Blogs

 

 

Let me start from the beginning. 

 

I am generally satisfied Qtel client, I have had their mobile since long long time ago (number starts with (551), and Blackberry for at least 3 years now. I had my share of Qtel problems, like anyone else in Qatar, but lately they have turned out to be quite a good provider (see my previous blog).

 

On the other hand, being an avid Apple user all my life, I really wanted to get into the whole iPhone thing, and thought one of the VODAFONE plans, combined with the “only official” iPhone in Qatar, will serve me well.

 

I also have elderly parents who retired in the country of Montenegro, so I thought getting one of so aggressively advertised post-paid packages will give me a nice balance to call them twice a month, and enjoy iPhone as well. 

 

So - I decided to bite the bullet and go full Qatari, i.e., carry two fancy mobiles with me from now on. This is some time end of February 2010.

 

Step one: go to VODAFONE shop in Landmark mall. 

First disappointment: if it is an “official” phone, how come it’s price is not subsidized like anywhere else in the world? 1000 US$ for 32GB 3GS is a price, not any more “official” than the phone that you can get from Starlink/Qtel. Never mind, I get one, together with the plan that automatically charges me 110 QR monthly from my credit card. Nice shop, polite sales lady, so far so good, except for the price. But I don’t mind, as you actually get “official” and “unlocked” iPhone, meaning you can use it with any other carrier. Not bad.

 

Second disappointment: I frequently jog on the Corniche at night. Great, thought I, I don’t have to carry ipod and blackberry with me, iPhone will carry my music and my wife will still be able to get hold of me if she needs to. Park next to MOIA, run to Sheraton and back, sit in the car, start driving home and get 5 SMSes of missed calls. It turned out that my wife DID try to call me, repeatedly, but I couldn’t be reached. Yes, dear reader, VODAFONE number can not be reached ON THE CORNICHE!!!! Heart of Doha!!! First, shocking realization how their reception sucks and why are they now a joke of the town (VODAFONE, aaaaa, ha, ha, is the usual people’s reaction).

 

Most of the month of March I travelled, and was quite happy that my iPhone is unlocked, as it saved me a nice chunk of money using local prepaid SIMs, while still keeping my Qtel Blackberry for emails. Good times.

 

But, from the very beginning, every time I tried to actually call my parents (in Montenegro), I immediately got the error message “The number you have dialed is not in service”. First few times I dismissed it, thinking lines as are all busy and such, but after few months, and trying to call at many different times of the day I slowly realize something is wrong.

 

 

 

So, thought I, let me go to their widely advertised website, complain, maybe change my plan to lower payment as I am not able to use up my 110 QR/month... Log on, try for quite a while to set up username/password, “input email, Qatar ID, everything”, to no avail. 

Call their help line, and the first shock. Little girl tells me that YOU CAN’T USE THE WEBSITE IF YOU BOUGHT YOUR PHONE AND LINE IN THE SHOP. I, seriously, make her repeat the claim. Twice. “Are you sure what you’re saying?”. Shockingly, mind-bogginly stupid system. Can. Not. Believe it. They actually have to have two different databases, systems, everything. One for online buyers, other for people who went to their shops. Unbelievable.

 

Anyway, I tell the little girl about my problem, and spend some time with the tech support online. After about an hour of trying this and that, and patiently explaining to different people what my problem is, they finally tell me they can’t file my complain as their system is down. Call tomorrow. OK.

 

 

Call again to file the complain. “Hi, another little girl. Is your system up?”. Another 30 min of explaining the problem from the beginning. They find it so hard to understand the problem that is not according to their list of written standard FAQs. 

 

 

and on and on.

 

It finally appears as if they understood what my problem is. Thank them and hang up.

 

 

 

 

Ah, well, no need getting upset. Here we go again. Only 30 minutes of explanations, and going through the whole thing again. Hang up again, beginning to be frustrated.

 

 

 

 

Try to call Montenegro. Same thing. Not solved at all.

 

Guy calls back, and I tell him. NOT SOLVED. NOT WORKING. SAME PROBLEM. NOT OK. He says he’ll call me back. He doesn’t

Monday, April 12th

 

I call again. 

 

This is now entering Monty Payton territory. Oh well. Explain, for the nth time, what the problem is. Damn VODAFONE, i regret not going to Starlink and simply getting HALA number for my iPhone. People would be able to reach me. I would be able to call my parents. No stupidities and systems down. Why do I have to experiment?

 

Oh, Well.

Wednesday, April 14th. Call again.

 

Automated, robot-like answers that girl is obviously reading from the paper. Fembot is even impolite.
“We will call you. When we have any progress to your complain we will inform you”

 

 

Anyway, it is now more than 2 months since I got the VODAFONE line. I can say for sure that they don’t have direct dialing with Montenegro, and god knows which other countries. I can tell you for sure their tech support is untrained and amateurish.

 

I obviously can not sue them in Qatar for false advertising (call your family and friends at low rates? Really? How?). But, least I can do is to post my story online, let it be a warning to anyone wanting to buy VODAFONE mobile in Qatar. Simply - DON’T. VODAFONE brand in most of the world is trusted, reliable. In Qatar, it is mismanaged joke form the beginning (launch was 1 year late, with ridiculously mistargeted advertising campaign) and now, few years later, with lazy coverage, non-existent tech support and brand being a running joke in Qatar.

 

Stay tuned, I am not giving up. I will call them and taunt them every few days. Then, I am going to my bank to dispute every 110QR charge, as they didn’t deliver the service they advertised and promised. I am loud and I have Internet. And I hate being cheated and lied to.