Ho Ho Ho - Ho.

It feels like I blinked and December is upon us.

Earlier this year I upgraded my contract with Cell C and got a Tablet. My request was processed quickly and the tablet was delivered promptly. I opened up the box and took the tablet out, fired it up and started doing the stuff you do when you get a new device.

I then shut the tablet down, used the sim ejection tool to eject the sim tray, put a sim card into the tray and tried to re-insert the tray back into the tablet only to discover that there was resistance [the tray wouldn't go back in]. Having worked with Tech for long enough, I know that you never force something like a sim tray back into a device. At this point I reset the device and put it back into the packaging.

I took the device to the Sandton branch of Cell C and was given the run around. I stood outside the store and phoned Cell C direct. I was told that device would need to go in for assessment - I asked how do I do this which at Cell C is like asking KFC for their magical recipe.

Fast forward 2 months. I get a call from a guy at Cell C. He very kindly arranged for me to hand my tablet in at the Greenstone branch so that it can go in for assessment. During the hand over process the device was photographed and switched on to confirm that state it was in [the device had been in its box for the entire period]. I asked the lady at the store for her opinion on the state of the device, she confirmed that it was in mint condition and showed no signs of having been tampered with [no scratches or cracks of any kind].

Ok, so, I then get a call from the assessment guys saying that the cost to repair the damage is about R3500 - in case you're wondering, this is what a new Tablet costs. I asked for more feedback on what exactly had happened to the tablet to cause it to need this amount of repairs. This is where it gets really interesting - it was imp**** that I'd **** about the extent of the 'damage' and that I'd opened up the device and had damaged the sim tray - it was at this point that I totally lost it.

I am now the owner of a device that cannot take a Sim or SD card as Cell C think I tried to pull one over on them - I have been a loyal client of theirs since they pretty much opened their doors. Needless to say, our relationship is over.

In summary - if you read this and are considering getting a tablet from Cell C - please do yourself a favor and take the device out while you are still in their store and MAKE SURE you don't end up like me - with a faulty/damaged device that they won't repair or replace.