Mobicel vs Telkom vs Vodacom

Good day, on the 16th of Dec 2017 I bought a Mobicel Switch at the store, the phone came with insurance, on the 2nd of June 2018 my phone got lost, I have sent the store and Vodacom all the credentials need from me but I haven't heard anything from my network provider and Mobicel.

Was my err in this regard buying a phone cash at Hi or being loyal to Vodacom as a brand and trusting that this phone may be traced and recovered?