Dear Editor,

Imagine a substantial part of one’s source of earnings is dependent on the availability of Internet services. Imagine also having intermittent service on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and no service on Monday and Tuesday.

The obligatory calls are made to the service provider, which in this instance is Flow. Then imagine all the prepared responses: “I will take your information and pass it on”; “We have no report from our technical people of any loss of service”; “Sir, we’ll check and call back.” Of course, you are never called back by these so-called customer service reps who are totally unaware of the geography of the country: “Where is Barbican, is that in Montego Bay?”

So after much suffering, loss of income, inconvenience, and the necessity to purchase credit to use a Digicel dongle, a call is made to the headquarters of Flow located in New Kingston, Jamaica. Mention is made of the HQ’s location in order to assist the call service representatives living in Trinidad, where the Flow call centre is domiciled.

“Can I speak to a member of the management team at Flow?”

“Sir, I have to check to see if anyone is available.”

After waiting for more than three minutes the response comes: “Sir, no one from the management is available.”

Predictable, but it goes further. “Can I speak to the managing director, Mr Grant Hume?” “Mr Hume is not available.”

“Can I speak with the vice-president in charge of customer service, Mr Soyika Small?” Long wait! “Mr Small is not available.”

Oh then, can’t speak to management, what next? “Do you have supervisors in your Customer Service Department?” “Yes Sir, we have four.” “Can I speak to one of them, please?” “I will check.” Another intolerable period of waiting. “Sir, none of our supervisors are available.” “OK, thank you!”

What’s more, Tuesday afternoon, while my Flow Internet service was down, I drove to buy lunch and, en route to making that purchase, I saw a Flow van parked by a utility pole close to my home. I stopped, greeted the technician, and asked what was happening with the company’s Internet service. The response was the final demonstration of what customers really mean to Flow Jamaica: “Sir, lawd man,…two days a nuh nothing!”

Even our most vilified police force would have done better.

And, by the way, I am a paid-up customer of Flow Jamaica.

K Green

kirkgreen89@hotmail.com