Telkom and cable installation fraud

Telkom and cable installation fraud

From Kompas

On Jan. 25, 2001, I contacted Telkom number 147 to register for a new telephone line and was given Registration No. 89821. Two weeks later, Feb. 8, 2001, I contacted 147 again to inquire about this registration and was told that I had to wait because of the limited master network.

On March 14, 2001, I got a call from someone claiming to be from the state's telecommunication company PT Telkom. I was told that he would come to my house to install the cable against payment of Rp 87,750. As I was busy and also because I thought the installation fee asked for was quite reasonable, I agreed. On March 15, 2001, however, I contacted the Palmerah service point and learned that our application for a new telephone line was still waiting.

I was curious, then, how the person calling me about the cable installation could know my name and address. A quick guess would say that it was a trick of Telkom insiders. However, the officer at Palmerah service point (Mrs. Wiwik, coordinator of association of house cable installers for Telkom) said that Mr. Supandi, the person who had telephoned us about installation, was an impostor.

Head of customer service at Telkom's head office, Mr. Husni, said that this was a frequent problem. He said that Telkom would catch the perpetrator and have a meeting with 147. Therefore, improve the performance of 147 and socialize the program of Telkom service protection.

So, those interested in getting a telephone line from Telkom must be careful and work with Telkom, if necessary, to catch this bogus Telkom official. One thing to bear in mind is that this bogus official would not leave his telephone number.

AZIS SUBIARTO

Jakarta