Jazz Billing Fiasco: ProPakistani Story Response Shows How Widespread the Problem Is

The public response to ProPakistani’s story on Jazz’s unending billing issues, published yesterday, has attracted a deluge of comments from affected customers, showing how widespread the issue is.

In our story, we revealed how Jazz customers have been facing trouble while recharging their balance, paying their bills, subscribing to new packages and offers, and using other services such as issuing of new SIMs, mobile network portability, and more for about 10 days now.

Jazz’s approach in this regard has been nothing short of disappointing. They have said that the issue is because of an ongoing ‘system upgrade’ but not a single user was intimated about it in advance. Even on people’s queries, Jazz has been copy/pasting one standard reply.

Even more disappointing is the fact that the company has underplayed the problem right from the start, failing to acknowledge the extent of the trouble faced by the subscribers across the country.

“Our telecoms and data services are continuing seamlessly. However, a few customers may face some intermittent issues during this time,” said Jazz in its official response to the issue as the company casually blamed “a planned upgrade to new digital systems” for the problem.

Users haven’t been happy and their response amply shows it. Many of them have highlighted how their queries have remained unattended on the Jazz helpline, where the average wait time is over 10 minutes and the company response is nothing but ‘system upgrade’.

“Calling on paid helpline means average waiting time of over ten minutes ending on a standard response of system issues,” shares a Jazz user. “Unable to attend work related issues outdoors as it leaves me unable to attend emails and internet backed communications. Have to keep myself confined to home WiFi because of this.”

Many users have also complained of the vanishing of their mobile balance. A user wrote his Rs. 850 were ‘stolen’ from his Jazz balance, while another groused he lost his Rs. 350 balance. Many others came up with similar comments.

Another Jazz user shares screenshots of his conversation with Jazz on the issue of failed billing, and the company’s inability to resolve it or even refund the user.

In a comment on the story, another user tells the story of his friend who received Rs 1 million in his Jazz account out of nowhere, but his SIM was later blocked by the company.

JazzCash has continued to malfunction too, with many people complaining of losing their money. A user tells he lost Rs 3,000 ‘because of JazzCash’. Many other comments are starkly similar.

And the problem of basic connectivity is probably way beyond Jazz’s comprehension. Hundreds of people have complained how they have been facing trouble making and receiving calls and using mobile internet, on top of other problems.

Some users have also highlighted how canceling a Jazz SIM is a big hassle itself. “I went to a Jazz franchise to get my SIM canceled but they converted into a data SIM,” wrote a user.

Another user said that he went to a Jazz franchise in F10, Islamabad to get his SIM canceled but was asked to go to the Blue Area experience center instead to get the job done.

The episode has unraveled how unprepared Jazz has been for the ‘system upgrade’ that continues for days on end, and how small it thinks the problem is. Taking customer response and problems with a pinch of salt is uncalled for, and totally unexpected of a company of Jazz’s stature.