Frequently Asked Questions
Category Customer Query: Response: Bill Accuracy How do I know the information I receive is accurate? Billing information originates directly from the Eskom billing system. The same information reflected on the bill is viewed on CS Mobile. Cost How much will the service cost me? The service is charged at 20c per 20seconds dependent on the Terms and Conditions of the Cellular Service Provider. Charges may vary per Service Provider dependent on their Terms and Conditions. Variances in price plans may impact the cost of the service. Cost Is this solution cheaper than an SMS? You need to consider cost vs. timing vs. convenience. You will receive a reply after 24 hours for an SMS and CS Mobile is instant logging of your query Cost What would the cost be if you dial IVR and get balance compared to using CS Mobile? IVR may be a cheaper channel and if customers find it more convenient they are welcome to use the channel of their choice. CS Mobile is simply an additional channel. Cost When the system sends an sms ref number am I charged for the sms? No, there is no extra charge to the customer for receiving the SMS. Cost Will I be charged if it says “service is not available?” You will be charged only from when you reach the “Welcome to CS Mobile” screen CS Mobile description What is this CS Mobile? CS Mobile is a cellphone-based service that will allow billed SPU customers to influence their bill accuracy through submitting meter reads monthly. The service is targeted to SPU customers. LPU customers can use the service but will find it cumbersome to use Prepaid customers can register and login and view their premise details. CS Mobile will complement existing channels – CS Online, Customer Contact Centres, Walk-in Centres, SMS, Fax, IVR CS Mobile description How long does a session take? The maximum allowable time for a session is 3 minutes, after which you will have to log in again. You will not lose your previous session and can continue from where you left off. Inactivity during the session may also result in timeout. CS Online Customers Can a CS Online Customer use CS Mobile? Yes. The customer will need to register on CS Mobile in order to use the service. Customers submitting their meter readings via CS Online and by telephone can easily submit their meter readings with ease. Forgotten PIN If I have forgotten my PIN how do I move on You need to go to the Forgotten PIN on the Home Screen and provide the answer to the security question you chose. If you have forgotten the question or answer please call 08600 37566 for further assistance Handset How do I know if I have the right phone? This service is designed to work on 99% of cell phones in the market. The service cannot be used on landlines or on devices that do not have cellphone capability. Customers may experience handset related errors on some phones depending on whether the phone is sufficiently enabled for USSD technology. Different phones have different ways in which navigation is done which may impact your speed of response and may result in timeouts due to speed of response. Languages Is CS Mobile available in other languages? No. CS Mobile is only available in English, the Business language. Other channels are available if this is not suitable. Login Can I access all my accounts from a single login? Yes, if you have 2-5 accounts the accounts will be shown on screen and you select the account you wish to view. If you have more than 5 accounts you will be requested to enter the account number of the account you wish to view. Login Does my PIN ever expire? No Lost Number If I have successfully registered and I lose my number, can I access my account using a different cellphone? Yes you can as long as you remember your PIN. You will need to Update your Primary Cell Number once you login so you can still receive your SMS and Reference Number alerts LPU Customers Can LPU customers select any of their accounts? Yes they can but this is not recommended. The system was not designed for LPU customers. CS Online is more suitable for the LPU customers Meter Reads What happens if the meter box is locked or inaccessible? You will not be able to read the meter and cannot use the Submit Meter Read function. Some meters are in locked boxes or meter rooms, where only meter officials have access. Eskom puts the safety of the customer first. Customers should not try to open meter boxes or tamper with them in any way. It is illegal to tamper in any way with the meter. Meter Reads What if the meter is faulty or broken? Customers can select from the following list for problems with their meter. 1. Bees in Box, Customers will be given a reference number on submitting the remark which can be used for follow up. An SMS will also be sent with the reference number. Meter Reads I was submitting Manual meter readings before; can I stop that and use CS Mobile? Yes you can, you MUST first register using your cellphone in order to use the channel. Dial *120*6937566# (*120*myeskom#) then press the Dial button. A series of user-friendly prompts will follow, allowing you to register and start using the service. Meter Reads I submitted my meter reads and yet they do not reflect on my bill, why? You need to ensure only numerals are submitted, no letters are permitted as part of the meter read You may have submitted meter readings outside of the billing window reflected in brackets next to each meter number on CS Mobile. Eskom disclaimer: If your reading falls outside of your window period shown next to your meter number, they may not be used in the calculation of your next bill. Additionally there are reasons why the readings may not be used for billing. Reasons why your meter reading may not be used: Correct Window Period: The correct window period is four days before the actual Meter Reading Date (as displayed on your bill) and two days after the Meter Reading Date. If your reading falls outside of the correct window period, the reading will not be used in the calculation of your bill. Your unique window period is displayed next to your meter number in CS Mobile. High/Low Validation: A High/Low Validation is a calculation that checks meter readings based on estimated consumption. The calculation produces two usage values, i.e. a low usage value and a high usage value, to ensure that the meter reading submitted is within a reasonable range. If the meter reading fails a High/Low validation it means that the value of the meter reading submitted falls outside the range of the two usage values and may not be used in the calculation of your bill. Reading by an Eskom Representative: In the event that two meter readings exist for the same window period, a reading taken by an Eskom representative will take priority over a customer submitted reading. The reading by the Eskom Representative will be used in the calculation of you bill. Too many digits entered: The number of digits displayed on your meter is the maximum number of digits that should be entered for a meter reading. If you have entered too many digits, your entered meter reading will not be used in the calculation of your bill. Capturing a reading with the same date and time: If you have previously submitted a reading with the same date and time, your duplicate meter reading will not be used in the calculation of your bill. Meter Reads If I submit one reading for 3 phase supply won’t the bill be wrong? You can submit at different times within your meter reading window. However, if you don’t submit the other meters your reading may not be used for billing. Power Outage Reports Can I report power supply problems on CS Mobile? No. You cannot report power supply problems on this service. You can do this using the Customer Contact Centre number 08600 37566. Registration I want to register accounts for more than one person; can I do at the same time? If the accounts are owned by different people they must be registered individually Registration Can I add more than one cellphone number when I register? No. You can only choose one Primary Cell Number. However you can change the number at your convenience. Registration Can I update my details on CS Mobile? Customer details are not updated using CS Mobile for security and compliance reasons. FICA validation is required to change your account details with Eskom Registration If I want to use this CS Mobile what must I do? You MUST first register using your cellphone in order to use the channel. Dial *120*6937566# (*120*myeskom#) then press the Dial button. A series of user-friendly prompts will follow, allowing you to register and start using the service. Registration What do I do if I have difficulty with registering? a. Your customer registration details may be inaccurate, to correct this you need to call the Contact Centre on 08600 37566. b. The cellphone signal in the area could be weak so the phone is not connecting. c. The cellphone handset might be slow or have poor connectivity with the cell phone network provider, resulting in numerous error messages. d. There could be congestion on the system due to multiple users during peak times, please be patient and try again in a few minutes. e. The system could be down, please try again later. f. You could have insufficient airtime Registration How do I know if I can use the CS Mobile service? If you are a residential electricity consumer, agricultural or small business customer and receive a monthly bill from Eskom, you are eligible to use the service. You must have a mobile phone, your 10-Digit Eskom Account Number or Prepaid Meter Number and your ID Number. Airtime and Network Coverage are essential. Registration Can Pre-Paid Customers use the service? Pre-paid customers can register and login to view their premise details. They cannot perform any other services. Registration I am a CS Online customer, can I use CS Mobile? Yes. You will need to register on CS Mobile in order to use the service. Customers currently submitting their meter readings via CS Online and by telephone now have another convenient way of submitting their readings. Registration Do I need to register all my accounts individually? No, you only need to register once using any of your accounts. On Login you will be prompted as to which account you want to view. Registration Which cellphone number do I use to register? I cannot remember ever giving Eskom my cellphone number. What if my number has changed? You may select a cellphone number of your choice to which reference numbers and SMSes will be sent. This gives you the flexibility to access your account even if you are using another cellphone handset Registration Can I change my cellphone number if I need to? You may change the cellphone number if the need arises by going to Update Primary Cell Number on the Main Menu. This does not change the number you provided Eskom for billing purposes. Registration Has CS Mobile been designed to accommodate the new numbers as well? Yes, CS Mobile should cater for 10 and 11 digits cellphone numbers as well as adding SA code (27). Registration I am trying to register and the system is not accepting my ID Number / CK Number Make sure your ID number is 13 Digits. CK Number must be captured including the forward slash /. You may need to verify you details with the Customer Contact Centre on 08600 37566 Registration If I correct my ID Number how long before I can use CS Mobile? The process may take up to 24 hours Security Is the information I enter on the cellphone secure? Yes. All the customer information entered using the cellphone will be kept confidential as per standard Eskom information security policy. When a customer logs in, the customer enters a secure Eskom network. Troubleshooting I am getting an error message “Invalid Input,” what is wrong? You may have provided an incorrect response to the instruction. Read instruction and try again. Troubleshooting My session ended but I have not finished You may have selected #1 to Exit which logs you off. To go back to Main Menu you need to select # and submit. One session times out after 3 minutes and you need to Login again. You will not lose your previous session and can continue from where you left off. The session also ends if you idle for 30 seconds or longer Troubleshooting How can I shorten my session time so I do not get logged out? Have all your details handy so you are not searching for them Write down your meter readings then login to submit via CS Mobile Troubleshooting If I am on CS Mobile, will my calls and SMSes still come through? Yes they will. Calls may result in an interruption of your session and you may need to log in again
2. Snake in Box,
3. Meter Box Damaged,
4. Reading Not Visible
