone.

• 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡-𝑖𝑠ℎ@TechishKenya

@AIRTEL_KE this is the fourth time. And since you guys seem not to sync convos on DM with public tweets here: 0717660594.

6:57 PM · Mar 7, 2017

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Their customer care is shit. Nobody gives a damn how long you suffer.

• 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡-𝑖𝑠ℎ@TechishKenya

.@AIRTEL_KE team hasn't followed up Never been contacted. Its 4th day SIM can't access network I have given details so many times, I'm tired

11:44 AM · Mar 9, 2017

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All I want back is the week that has gone to waste in internet bundles and my about Ksh. 900 airtime that’s on the SIM card and I’m done.

It is day 5. No call. No nothing. No network.