War with Sonatel

I am currently in a war with Sonatel, the major French communications company that has a monopoly on the Internet services in Senegal. Although, I am losing this war big time.

This is not the first time that I have engaged in a war with the big bureaucracies of Senegal, nor is it Sonatel’s first time. The first time was over installing the Internet in my house. This time it’s about “moving a phone line” which really means turning on the phone jack. It’s a ridiculous procedure that will take about ten minutes to do and has cost me about $18 so far. This needs to be done because my neighbor, FZ, moved out and although the Internet connection is in my name, it as installed in FZ’s apartment. FZ recently returned to Morocco, not only leaving me with two months of bills to pay on my own but with the Internet hooked up in her apartment. This is a problem for several reasons including the importance of unplugging electronics during power outages, which I can’t do if her door is locked. This led to the great break-in expedition discovery in which Otman and I found that our key to the front door of the building opens our neighbor’s apartment. Good thing we recently changed our locks. Phew.

To rectify my Internet situation, meaning to get a phone line that connects to the Internet in my apartment, has led me to make fifteen calls (and counting) to Sonatel and a visit to their office. The visit was to pay them for their services, required before the service is rendered, which is theft. I have been told at least four different versions of how this installation is supposed to happen. The solution all lies in the mysterious technicians who work for Sonatel. There don’t seem to be enough of them and apparently their work is backed up.

While at the Sonatel office I was told that a technician would come to my house within 24 hours, which is reasonable given the simplicity of the job and my proximity to their office. I was informed that he/she would call before he/she came. However, no dice, the technician never called. Confused, I called the Sonatel help line after the 24 hours expired to make sure they had my cell phone number, only to hear that I apparently “misunderstood”, that the technician would be there within 72 hours. Yes, it is always easy to blame the customer. Yet, after four days past and still no technician, I called the help line again and was told there is a ten-day deadline on the type of service I need known as the “deplacement de prise”. I was naively hopeful that this was the truth that the technician would come to my house in ten days. I figured that ten days is ample time, right? However, to make sure that this information was correct, I called the Sonatel helpline twice more and they confirmed told the ten-day story.

Tante pis pour moi. The ten days have past, in fact fourteen days have past, and I am told to be patient. I just got off the phone with Sonatel, for the third time in two days. A very rude customer service agent, Maimouna, informed me that I need to be patient. So I did the screaming, “let me talk to your supervisor” bit and Maimouna responded that the only way to speak to a supervisor is by going to their office and that I should be patient until Friday.

Therefore, tomorrow morning, I will wage my war in person with the “Chef de Service” at Sonatel on Rue Cheikh Anta Diop. I will probably be told to be patient and that the technicians are very busy. I will demand a refund and they will laugh in my face. Silly toubab.

This is a world where accountability is non-existent and it is acceptable to force people to wait an inordinate amount of time for services, make empty promises, and charge exorbitant prices. I wage war against the big bureaucracies of Senegal because no one else will since “this is how it is in Senegal.” Jamm ak jamm.