"I have asked to talk to somebody that could tell me but I have been told that I cannot talk to anyone higher than a level two tech," Bester said.

"After talking with the helpdesk, and doing the same old "powering down the modem and see how it goes" routine, the tech asked me if I was interested in Netspace's 10 cent calls via VoIP, " he said.

"I would love such a service but Netspace does not guarantee latency or data speeds, how could I be protected from any problems that might arise?

"The staff on the helpdesk are always polite and I have never vented any frustration at any of them because I know they can only do what they are allowed."

A Netspace customer care team leader said if the ADSL connection is churned or cancelled before the end of contract, early termination fees will apply.