Disgusting service provided by MTN and Pinnacle Marketing

I have been a customer of MTN for over 20 years and in March 2017 I upgraded my cell phone contract through their Melrose Arch branch. In June 2018, my cell phone was ****** and I went to MTN in Randpark Ridge (near to where I stay) to have the phone blacklisted and to get a replacement SIM card. I was informed that they did not have stock of contract SIM cards so could not assist me, and that I should merely call an MTN number to deal with the blacklisting of the phone. Obviously the fact that I didn't have a phone as it had been ****** was of no issue for this lady and I was brushed off. I then drove to Cresta branch. I was assisted, provided with a new SIM card and my phone was blacklisted. At this stage, I was informed by the gentleman that my phone was insured and he provided me with the forms to complete for insurance and instructions on how to go about claiming. That was on Sunday morning June 10th 2018. On Sunday night, my new SIM card was still not active, and then my ****** phone was used to order over R700's worth of food on my Uber Eats account, so it was clear that my SIM card swap had not been effected. I managed to get this finally resolved on the Monday between work meetings, however, I had lost over R700 and had to cancel my credit cards as I was not sure what else could be used on my ****** phone.

I submitted my insurance claim, and was called by Pinnacle Marketing (the insurance providers) and informed that my current phone was in fact not insured. I confirmed that my insurance policy payments were up to date, which Pinnacle Marketing confirmed that they were, but they advised that the IMEI number for my current phone had not been updated with them by MTN and that I should contact MTN. Through numerous visits to Cresta and Melrose Arch branches, I was informed that neither of them could find my contract and were unable to assist. I was instructed by an agent at Melrose Arch that I should have checked the insurance policy was updated at the time my phone was upgraded. After much complaining, the branch manager eventually offered to assist by writing a motivation to the insurance company providing them with the upgrade invoice and contract (which I had to track down in my files as MTN were unable to trace it).

It transpired that when I upgraded my phone in March 2017, that I had opted out of insurance on my phone. The insurance claim was declined. I requested that the insurance company refund my premiums paid between March 2017 and June 2018, but they refused to assist and suggested I contact MTN in this regard.

I approached MTN requesting that the insurance premiums that I had paid between March 2017 and July 2018 (which is where we are now) be refunded to me as they had not updated the insurance details in line with my contract. I had in fact been paying insurance for over a year on a phone that I no longer own.

I have had no response on this matter from MTN in this regard.

This entire ordeal has taken place over a month and I am still without a phone or refunded insurance premiums, despite the many hours of being pushed between MTN and Pinnacle Marketing. The service received from both parties in this regard is nothing less than shocking! Both parties should consider the needs of the consumer in this regard, most particularly in pushing the consumer from pillar to post and back again without any clear responses or any interest in resolving this matter. I have wasted a lot of my own time in trying to get a result, but still without success.