READER LETTER | Internet service provider should be taken to task

The internet has become an important part of our lives. Without internet, you can’t do much. It has become a necessity but it remains expensive. Hence, the government should make sure that every individual has access to the internet.

Early last year, Net Nine Nine stormed Kagiso and installed internet using fibre. Through its low pricing and aggressive marketing strategy, it attracted many customers from the local area.

Net Nine Nine has no competition in Kagiso. It is a monopoly. When it started, the company had teething problems, as expected. However, these problems never ended. In fact, they are worse. Every month, Net Nine Nine switches off my internet – and that of other customers.

Yet I pay my monthly subscription religiously. I always have to go to its branch at Kagiso Mall and ask them to switch me on. Last month, I went to ask Net Nine Nine to switch me on, as usual. I was greeted by a long and snaking queue.

I thought it was the Capitec queue, only to find out it was that of Net Nine Nine. Almost everybody was switched off. The other day I saw on Facebook, Pretoria residents complaining about Net Nine Nine's poor service.

Almost every month their internet is down, said residents. And the company is not responsive: it doesn’t answer calls and WhatsApp messages. Many people think Net Nine Nine Nine is a black company. No, it is a white company and it targets black areas. (Kagiso was its testing ground).

Is that why its service is poor? I hope not, and I pray not. What Net Nine Nine is doing is criminal and it is getting away with it. It should be taken to task and held accountable for its poor service delivery. Otherwise, a competitor with better service should enter the market and give this company a run for its money.

Thabile Mange, Mogale City