Cell C Online Upgrading USELESS!!!

<p>On Friday 25 November 2016 (Black Friday) I assisted my father with attempting to upgrade his mobile phone via the Cell C online shopping / self-service facility. He has been eligible for an upgrade on a pre-existing contract for several months, but being a pensioner we had previously not been able to find a deal on what we consider to be a good enough phone within his budget.</p> <p>When it came to my attention at approximately 09:00pm the evening of Black Friday (after all the brick & mortar stores had already closed) that Cell C advertised a Sony Xperia Z5 Compact phone on a Pinnacle 100 price plan for R199.00 p/m as a Black Friday deal, I notified him & we immediately proceeded with the online upgrade.</p> <p>However, the Cell C online system did not allow us to complete the upgrade transaction. Several attempts were made, each time having to re-enter all the information required during the checkout process, but every time the system rejected the order on the very final step which seemed to be the actual processing of payment/credit check.</p> <p>Shortly after midnight, the deal had expired with the item still remaining in the shopping cart of my father's online Cell C account having been unable to complete the checkout process. My father and I are both feeling very despondent about this.</p> <p>It cannot be said that we acted too late on the deal & the whole "you snooze, you lose" argument does not apply, because there was more than enough time between 09:00pm & midnight when the deal was set to expire for the upgrade request to have been submitted & accepted by the online system.</p> <p>The biggest problem with Cell C's online upgrade process is the fact that it doesn't actually exist!... not really. Here's why: The upgrade transaction appears to ignore one's pre-existing account & is handled in the same manner as if a new customer were applying for a new contract in terms of the amount of personal information (bank details, employment, salary) one is required to provide as well as a credit check being done.</p> <p>I do understand that with such transactions certain details of the customer have to be verified & have no problem with that. However, as a current, paying subscriber with a pre-existing contract Cell C had already previously done a credit check & obtained access to one's bank account via debit order when the contract was initially app**** for & approved. I see no reason why an online upgrade transaction cannot simply be processed on one's existing account when it is in good standing as a continuation (albeit modified) of a pre-existing financial arrangement, which is exactly what an upgrade is.</p> <p>If this had been the case, my father's upgrade request most likely would have been processed without incident & he would now be awaiting delivery of his brand new phone, instead of being a frustrated, dissatisfied Cell C customer having missed out on a good deal as a result of Cell C's poorly implemented online systems & processes!</p> <p>Get your sh#t together, Cell C!!!</p>