Home Cloud Solutions to get ******!

Good day all,

I have recently tried to get a wifi package with out the need of a landline. We found an offer from Telkom via Home Cloud. They were offering 5gb + 5gb day and night with sim card and router for R249 p/m. I had their agent Shaun April (Durban branch) call me on 9/7/2017 and from this point onwards, I believe I was ****med.

During our phone discussion, he told me some of the details on the contract. Because we didn't have a landline, I was looking for a company who can provide decent wifi coverage without the need for one. So this package seemed like what I was looking for. Needless to say, I stressed this point to Shaun and he assured me that I will not need a landline with this contract. Once the sim and router arrive, it will pick up signal via 4g so no landline will be needed. Shaun even advised this via Whatsapp stating I have excellent coverage.

By the 11th, he advised me that due to a lack of credit history, I didn't qualify for this contract (sim + router) and only qualified for the sim, no router, at R270 p/m. (more than if I had qualified for a router) He again assured that I just need a phone that picks up on 4g, and then the sim will work in it. I told him I have a Vodacom router and he said that should work fine. With him having assured me all will work as expected, I agreed and he sent me the contract via Whatsapp.

By the 15th, we had received the sim, but it was not working with the Vodacom router. An email was sent and Shaun reached out via Whatsapp again. He again told me that the sim can be used in a phone, or I can purchase a router from takealot.com for R200 - R300. At this point I was afraid that by the time I get a router to test the sim it will be too late to cancel and the 7 day cool off period will be expired. So I requested that he sends me the cancellation form and advise us on returning the sim.

Shaun only responded on the 18th saying he will send the form. He called again reassuring that the sim will work with a router from taka lot.com. I reluctantly agreed and ordered one. It arrived by the 30/09/2017, and upon trying the sim in it....Yes...Still not working...not picking up a thing. The same day I sent him a message asking if the Sim has not been activated, thinking this may be the issue. Few moments later, I see Telkom billing me for my debit order of around R400. ( At this point, I've been billed for a service I have not received, and still being sent from pillar to post to get the sim working)

Shaun responded by the 2/10/2017 saying it should be, but he will get someone from the tech department to give me a call. By the next day, still no response, I sent him a whatsapp message chasing him for the Tech call I was expecting. I provided him my fathers number as I was at work and my dad would troubleshoot with the Tech. The Tech Jan, called my father on 06/10/2017 and attempted to provide desktop support in order to trouble shoot the issue with the sim. At this point the sim was active but still not able to ping router. After a long process of trying to figure out the issue, Jan asked if the Landline is plugged in. At which point my father said no, as we've taken the package without the landline. Jan said but that's not the contract you have. He advised that I was currently on a 5gb + 5gb day and night contract WITH landline, and that I would need to cancel this contract first and take the Wireless Router without Landline package. Jan said tell Shaun to send you the cancellation form, and then go online and subscribe for the correct one.

So at this point I've been **** to, had the wrong service selected which was not what I had agreed to over the phone or on whatsapp, was advised to spend more money on a device I'm sure Shaun knew wouldn't work considering he didn't even select the contract I agreed to. I was done and just wanted this whole thing cancelled and have my money reimbursed .

I asked Shaun for the cancellation form on the 6/10, had to chase him again as no response by the 10/10. By the 11th of October I received response from him with someone else's filled in cancellation form. Eventually I received a blank one and sent it through.

It took very long for them to confirm cancellation, by the 12th of October, I received another cancelation form but from Anisa Hansa. I informed her that I already sent the form in to Shaun a day earlier. She responded by telling me I will be liable to pay a cancellation fee of R810 from Natasha Mahlathi on 20/10/2017. And in that email trail, I saw that Shaun had only forwarded my cancellation form to Telkom by the 17/10/2017...nearly a full week after I had sent in the form.

Natasha then told me that the 7 day cool off period was long gone and that I will have to pay that to cancel.

In total, I have lost R440 for a service I never received, another R500 for a router which didn't work with sim (word taken in good faith from Shaun's advise, as it turned out it wasn't even under the correct contract) and then when I want to cancel because I realize this was a mistake, they want me to pay an extra R810 after taking so long to have the contract cancelled! It tells me that they wanted to ensure I was well clear of the 7 day cool off period as they kept me on a string for so long with the routers and the cancelation form. I refuse to be ****** of nearly R2000 when I was advised incorrectly from the start.

I have all email and whatsapp correspondence as proof if needed.

Can anyone advise me on how to proceed? Is Home Cloud Solutions completely in the clear and I should just bend over and let them take my money, or am I right in thinking that this is not acceptable and that I should have my bank stop the R810 cancellation payment until Further notice?

Thanks Brent Brown