Smart Bro: Does it Rock or Suck?

I have been using Smart Bro (Wireless Broadband) for almost 2 years now and I have been satisfied with the service except for a few issues.

Once, I lost the signal but it came back after less than 24 hours. Understandable. After several months, it went down again and since I am into technical support, I was able to do a few tweaks here and there and it worked.

The only other issue I have is the antenna cable. With just a little movement, it will be unplugged. In short, it does not fittingly snap right into the port. They should do something about it.

However, Smart's good image was shattered when I had another technical problem. Here is what happened.

Thursday, May 27 - I was online until 4:30 PM before I packed up and went home to Pampanga.

Friday, May 28 - I got back to Makati at 11:00 PM and hooked up my laptop to get online. The Internet was down. I double-checked the physical connection, re-seated the cable, checked my Ethernet adapter, checked network settings, did a loopback test, checked the laptop for any socket error. All was fine, but the Internet was down.

Everybody in the family is using Globe so I could not call Smart Bro Customer Service. Fortunately, my roommate Lance came by and let me use his Smart cellphone. I was told by an agent that the Base Station was down, so I turned my laptop off to prepare for my 2:00-11:00AM shift.

Saturday, May 29 - After my shift, I used the office phone to call Smart Bro Customer Service. They guaranteed me that the Base Station was back up.

When I reached my apartment, I tried the Internet again but it remained down. That's when I noticed that the Smart Bro antenna adapter did not have the led light on. In short, there was no power. Thus, my laptop could not detect the signal.

I went out to buy a Smart SIM card so I could call *1888 (Smart Bro hotline) again. That was when an agent, Manuel Ico, set up a dispatch for Sunday (May 30th) at 3:00PM.

My company would throw a Summer Flair activity at the NBC Tent in Fort Bonifacio Global City at that same time but I agreed to the dispatch because I had no other choice. I thought I would just dash to the NBC Tent around 5:00PM. After all, the technician would just bring me a new adapter.

I tried convincing the agent to just let me visit the nearest Smart Wireless Center and pick up the adapter but he firmly told me to wait for the technician.

Sunday, May 30 - My friend and I waited. At 3:45PM, I began to have some doubts. I called the hotline and a lady agent told me that she could not find any record of my appointment. She found a note, though, saying that I agreed for an appointment but no time was specified. Therefore, the technician could come from 8:00AM to 8:00PM.

That was when I felt betrayed. I was still calm but one could tell by the tone of my voice that I was just holding back. The agent promised to contact the "Support Group" and that someone would contact me. Of course, no one did. They never do. That I should know.

My friend and I continued waiting and by the time it was 6:00PM, I had lost hope of catching up for the Summer Flair.

By 8:25PM, I called the Smart Bro hotline again. This time, another agent provided the most provoking information. She said that she could not even find the appointment and no notes were posted on the account whatsoever. She even laughed when I mentioned that the other agent said that the technician could come anytime, making a comment, "Sir, pagka ANYTIME, it means the technician could still come since it's just 9:00PM."

I asked, "Do you honestly believe that your technicians could go to a customer's house around midnight?" She said "YES!" with conviction. Then, she said she would try contacting the "Support Group" again.

I was really furious so I asked for a Supervisor. The agent put a Supervisor named RJ on the line and we began talking.

Supervisor RJ told me that the "Support Group" operates from 8:00AM to 8:00PM, which gave me the impression that the lady agent only bullshitted me when she said that she would contact the "Support Group," knowing fully well that it was already 9:00PM at that time.

That was when Supervisor RJ "maneuvered" and reasoned out that the "Support Group" might be on overtime. I let that "palusot" pass.

Supervisor RJ promised that he would look into it and send email to the "Support Group." He further asked me to call again the next day at 8:00AM to make sure that I get the earliest available dispatch slot for Monday.

Monday, May 31 - I woke up at 7:30AM and called the Smart Bro hotline at 7:55AM. You know how long it takes to go through the menu and wait for an agent. In short, I got an agent and to my dismal surprise, she told me that she could not find any note -- again! No dispatch. No email from Supervisor RJ. At about 8:55AM, she told me that she could not even contact the "Support Group" because they were still unavailable. I asked for the Support Group's contact number so I could call them myself. She said she couldn't give me their direct number. Imagine how upset I was.

Finally, when all hope was lost, I asked the agent how to cancel the service. She said it should be done at the Smart Wireless Center. That was when I said, "I'll just go to the Smart Wireless Center then! Thank you!" and I hung up.

I had wasted almost 3 rest days already and I missed the Summer Flair. So, I decided to go home to Pampanga to spend the next 24 hours there and forget about the horrible customer service I got from the Smart Bro hotline.

When I reached home at 6:00PM, I decided to call the Smart Bro hotline one last time. A lady agent apologized and she sounded sincere, unlike the others who were really rude. The previous agents sounded as if they just wanted to get rid of me.

Unfortunately, this lady agent called the elite "Support Group" and the earliest appointment she got was for Thursday (June 3rd) and there was no specified time. I told her that if no one showed up, I would definitely cancel the service.

Tuesday, June 1 - Around 11:00AM, I got a text from a Smart Bro technician saying he was already at our street. I felt really annoyed because I was still in Pampanga and the appointment was rescheduled for Thursday.

Fortunately, my roommate Billy was at the apartment. After a couple of text messages and calls, Billy met the guy and got the replacement adapter. That afternoon, I went back to Makati and hooked up my laptop to the antenna using the new adapter. I'm back in business!

Thus, I diagnosed my own problem, suggested the solution and the problem was fixed. Thanks but no thanks to Smart Bro hotline. Their service sucks bigtime!