Just a few months ago, Airtel had me eating my words. After years of dismissing them as the perennial underdog to Safaricom’s reigning champion, they came roaring back into my life with their 5G router. This was no ordinary comeback; it was a triumph, especially in my village where even Safaricom’s 4G feels like dial-up on a bad day. Airtel had suddenly become the king of the hill… or so I thought.
Fast forward three months and the shiny crown has lost some serious luster. You see, my once glorious Airtel 5G router has developed a very specific, very annoying problem that happens every single evening, from 6 pm to 11 pm, the internet slows down to the kind of crawl that makes me nostalgic for 2002.
Day vs Night @AIRTEL_KE nini huwa mbaya usiku? pic.twitter.com/IZx2WSxfSB
— Himp Man (@keverenge98) December 28, 2024
I’m talking speeds that dip to less than 1Mbps download/upload on a 10Mbps plan. It’s not just slow; it’s unusable, and we all know what snow internet is like.
Slow internet is worse than no internet https://t.co/DMbpaADGpI
— Himp Man (@keverenge98) November 15, 2020
This daily debacle has turned what should be a relaxing evening into a ritual of frustration. Want to stream a movie on Netflix? Forget it. Fancy some YouTube or Spotify? Not happening. And the real tragedy? I can’t even watch live football matches, which was the whole reason I fell in love with this router in the first place. Watching the second half between Chelsea and Fulham was a nightmare to watch, but I had no problem watching yesternight’s match between Ipswich and Chelsea thanks to the 11 pm kickoff.
But hey, I’m a reasonable person. Tech hiccups happen, right? So, I did what any modern, internet-deprived Kenyan would do: I reached out to Airtel Kenya’s customer support. And by “reached out,” I mean I posted on X because that’s the universal language of customer complaints these days. Airtel’s response? “DM us your details.” Classic.
Hello Himp Man kindly dm affected number for checks ^Lulu
— Airtel Kenya (@AIRTEL_KE) December 26, 2024
Oh, I DMed them, alright. I sent my account details, explained the issue, and even threw in some speed test screenshots for good measure. And then? Nothing. Crickets. Not even a courtesy “We’re looking into it” message. I’ve since tagged them in multiple posts, thinking maybe persistence is the key. Still, no dice. It’s as if my DMs are being routed through the same glacially slow network I’m complaining about.
Apologies @keverenge98 , checking . ^Lulu
— Airtel Kenya (@AIRTEL_KE) December 27, 2024
Now, I know I’m not alone in this. Several Airtel users are singing the same sad song. But here’s the thing: it’s one thing to have a network issue; it’s another to have your complaints ignored. Airtel, if you’re reading this (and let’s face it, you probably aren’t), do better. You can’t roll out a new 5G router, get us all hyped, and then ghost us when things go south. It’s bad form.
For now, I’m stuck in this weird love-hate relationship with Airtel. When the router works, it’s a dream — speeds that make me want to upgrade my package to something higher. But every evening, it’s a nightmare, and Airtel’s customer service is the monster under the bed. It’s almost poetic how the best part of my day becomes the worst.
So, Airtel Kenya, here’s the deal: fix your network or fix your customer service. Preferably both. Until then, I’ll be here, stuck in my village, watching that little buffering wheel spin endlessly — a tragic metaphor for the potential you’re wasting.
