What is codetel's problem?

waytogo

Moderator - North Coast Forum
Apr 3, 2009
6,407
580
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Santiago DR
I am an Americano residing in Santiago. I have a cedulla and a residence card.
Seven months ago I rented an apartment in La Trinitaria and went to Codetel for telephone and internet service. They took my application and promised an answer within 72 hours. Never got the call and forget calling them, you can't. After waiting a week I proceeded to get service with Tricom. This was easy. I went to their office and spoke to a young man that spoke perfect English. Installation within 3 days with a 6 month minimum contract. One problem, he lied about every bit of service I was supposed to receive with the phone service. I just purchased a home, fulfilled my Tricom contract, and again went to Codetel. Spoke to the same English speaking person as before. I told him What transpired 7 months earlier about nobody returning my application results and he promised that this will not happen again. I asked for his direct number and was told they were not allowed to give out a number. This was 15 days ago. My question is this, is this only happening to me or is everyone here treated like crap with Codetel. And please, don't get me started on Edenorte.:eek:gre:
 

SKing

Silver
Nov 22, 2007
3,750
183
63
I actually have had the oppposite experience. When I moved to santiago, I went to Tricom and after 2.5 weeks with still no installation, I went back and got my money back and went to Codetel and my service was started 2 days later.
I have telephone and wireless Internet service with Codetel. My Internet went out once and I called the customer service number and spoke to an English speaking rep who guided me through some steps and it was back on in 10 minutes. So far, I have not had a problem with them (knock on wood)...did you go to the central Office?
SHALENA
 

waytogo

Moderator - North Coast Forum
Apr 3, 2009
6,407
580
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Santiago DR
Yes, and waited almost 2 hours to talk to someone. The house currently has service in the owners name. TV ONLY....NO INTERNET. She is 87 years old, had a stroke, and her family took her back to New York. She is never coming back.
The family is Dominican and have been my friends for years. The problem is, I need internet. My application was for the transfer of her name to mine. I was told NO PROBLEM. They will not turn off existing service because it is not in my name. Her family cannot find her cedulla. My only alternative is not pay the bill and eventually have them turn off the service. Then go again with Tricom. This time nothing verbal, everything Tricom promise's in writing. Welcome to the D.R.
 

ExtremeR

Silver
Mar 22, 2006
3,078
328
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Their problem is that now they are owned by Carlos Slim and their incompetent team. I remember the extremely efficient service that Verizon provided when they were the owners.
 

Angua

New member
May 29, 2009
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I waited 7 weeks to get the internet connection in my apartment, and when i moved to another apartment i waited another 2 weeks until they were finally able to transfer my phone and internet.
For me, codetel is a mess, but i didn't have time to try another service, so i don't know if tricom perhaps is better.
And i still have problems with the bill, they charge me wrong almost every month!
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
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before we moved i pessimisticaly assumed our internet will be connected in no less than two weeks. miesposo optimistically predicted 2 days.
indeed, two days later they come and connect the phone. later that day line goes dead. 3 weeks later of daily calls to codetel they send tecnico who figures out the line was cut off - literally - by tecnico installing a motor for our gate. he reconnects the line on the other side of the gate picking up the pieces of other cable (did we have two?) that i previously chopped off with the macheta when attending the garden. tecnico looks at me suspiciously and attaches remaing cable to the wall where macheta cannot reach.
in the meantime miesposo happily arrives and gets tecnico to give him his phone number and calls him two days in a row before tecnico finally gives in and the internet is connected. voila.
all it needs is patience.
 

aarhus

Long live King Frederik X
Jun 10, 2008
4,412
1,987
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I also miss Verizon. I have now waited for a week for Codetel to transfer my phone and internet to my new office. They call and say they are coming today and then they dont come. This has happened for times now. I am hoping they will come tomorrow.
 

santiago2008

New member
Apr 24, 2008
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waytogo.............i have tricom at home but if you arent happy with then
send me an email and give me the detail of your problem with verizon and i will try to help you, my bro's in law is a verizon dealer and im helping him at the office so i will call his contacts and see what happen
 

yb1

New member
Oct 6, 2008
401
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0
Codetel (or is that Go-to-Hell?) in Bavaro... Hidden tecnico office

We're in Bavaro, made an application for internet + new phone number. 2 weeks passed without a visit from promised tecnico. Went back to Codetel office in punta cana village, discovered they'd managed to incorrectly input our address, which I had even bothered to write out for them! (they'd used a random santo domingo address instead). So we put in a new application.... 2 more weeks passed.

Then one Saturday morning, a chap turns up (with his small son in tow) professing to be said Codetel tecnico (he did have codetel stickers on his battered pickup) We explain what we need, he fiddles around with our phone, disconnects the number and then leaves promising to return with a modem and new telephone number. 2 more days pass. He DOES return with modem and new number!! but says he's not the correct type of tecnico to make the installation, must we wait another week....

3 days later I can no longer handle all this waiting, so take to accosting random codetel trucks in the street outside our home. This actually works!!! - it turns out there is an unmarked office for the installation engineers situated at the entrance to CEPM on Coco Loco road, it's just infront of the back entrance to Residencia Cocotal. You can often see Codetel trucks parked out front.

My Spanish is passable and I was able to politely ask if someone could investigate where we were on their visit schedule. The engineer was more than helpful and there and then asked his boss if he could make the installation now. Boss says yes, 2 tecnicos turn up at our apt within 15 minutes. They connect our new number and install internet within 30 mins! AND they wouldn't even accept the generous tip we offered!

They could only give us the basic up down speeds but it's a start (must visit the PC village office to get it upgraded...) We have internet!

If only I'd have figured this out weeks ago.

Hope this tip helps other Bavaro people suffering at the hands of Go-to-Hell.

PS. If you do visit this unmarked tecnico office requesting help, please remember to be polite at all times. They are not obliged to help you. They are supposed to only work on direct orders from santo domingo. Being polite will ensure you don't muck it up for other expats in the future.
 

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
3,480
732
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I am appalled at Codotel / Claro's service. They do not know the meaning of customer service. The phone support is non existent, so now you have to go to one of their main branch shops where they have removed the ticket queuing system and now have to wait in line like at the banks. Except that although they have a dozen or so counters, only two will be serving. Some will be eating their lunch and others are having private phone conversations and making sure that they don't make eye contact with the punters in the queue!

I wasted over an hour of my precious time just to change my plan. When it was finally my turn the girl who served me couldn't have been ruder if she tried.

When I finally left I had cramp in my legs and a bad temper!

With regards to the cellphone service, I think that they will see an exodus of customers once the law that allows you to port your number to another network is implemented later this year.
 

waytogo

Moderator - North Coast Forum
Apr 3, 2009
6,407
580
113
Santiago DR
Beeza, you hit the nail on the head. I experienced exactly the same thing and thought maybe I came on a bad day. You would think that there would be some kind of office manager that would be held accountable for two thirds of the staff doing nothing. Since they don't give out a phone number, who are they all talking to. When I was in line, the line was actually out the front door with staff down to ONE. There were four women sitting doing nothing but staring into space with that dumb look on their faces.
 

Celt202

Gold
May 22, 2004
9,099
944
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It's not Codetel

It's Jodetel

"C?mo podemos joder te?"

The company's priority in 2009 is to help Carlos Slim achieve his goal of owning 100 yachts.

"We don't have no stinking problem." Carlos "Flaco" Slim