Subscribers cry foul over NetOne blackout

Tonnes of farm produce is reportedly going to bad in Nyamandlovu with farmers failing to get in touch with their customers after NetOne has gone three days without service.

The farms in the district provide the bulk of Bulawayo's vegetables and fresh fruit.

There has been no explanation for the sudden cut from the government owned company.

Subscribers told Bulawayo24 News the network just suddenly blinked off on Monday, leaving it's more than 1 million subscribers stranded.

A majority of businesses and individuals are increasingly turning to NetOne because of its free talk time and wide coverage which they say makes business cheaper and easier to conduct.

However, the advantage has turned into a nightmare with farmers in Umguza reportedly losing truckloads of produce after failing to contact customers to come and collect.

"NetOne used to be my network of choice but after this, I am not sure. I had to send my son to travel to Bulawayo on Monday to tell customers that the truckload of tomatoes are ready for collection, as NetOne, the only line I own has been without network.  Most of the tomatoes had gone bad by the time they were collected this afternoon," fumed the farmer who declined to be named.

 He added: "my neighbours face the same problem as most of us use NetOne. I have been buying the newspaper daily hoping to see an explanation but there is nothing. It is like the network has just packed up without notifying us."

Business people across the country have also vented their anger on the situation accusing NetOne of lacking basic customer care.

"In business there are some circumstance that maybe beyond one's control. In such cases, it is courteous to inform one's customers so that they make alternative arrangements to avoid inconvenience. I am very disappointed in NetOne, you would think they have a PR department to deal with such issues," said Tonderai Makanza in Harare.

A comment could not be obtained as the contact landlines of the marketing department listed on the NetOne website rang without being answered.

NetOne was launched with 500 lines in 1996 and has since grown to more than 1 million subscribers.