Poor service of their Foneyam agens - I was told to go to another shop if could not tolerate their poor service

I wanted to obtain another Foneyam device since I completed paying for my current one in December.

On 29 January 2026, I visited Ackermans Southdale to check whether I could take another phone. The staff made a call on my behalf, and the lady on the other end informed me that I would receive an SMS on the same day. This never happened.

On 30 January 2026, I completed an online “Contact Us” form and received reference number FON-12968.

On 2 February 2026, I returned to Ackermans Southdale and spoke to Nobe Mzingelwa, who told me my query would be resolved by Wednesday, 4 February 2026. Instead, on 5 February 2026 at midnight, my phone was blocked and rendered unusable. As a result, I could not request a ride home from 132 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg to Holy Family Catholic Church, Turffontein, Johannesburg. I only managed to get home because a colleague requested a ride for me using her phone.

On the morning of 5 February 2026 at 08:30, my phone started working again. I then returned to Ackermans Southdale to find out what the issue was. I was given a phone to speak to Azola from Cape Town, who refused to provide her surname and stated she was the only Azola in South Africa. She said calls are recorded and that she would escalate the matter to her manager. However, when I requested a reference number for the call, she refused to provide one.

I would also like to point out that Nobe Mzingelwa was highly rude and unprofessional in the way she spoke to me. Additionally, the lady I spoke to previously at Ackermans Southdale assisted another customer while she was still helping me. When I questioned this, she told me I could go to another shop if I was not satisfied with her service.

All I wanted was assistance in obtaining another phone since I have fully paid off my contract. Instead, I have been subjected to extremely poor customer service. I am not asking for a free phone — I am willing to make monthly payments, just as I did with my current device.

I am highly disappointed in Ackermans Southdale and the Foneyam customer service consultants I have dealt with since 29 January 2026. It feels as though they deliberately ensured I received the worst service possible, and I regret ever dealing with Foneyam. It seems to me that either they dislike their company or management, or they simply do not care about customers.

Despite this, I still need a phone and would be willing to go to either Ackermans or Pepcell to obtain another Foneyam device. However, I am deeply disappointed that I have visited the store multiple times over the past two weeks for the same issue and no one has been willing to help me.