Dickson Igwe. Photo: VINO/File

He was also unsure whether the diabolical internet service he had suffered in recent weeks was a one off: a temporary inconvenience, a blip so to speak, while the country’s internet providers upgrade their infrastructure and technology.

An experience a few days ago convinced him that his beliefs were misplaced. On a musical, breezy, and idyllic Thursday evening of July 10, 2014, by the beach bar at Nanny Cay Resort and Marina, he ran into an American couple.

Mr. and Mrs. X recently arrived from the USA and live in a luxury condo on the resort. The couple have become friends with this chatty type. OK. The wife was livid this Thursday evening in paradise. She told this Beach Boy that she had been waiting 6 weeks to get internet installed in her home. Still there was no hope of that happening, she bawled.

But that was not why she was so angry. She was angry because every time she visited a certain business to inquire about the status of her application for internet, she would be told someone would be visiting the next day. She would wait at home all day. No one would show up.

In her own words: "one expects a laid back culture in paradise, but the service I have received from this business is unacceptable: it is horrible.’’ Finally, she received word that there were not enough land lines in the area to facilitate extra internet services.

Now, ‘enough is enough’ states a well worn cliché! There comes a time when Joe Customer must vent. Scream at the wall so to speak. This is the time of great frustration: when the Rubicon has been crossed. The time when after years and years, the telecom services from the service providers instead of improving, get worse. The time when all the talk coming from the marketing men, the savvy marketing strategies: begins to feel like an INSULT to the intelligence of Jack Public. The time when these companies and their sales and marketing teams really begin to view Jack the Customer as Jack the Ass: this is such a time.

This Customer understands and appreciates that there are many diligent and well meaning employees at some of these businesses, especially on the shop floor. He meets these denizens of the telecom business all the time: great folk. They are exceptional.

This CRY is not meant to diminish their great efforts. Yours truly fully appreciates that there is little these good men and women can do as cogs in the wheel of an industry that could not care less. Yes, the fault is frequently with POOR MANAGEMENT: the rot is at the top of the hierarchy. The BS in these businesses runs from the top, not the usual orifice from where BS emanates.

Forget about the glitz, colour, razzmatazz, and attractive personalities, when one enters the showrooms of some of the high tech, digital age, telecom businesses in these British Virgin Antilles.

The attractive displays of cellular and tablet devices, and the MICKEY MOUSE MARKETING, are a deceptive mask: A CHEAP GIMMICK. These companies can get away with that type of RUSE here in the BVI: certainly not in other places.

The customer service at these businesses, apart from the smiling sales assistants, remains in the dark ages.

Virgin Islanders and residents are accustomed to, and accepting of, terrible customer service. The American woman that cried on this internet user’s shoulder at Nanny Cay was a reminder of what is the acceptable benchmark of customer service elsewhere. In the USA, her complaints would have seen heads roll; not here in the BVI.

Telecom services in the Virgin Islands have become downright atrocious: in the latrine so to speak. Sadly, they mimic the services found in many other areas of business: the poor customer service culture that is an ‘endearing’ feature of these Lesser Antilles.

The best thing to happen years ago in the Virgin Islands Telecom Industry was to bring in a third company to SMASH the telecom ‘RIP OFF.’ This was an attempt to end a rendition to shabby telecom services that had this country in bondage for decades. Much more needs to be done.

And had this not happened - the entry of a third player - Jack Consumer would still be paying a dollar a minute for incoming calls. He would be spending ten Dollars a minute when overseas on a roaming plan.

Jack would also still be waiting for the telecom technician to show up after 4 weeks of calling to fix a telephone line. And then Tom Technician showing up like he and his outfit are doing Jack a favour, reconnecting an overpriced service.

To be continued

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