summarizeEditor's Summary
I'm sharing my nightmare experience with Rostelecom's customer service. I signed up for their internet and TV bundle, thinking it'd be a convenient way to get everything I needed in one place. But boy, was I wrong. The service was constantly dropping, and when I tried to contact customer support, I hit a brick wall. They kept sending me automated responses, and it took forever to get someone on the phone. I was starting to lose my patience, and I'm not even exaggerating when I say it's been a few months of back-and-forth. I'm still waiting for a resolution, and I'm not sure if I'll ever get it. If you value your sanity, stay far, far away from Rostelecom.", "pros": ["The internet speeds were okay, I guess. Not super fast, but it got the job done. The TV channels were decent, but the selection was limited. I liked the fact that they offered a bundle deal, but that's about it. The website was easy to navigate, and I liked the fact that I could pay my bills online. The customer support chat was convenient, but like I said, it was all automated. The prices were reasonable, I'll give them that. But like I said, it's not worth the hassle.", "cons": ["The customer service was a total disaster. I mean, I've never experienced anything like it. The automated responses were annoying, and it took forever to get someone on the phone. The service kept dropping, and I had to restart my router like 10 times a day. The TV channels kept freezing, and I had to reset my box like 5 times a day. The website was slow, and I had to wait forever to pay my bills online. The prices were okay, but like I said, it's not worth the hassle. The build quality of the equipment was subpar, and I had to replace my router after a few months.", "faq": [ {"question": "What's the deal with Rostelecom's customer service?", "answer": "Honestly, it's a total nightmare. They're all automated responses, and it takes forever to get someone on the phone."}, {"question": "Is the internet speed any good?", "answer": "It's okay, I guess. Not super fast, but it gets the job done."}, {"question": "Can I pay my bills online?", "answer": "Yeah, you can pay your bills online, but the website is slow, and it takes forever to process the payment."}, {"question": "What's the deal with the TV channels?", "answer": "The selection is limited, but the channels are decent. I liked the fact that they offered a few Russian channels, but that's about it."}, {"question": "Can I get a refund if I'm not satisfied?", "answer": "I'm still waiting to see if I'll get a refund. It's been a few months, and I'm not holding my breath."}, {"question": "Is Rostelecom's customer support available 24/7?", "answer": "No, they're only available during business hours, and even then, it's all automated responses."}, ], "meta_title": "My Rostelecom Nightmare: A Cautionary Tale of Poor Customer Service", "meta_description": "Don't make the same mistake I did. Rostelecom's customer service is a total disaster. Read my review to find out why you should stay far, far away from this company.", "og_title": "My Rostelecom Nightmare: A Cautionary Tale of Poor Customer Service", "og_description": "Rostelecom's customer service is a total nightmare. Don't make the same mistake I did. Read my review to find out why you should stay far, far away from this company.
Hello everyone
I'm sharing my recent experience with Rostelecom, and let me tell you, it's been a real doozy.
You might know this company, but I'll give you a quick rundown. I've had Rostelecom internet at home since I was a kid, and it was always a bit of a mixed bag. We lived in a small village, so it was the only option available, and it worked most of the time – but with some occasional outages and slow speeds. It was tolerable, but not great.
Fast forward to this year, and the internet became a complete nightmare. Pages took forever to load, or wouldn't load at all. I was starting to think it was just me, but it turned out I wasn't alone.
When I moved, I needed Wi-Fi, and guess what? Rostelecom was the only option available in my new place. I had to agree to their terms, which were pretty pricey. Their tariffs were steep, and I was told my router wasn't compatible and I'd need to either buy their special one or rent it. So, I was paying around 650 rubles a month. That's a lot, especially considering it was a few years ago. Eventually, other companies became available, and I switched to a 250-ruble plan. The speed and quality were the same, but the price was significantly lower.
That's when I encountered another issue with Rostelecom. Since I'd found a better deal, I needed to cancel my service. I called them, explained the situation, and the operator said I'd need to pay for the last month and return their equipment. I thought that was it, but little did I know...
It turned out I still had a Rostelecom smart door lock connected to my account. It's a great service, by the way – you can open the door without leaving the house, and it's relatively affordable. You can even view footage from the camera or rewind it. I thought it was a nice perk.
But after I called to cancel my internet, they also cut off my smart door lock. Great, just what I needed. I thought to myself, 'No big deal, I don't get many visitors anyway.'
And now, the continuation of this story
I needed to generate a code for my smart door lock, which would've been a breeze if the service was working. But since I needed it urgently – someone was supposed to come the next day – I decided to reconnect everything. Big mistake.
It turned out my smart door lock was tied to my old phone number, which I no longer use. I couldn't access my personal account, so I had to call Rostelecom again. They created a request and said someone would call me back (this was on September 15, 2023). I knew it wouldn't be quick, so I asked a neighbor for the code.
And that's where I left it. Spoiler alert: they never called me back.
And now, the current situation
I needed to activate a new smart door lock key. It's a brand new one, and I'm still waiting for Rostelecom to get their act together.
I tried to activate my old account using the old phone number, which I'd requested to change a year ago. I thought maybe they just forgot to call me, but it turned out they'd already disconnected the old number. So, I tried to activate my new key, but it wouldn't work because the old number was still linked to it - even though it's been over a year. I figured, what's the worst that could happen, so I decided to write to them.
I started by sending a message in their chat. We had a pretty polite and quick conversation. They told me to wait for 4 hours for them to review my request, and that someone would get back to me during that time.
But 4 hours went by, and then some, with no response. So, I decided to follow up and sent them another message. And that's when I got a reply - 'Wait'.
I was getting a little frustrated, so I decided to call them instead. But that was a joke - the call went straight to voicemail, and then the music started playing, and then my call got dropped.
So, I decided to try calling from a different number. And guess what - the operator picked up right away. It's been a few days since I submitted my new request, and still, no one's gotten back to me. This was on a Saturday evening, and I haven't heard anything since.
I'm especially annoyed that they don't even bother to answer my calls. So, if I thought there were any positives about working with Rostelecom before, I'm completely disappointed now. Their customer service is basically nonexistent.
Update: How to finally get in touch with Rostelecom?
After posting this review, Rostelecom representatives suggested that I either write to them in their VK group or call a different number.
I decided to write to them in a private message in VK first, but then I saw a bunch of angry comments on their wall saying that they don't respond to messages there. So, I waited a bit and decided to call instead. And finally, I managed to get through, and they resolved my issue. Now both keys are working.
So, if you're in a similar situation, I'd recommend calling them right away instead of waiting for them to get back to you.
I'm glad they finally resolved my issue, but I still have a bad taste in my mouth. Because while I was waiting for them to respond, my problem was still unresolved, and it seemed like no one was even willing to get in touch with me.
Thanks for reading!
