Yesssssssssssssssssss, finally we will get rid of the expensive pink giant after the new build.
Confirmed for June 15 next year, just in time for the nice Christmas offers.
Which provider would you recommend, and is it better to switch on June 15 or choose the date one week earlier because of the new connection?
Confirmed for June 15 next year, just in time for the nice Christmas offers.
Which provider would you recommend, and is it better to switch on June 15 or choose the date one week earlier because of the new connection?
We’re currently having huge problems with the pink nightmare...
We contacted the builder’s service—of course, too late—because our electricity and water contractor simply hadn’t laid any telephone cables. We were told it would take 4 months.
Twice we asked whether we needed to dig the trench for the cable ourselves (we do have a 40m (130 ft) construction access road); the first contact said “no,” the second insisted “yes.” So we dug until—after 5 months—the telecom subcontractor looked at us like we were crazy and asked why we had dug the trench since that was supposed to be their job.
Well... at least it was a change from the office work... so why not.
Now the real adventure begins: You get back 400 € of the 600 € connection fee if you switch to Telekom as a new customer.
About a month ago, we signed up for Magenta M with number porting by phone. The old contract was already canceled, the number parked—and this was confirmed with both the old and new providers (only by phone, of course).
After about two weeks, the Telekom hotline called me saying the process was too complicated and they couldn’t help me. They told me to go to the local store and mentioned there were better offers there. I was already a bit annoyed—we haven’t had phone or internet since February.
So I dragged myself into town on a Saturday, waited 30 minutes, and got advised.
Everything sounded great—I signed the porting order a second time. It was even $10 cheaper per month than over the phone, due to the Euro 2024 offer. We were also supposed to get a €120 credit for the router, and finally, a TV receiver was included. The last point seemed a bit odd, so I asked specifically. The salesperson said it was included: €29 per month and no extra charges. However, he said he wouldn’t enter it immediately but wait until Monday since the offer only started then. On Monday he would confirm by phone, and on Wednesday a colleague would provide feedback about the porting—he would be on vacation then. Regarding the builder’s service and the €400 refund, he said he'd inquire but it wouldn’t be a problem.
Now it starts... I was traveling all week. Of course, no call came on Monday. On Tuesday, I called the store several times and left a message on voicemail the last time. On Wednesday, I called again repeatedly and left another voicemail. Later that day, I called the hotline again; the person had no knowledge of my order and offered to open a new one—naturally without the Euro 2024 discount. On Thursday, I called the store again and was finally called back with the explanation that they couldn’t share any information about my order due to privacy reasons—and I should come back to the store. By then, my mood was quite bad.
On Saturday, I went back to the store, waited again, and the salesperson told me they had no record of my order. Number porting wasn’t possible anyway because we had already canceled the old contract. I got a bit uncomfortable and asked for the manager. He came over and explained the order was not in the system. He offered to submit a new one. I called my wife, who was even more upset than I was. The manager also said I didn’t have to place an order at all (!) — if looks could kill.
Eventually, he understood and invited me to sit down, where I had to wait another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I called the hotline again—no order, nothing new. We went through the order with the salesperson, who wrote everything down on paper again—how much I hate this old-fashioned way, especially with a big calculator. It was a similar offer, but without the receiver this time (which I somewhat expected). The €10 Euro 2024 discount per month was only for the first 12 months—I didn’t know that, but okay, it is what it is. He didn’t mention the €69 installation fee—which we later found out we would have to pay anyway.
Luckily, my wife called the builder’s service again meanwhile and described the whole situation. She was then transferred to a consultant who, with the help of a team leader (apparently no longer a call center), placed the order. He said it was total nonsense (!) to send us to the store, as the €400 discount for builders only applies when ordering directly by phone. Number porting was no problem since providers aren’t allowed to reassign the number for at least 6 months. We should now supposedly receive regular updates on the status of our order.
I’m very curious to see how this turns out.
In summary: The processes at that place are awful, the advice terrible, and the customer service a complete disaster. The retail store, call center, and administration do not work together. Whenever additional processes—like builder consulting—are involved, it becomes downright criminal.
We contacted the builder’s service—of course, too late—because our electricity and water contractor simply hadn’t laid any telephone cables. We were told it would take 4 months.
Twice we asked whether we needed to dig the trench for the cable ourselves (we do have a 40m (130 ft) construction access road); the first contact said “no,” the second insisted “yes.” So we dug until—after 5 months—the telecom subcontractor looked at us like we were crazy and asked why we had dug the trench since that was supposed to be their job.
Well... at least it was a change from the office work... so why not.
Now the real adventure begins: You get back 400 € of the 600 € connection fee if you switch to Telekom as a new customer.
About a month ago, we signed up for Magenta M with number porting by phone. The old contract was already canceled, the number parked—and this was confirmed with both the old and new providers (only by phone, of course).
After about two weeks, the Telekom hotline called me saying the process was too complicated and they couldn’t help me. They told me to go to the local store and mentioned there were better offers there. I was already a bit annoyed—we haven’t had phone or internet since February.
So I dragged myself into town on a Saturday, waited 30 minutes, and got advised.
Everything sounded great—I signed the porting order a second time. It was even $10 cheaper per month than over the phone, due to the Euro 2024 offer. We were also supposed to get a €120 credit for the router, and finally, a TV receiver was included. The last point seemed a bit odd, so I asked specifically. The salesperson said it was included: €29 per month and no extra charges. However, he said he wouldn’t enter it immediately but wait until Monday since the offer only started then. On Monday he would confirm by phone, and on Wednesday a colleague would provide feedback about the porting—he would be on vacation then. Regarding the builder’s service and the €400 refund, he said he'd inquire but it wouldn’t be a problem.
Now it starts... I was traveling all week. Of course, no call came on Monday. On Tuesday, I called the store several times and left a message on voicemail the last time. On Wednesday, I called again repeatedly and left another voicemail. Later that day, I called the hotline again; the person had no knowledge of my order and offered to open a new one—naturally without the Euro 2024 discount. On Thursday, I called the store again and was finally called back with the explanation that they couldn’t share any information about my order due to privacy reasons—and I should come back to the store. By then, my mood was quite bad.
On Saturday, I went back to the store, waited again, and the salesperson told me they had no record of my order. Number porting wasn’t possible anyway because we had already canceled the old contract. I got a bit uncomfortable and asked for the manager. He came over and explained the order was not in the system. He offered to submit a new one. I called my wife, who was even more upset than I was. The manager also said I didn’t have to place an order at all (!) — if looks could kill.
Eventually, he understood and invited me to sit down, where I had to wait another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I called the hotline again—no order, nothing new. We went through the order with the salesperson, who wrote everything down on paper again—how much I hate this old-fashioned way, especially with a big calculator. It was a similar offer, but without the receiver this time (which I somewhat expected). The €10 Euro 2024 discount per month was only for the first 12 months—I didn’t know that, but okay, it is what it is. He didn’t mention the €69 installation fee—which we later found out we would have to pay anyway.
Luckily, my wife called the builder’s service again meanwhile and described the whole situation. She was then transferred to a consultant who, with the help of a team leader (apparently no longer a call center), placed the order. He said it was total nonsense (!) to send us to the store, as the €400 discount for builders only applies when ordering directly by phone. Number porting was no problem since providers aren’t allowed to reassign the number for at least 6 months. We should now supposedly receive regular updates on the status of our order.
I’m very curious to see how this turns out.
In summary: The processes at that place are awful, the advice terrible, and the customer service a complete disaster. The retail store, call center, and administration do not work together. Whenever additional processes—like builder consulting—are involved, it becomes downright criminal.
As you have already correctly noticed, there is no coordination between the different departments at Telekom. This is because all call centers are outsourced and have no way to communicate with actual Telekom employees. In the very best case, the external companies have access to Telekom’s customer database.
The employees at the Telekom service points are essentially just call center staff as well, except you have them right in front of you. Even they get stuck in call center queues and cannot resolve or understand even the simplest issues.
The only department that somewhat worked was the builder’s service. We were warned that things could be strange there as well, and not to be surprised if there was no feedback or communication. Since we simultaneously ordered fiber optic service from the municipal utilities, I wasn’t very persistent with the Telekom connection. Although we applied on time, we never received any updates. Strangely, besides the gas line, a Telekom cable suddenly appeared in the trench and ended up in the utility room. Two weeks later, we got a call from an electrician who wanted to install the socket in the utility room and requested an appointment with access. The connection at the street was already active before the hole was filled. I was surprised how well that worked, considering we never received any updates. Now I have two connections and can switch customers every two years 🙂
We paid 400€ for the Telekom connection. If you sign up directly through the builder’s service, you get 200€ refunded. In the end, it’s just some kind of new customer bonus, which you would get otherwise through other discounts (e.g., 12 months of €10 lower basic fees, etc.).
P.S.: It is possible to have a connection installed WITHOUT choosing a tariff with them afterwards. We were even able to terminate early at our old apartment since, at the time of cancellation, there was no new connection yet at the new location.
The employees at the Telekom service points are essentially just call center staff as well, except you have them right in front of you. Even they get stuck in call center queues and cannot resolve or understand even the simplest issues.
The only department that somewhat worked was the builder’s service. We were warned that things could be strange there as well, and not to be surprised if there was no feedback or communication. Since we simultaneously ordered fiber optic service from the municipal utilities, I wasn’t very persistent with the Telekom connection. Although we applied on time, we never received any updates. Strangely, besides the gas line, a Telekom cable suddenly appeared in the trench and ended up in the utility room. Two weeks later, we got a call from an electrician who wanted to install the socket in the utility room and requested an appointment with access. The connection at the street was already active before the hole was filled. I was surprised how well that worked, considering we never received any updates. Now I have two connections and can switch customers every two years 🙂
We paid 400€ for the Telekom connection. If you sign up directly through the builder’s service, you get 200€ refunded. In the end, it’s just some kind of new customer bonus, which you would get otherwise through other discounts (e.g., 12 months of €10 lower basic fees, etc.).
P.S.: It is possible to have a connection installed WITHOUT choosing a tariff with them afterwards. We were even able to terminate early at our old apartment since, at the time of cancellation, there was no new connection yet at the new location.
Similar topics