******ionate exit barrier feels like a ****

I honestly feel like I have been ****med. I took out a contract 3 years ago and now when the contract has run down, I visited the MTN store to ask them to convert my number to prepaid. First annoying thing is being referred to a 135 number (we cant help you in store). I immediately called the number and was told I need to pay more than R700 to cancel the contract even after giving notice. The explanation I got was that I should have given notice a month ago and now I’m liable to a R700 fee to cancel what appears to be a perpetual contract. No one told me about this fee when I took up the contract, the only thing I was told was that I need to give 30 days notice to cancel when my 36 months is up. Now I find out there’s this nasty surprise. Even more than that, I was told to go and take it up with the branch…This feels like a ****. This ******ionate exit barrier really feels ******* especially given that I only get to know about it now. MTN had every opportunity to inform me of this, at the point of sale and when my contract was bout to end…instead I got countless upgrade calls none of which informed me of this ******ionate fee.