Kenapa Telkomsel Grapari Ga Punya Manajer2? Hati2, Ya?


This past weekend, Saturday, I went to Telkomsel’s ‘customer service’ centre in Jakarta’s Central Park.

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Like many foreigners here, I have two handphones, one for daily use, and another, my old Nokia, which I keep at home as a back-up, in case the newer one is lost or stolen.

Being able to contact those overseas who matter is very important.

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Even more so in the current situation, with Indonesia beset by the Chinese Virus.

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China is Lying, Coronavirus started in Wuhan

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It occurred to me last Thursday or Friday to ensure that my back-up was fully re-charged. I re-charged it and sent an sms to somebody important.

Or rather I didn’t.

I tried, but ‘message not sent.’

Twice more I tried, for I knew there was enough pulsa, having loaded it up at the ATM and not used it much at all.

No go!

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Hence my trip to Telkomsel’s Grapari, where I waited only five minutes before being called, at about 11.30am, to Counter 6, where a rather dour young woman asked my purpose.

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Not at Grapari, it seems!

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I explained the problem, she looked at the phone, then told me that Telkomsel had annulled my number because of infrequent use!

Why, I asked, had they not called or smsed me to warn of such an arrogant cut-off?

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Nor had any repayment been made of the money I had spent on the pulsa which Telkomsel’s high-handed action prevented me using to make calls.

Number 6 merely repeated her previous response, like a robot.

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I was not impressed, and pointed out that what had been done by her company was impolite, indeed unprofessional, plus2!

Since she was obviously programmed to offer the same weasel words over and over…

…..I asked to speak to her manager, to make a formal complaint.

’There is no manager!’

At first I thought she’d misunderstood, though my Indonesian is adequate for such a basic conversation.

So I rephrased my statement – 

‘No boss, no superviser?’

‘No!’

Frankly, I find this hard to believe.

I intend to go to Telkomsel HQ this week to pursue the issue.

But let this be a warning to everybody, foreigners or Indonesians.