Complete incompetance from KPN

I have been a KPN user for the past year. However, on 05.04.2024 I stopped having Internet. I reported the issue via the Customer Service number on the next day. I was advised to check the website https://www.kpn.com/service/storingen.htm to see the expected date of resolving the issue. When I checked it on the 6th, it said the issue is going to be resolved by the 7th in the afternoon. The website has been auto-updating its estimated fix date every single day for the past 18 days. It is currently the 18th day of no Internet in my home which I find absolutely ridiculous. I have called customer service multiple times and no one has been able to provide me with an actual explanation of the problem or give me an actual date by which the issue will be resolved. Most operators in the customer service department just repeated almost word for word the message that is on the website. Every single time the excuse is that there is apparently a third-party that is in charge of the cable management and as such the disruption that I am experiencing is their responsibility and is completely out of KPN’s hands. I have absolutely no interest in knowing KPN’s internal infrastructure and the contractors that have an agreement with KPN. I have subscribed to KPN for Internet service, not the third-party, and the fact that one of the company’s departments (the third-party company) isn’t doing their job should not be my concern. Not only that but I am also always denied access to any contact information of that alleged third-party when I ask for it. The issue seems to be completely unresolvable by KPN and everybody affected by this disruption is at the mercy of the alleged third-party company that does not disclose any information about the issue and which no user is allowed to contact.

Later, on my 4th or 5th customer service call I got scheduled an appointment for a mechanic to make sure the issue is not in our household. During the appointment the mechanic confirmed the issue is not in our apartment and offered us to schedule an appointment with the “network engineers”. We were supposed to receive a call from them to schedule an appointment which we never did. I had a customer service representative promise to call me back on the following day after they have researched what the issue was and had more information for me – this never happened as well.

(Also not having English option in the Customer Service menu is really unpleasant  - I have to stumble around and click random numbers and pray I get connected with actual person)

On top of all of that, on day 5-6 I decided to cancel my contract with KPN because my connection is vital for my work and I need Internet connection as soon as possible, no matter the provider. I got informed that this would cost me 100€ since I have 2 more months remaining in my contract and would need to pay for them if I decide to cancel. I want to remind that I was not trying to cancel for fun but strictly by necessity because I DO NOT RECEIVE THE SERVICE I HAVE SUBSCRIBED FOR. When I told the customer service representative of the day that my job and income is dependent on my Internet connection in my home I got SCOLDED for subscribing to a private subscription instead of a business one even though the private subscription is more than enough for my needs (when it works). I got advised to GO TO A LOCAL CAFÉ AND USE THEIR INTERNET DURING MY WORK HOURS OR ASK MY NEIGHBOURS WHO ARE NOT SUBSCRIBED TO KPN FOR THEIR WIFI PASSWORD. A representative of KPN suggesting that the solution to the problem of KPN failing to deliver the service I subscribed for is “to go to a café or ask the neighbours” is completely baffling.

Around day 8-9 I called again to ask for some sort of intermediate solution while my regular connection is fixed. I of course got denied such a thing because “the problem is outside of KPN’s scope and as such I am not entitled to an emergency package” and that there is nothing that can be done about my issue other than waiting indefinitely until it is fixed (again not providing any concrete resolution date).

In one of the nastier encounters with Customer Service I called around 17:00 (the customer support line stops working at 18:00), waited to connect to an operator until 17:14, told her my postcode, house number and other details and was instructed to wait until she “checks the system” – I got put on hold and then, conveniently at 17:58 she hung up on me. On day 11 of no Internet I finally contacted an empathetic customer service employee that took my issue up to the contract department of KPN and gave them the ultimatum that I should either be able to cancel my contract free of charge or receive an emergency package. Needless to say, a day later I received an email stating that my emergency package is on the way. I had to call 10+ times to receive the emergency package that was up until that final call “impossible for me to get since the issue is not in KPN’s control”. At the time of writing this it is currently the 18th since my Internet connection got disrupted. If I continue to not be able to cancel my contract free of charge, the issue is still not fixed and no actual information or estimate is given to me I will have to involve the Dutch Foundation for Consumer Complaints Boards (De Geschillencommissie) and media outlets to let their viewers/readers of my situation and the total incompetence on KPN’s side.

I have submitted already an official complaint letter and all I got in response was a phone call to tell me “You just have to wait, there is nothing you can do and we still will not allow you to cancel your contract”. Absolutely horrific experience overall.