Support teams get many vague complaints a day. A clear fault report with real numbers moves you up the queue. Here’s how to do it properly.
Before you log the fault
- Restart everything. Switch the router (and the fibre box, if separate) off at the wall for 30 seconds. Wait 5 minutes after switching back on.
- Check the lights. On a fibre box, a red LOS or flashing PON light usually means a line fault outside your home. Take a photo.
- Test on a cable. Plug a laptop into the router and run a speed test. If it’s fine on a cable, the problem is your Wi-Fi — not the provider.
- Check for outages. Look at your provider’s app, WhatsApp line or social media.
- Run a diagnosis. Our free diagnosis creates a report you can copy and paste.
Who to contact
In South Africa, your internet service provider (ISP) — the company you pay — is your point of contact, even if a separate company owns the fibre network in your street. Your ISP logs the fault with the network operator for you.
What to include
- Your account number or the ID/number the account is under.
- Your installation address.
- What’s wrong, in one sentence (“No internet since 07:30 today”, “Speed under 10 Mbps on a 50 Mbps package every evening”).
- When it started and whether it’s constant or intermittent.
- What you’ve tried (restarted, tested on a cable).
- Your test results — speed, ping and jitter, with dates and times.
- Photos of the router and fibre box lights.
Always get a reference number
Write it down along with the date, time and the name of the agent. Every follow-up should quote it. If the problem comes back, ask for the original ticket to be reopened rather than starting again.
If the fault isn’t fixed
- Follow up after the timeframe your provider gave you, quoting your reference number.
- Ask politely for the matter to be escalated to a supervisor or technical team.
- Put it in writing (email) so you have a record.
- If your provider still doesn’t resolve it, you can lodge a complaint with the relevant industry body or regulator. Check your provider’s complaints policy and the regulator’s current process for the correct steps.
Be ready for the technician
If a technician needs to visit, keep the area around the fibre box clear, make sure someone is home, and have your test results handy. Don’t bend or pull on the thin fibre patch cable — it’s fragile, and damage inside your home may not be covered.
Not sure what’s wrong?
Our free diagnosis finds the cause and gives you a fix list.