Customer Service Experience in Syria

There I was, with my recently purchased 3g mobile internet SIM card from Syriatel. And pretty happy I should say, given that since then I have full coverage and good transmission speeds in my apartment. Before, it was a disaster to say the least. With MTN I sometimes had slow coverage barra (outside) on my balcony. But only if I went towards the far end of it and put the 3g dongle into a certain direction. 'Bismillah' was my standard utterance before I clicked on the connect button.

All these experiences have now been exchanged in favour of relatively stable and speedy internet even inside my bedroom. Can't complain.

Now the mission was to cancel my former MTN 3g subscription before the end of my current bill cycle which turned out to be a real venture, giving close insight into the local customer service mentality.

Act 1: getting a number and counting

So I went to the MTN outlet on Autostrade Mazzeh, made my way through the thick crowd and got waiting number A089. A view on the dashboard showed me the deplorable reality; there were almost 60 people waiting to be served before me. I got outside and walked back to my car, getting my mobile in order to spend my time surfing through WAP but after 15 minutes and still 52 people waiting I got bored.

Act 2: alternative location

Which is why I decided to go to a smaller outlet near Baramkeh. Having passed it multiple times I could rarely see significant crowds waiting, which was exactly what I was counting on now. Apart from that, my bladder was starting to call.

Once arrived, I had to wait less than 5 minutes until I was served by a young and friendly lady... who unfortunately had to inform me that this was an MTN franchise offering limited services only. Her recommendation in order not to loose too much time was to check out the outlet on Baghdad Street.

Act 3: travelling

Despite relatively dense qaj3 (traffic jam) it only took me a bit more than ten minutes to get to Baghdad Street and Najmeh Square where the MTN outlet is located. I parked in a side street, paid 100 SYP at the meter and happily walked to the shop. But then - at 7:30pm the blinds were closed and a note in Arabic stated that from December 4 to 8 they were closed for renovation.

My bladder had not gotten its relief in the meantime.

Act 4: back to the roots

I had it! And I hate it! This is what I thought more then an hour after the beginning of my Odyssey. So I got back to my car, rushed to the Mazzeh outlet again and checked for the waiting number. But they were already at A102 which means I had to take a new number. A140. Gosh, my urge to pee associated with my anger made me think for the fraction of a second that I should simply pee inside their waiting hall. After some deliberation I decided to behave and stay cool. Instead I walked out and found my relief in a mini park some 50 yards from there in the dark. Back from there I got to MTN's neighbour: Syriatel.

Excursus: Syriatel visit

I am not saying that Syriatel's customer service is really much better. However at the service centre my experience is better than with MTN. I never had to wait for more than 10 minutes, however the call centre appears to be a different story. There were 5 people waiting and I was served within 4 minutes.

Act 5: done!

25 minutes later, back at MTN, it was my turn and I was finally able to cancel the 3g line. Needless to say they took 2 copies of my ID (after taking one less than two weeks ago) and asked lots of questions. But when I studied the document in the end they did not even mention the actual reason why I cancelled the line. I could not care less, though. Did it really matter to me? No. As long as I am out of this. I am really done with them. Well, not quite. Some spice likely to come up within a month when they are supposed to give me the refund of my deposit: the enormous amount of 1,000 SYP (equals to 21 US$). Which can only be refunded by cheque, and of course they promised me to call once it is ready. That will be fun, with me travelling shortly.