Horrible Customer Service

Good Day ,

Hope you are well.

I am very disappointed in the service I have received from Cell C. I have been an Cell C customer for about 8 years and the treatment I have received in the last 2 years as been absolutely crazy.

Last year I was declined for my upgrade as I am currently on Debt Review which is absolute ******* as this is a Service that I am paying for which Debt Review shouldn't of not caused any issues but at the end I just accepted and moved on. We received confirmation from the lawyers who are assisting with Debt Review and confirmed that this should not at all effect Cellular Service Contracts. First issue.

Then on Friday 22nd of March 2024 I get a call from Zanele saying that Cell C has changed the policy regarding to Debit review clients and I am allowed to upgrade. She provided me with a phone and contract option and said this is what I have to take. The contract was quite expensive, and I said that I will go to a Cell-C store to check options. She then told me that I cannot go to the store, and this can only be done over the phone. This I discovered was a lie. Issue 2.

Then I told Zanele to call me back as I wanted to investigate the different options and speak to my husband. I got the latest connector book, and saw the same phone is available on a much cheaper option than she told me to take. Then she called me back, I told her what I wanted and then she was all of a sudden able to change after lying to push me to take a more expensive contract. Issue 3, another lie to a client to get herself more commission.

I then processed all my details and was told 5 to 7 days for delivery.

On Tuesday the 2nd April I called Cell-C to follow up on my order and upgrade. I was then told there is no history of any upgrade being processed. We then went through to out local Cell-C branch, they did the same checks and they confirmed nothing at all has been processed on our account.

The gentleman here then apologized on behalf of the Cell-C online call center and Saif he will assist us. They did not have stock, but organized a device and watch from another store and by the next morning, it was in-store and ready. However, when we started to process it, we say that they had only processed the upgrade that morning. Two and a half days later. I believe Cell-C staff is sandbagging to carry over sales into the month, issue 4, and ********* business practice.

So in the store we contact Cell-C, get told bluntly "No" they cannot cancel the contract its too late and its been sent out. After this the collnsultant here at the store gets on the phone, and we discover they have no-stock, and no IMEI number has even been allocated to the account, so it can be canceled and no devices are even linked, and nothing is pit for delivery. Issue 5, another lie.

During this process, the call center staff, Zanele and Lebogang then refused to transfer anyone to management, a team leader or a supervisor. We were put on hold multiple times for no reason, sometimes being cut off mid-sentence. We then get told Lebogang is actually the team leader, and was lying to us again. Issue 6. Yet more lies.

Zanele then tells us we have to wait till after 1800, and then they we can call. We asked the consultant what time do they go home and the center closes, and we find out 1800. We then asked how do I call you when you are closed? Issue 7, another lie.

The call center then hung up, and they then blocked the number we were calling from Issue 8, absolutely unacceptable behavior.

We than had to swap cellphones, called again and eventually got through to a Talita who then said they can help us and they actually can reverse. She then transfered us to another person again who started to help us. She then told us that the contract was already canceled over an hour and a half earlier. Issue 9. One of the staff members quickly canceled the contract right in the beginning and attempted to cover their tracks, and told no-one, yet again, another lie.

In the course of 1 transaction with your company, we were **** to multiple times, your staff attempted to sell us products more expensive than requested for theor personal benefite, delayed the processing of the upgrade to a new month for personal benefite, then **** more about grivience processes, **** about their position in the company, blocked a number associated with a Cell-C client, **** about when we can call to try and get us to give up, hung up the phone, cut us off with hold music multiple times in the conversation. And then attempted to cover their tracks by canceling without informing anyone to cover up what they did.

As a corporation, I do not understand how you can operate in this manner. Forget about customer service, this demonstrates a shocking laxity of ethics, and a a disturbing picture of corporate and company culture.

This service is absolutely disgusting, breaches multiple policies, disregards the Consumer Protection Act and demonstrates a very disturbing company culture.

This is only the first step, I am absolutely done with being treated like this as a consumer, and falling prey to predatory corporations such as this.

We will be contacting the GOCA, CGSO and the NCC to take this further. And will push for wider investigations into ethics in the Cell-C group. In my experience, these situations are signs of larger issues within corporates, and we are tired of this.