Title: Misleading Cell C SIM deal – Billed R900 instead of R299

I signed up for a Cell C SIM deal advertised on Facebook for R299, but my experience has been a nightmare. Because I had lost my ID, the SIM wasn’t delivered. I visited the Carnival Mall branch for help, where a staff member issued a replacement SIM. This SIM didn’t work, yet I was billed for two SIM cards.

I contacted the Cell C call centre, and Supervisor Thabang Vilakazi explained what was happening — but even after following his guidance, I now have a first-month bill of approximately R900 for a contract that was supposed to cost R299.

I tried to resolve this directly with Cell C, but they closed my query without fixing anything.

Why this is serious:

Under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) in South Africa, suppliers must not market goods or services in a way that is false or misleading, including the price (Sections 29 and 41).

False advertising and “bait” marketing are expressly prohibited.

South African consumer law protects consumers against deceptive marketing and unfair practices, and telecom providers are expected to deal fairly and transparently.

There have been cases where the National Consumer Tribunal fined Cell C for unfair and misleading billing, showing this isn’t an isolated problem.

This feels like false advertising and unfair billing. I am now paying nearly three times the advertised deal due to poor service, staff mistakes, and miscommunication.

What Cell C must do:

Correct my bill to reflect the advertised R299 deal.

Remove charges for the non-functioning SIM.

Improve staff training and internal processes to prevent this from happening to others.

I am posting here because this issue has been ignored and unresolved by Cell C — and because South African law exists to protect consumers from practices like this.