Misled into the wrong phone contract, then left without a response

Title: Misled into the wrong phone contract, then left without a response

On Saturday 30 May 2026, my wife went into an MTN store (World Sound Electronics) to take out a contract and buy a Samsung phone as a birthday gift for our daughter. She was told she did not qualify and that the Samsung was not possible. On that basis, and not wanting to leave our daughter with nothing on her birthday, she accepted an alternative phone — a Vivo — instead of the one she had come in for.

Two days later, on Monday 1 June, the store phoned to say the original Samsung application had in fact been approved. When we asked to return the unused Vivo and take the Samsung we had wanted all along, we were told this could not be done — and that we would have to take out an entirely new contract for the Samsung while still keeping the Vivo.

The heart of the issue is this: we were led to believe the Samsung was unavailable, made a decision on that false basis, and were then told the error could not be undone — even though the approval two days later showed it was achievable all along. A simple suggestion to wait a couple of days into the new month, which we would gladly have accepted, was never offered.

We lodged a formal written complaint with MTN Customer Care on 2 June (we have the reference number) and asked that all communication be in writing for traceability. Since then there has been no meaningful response. A promised callback from the area manager never came. MTN's own automated 48-hour response window passed with nothing. The only contact was a phone call that disregarded our written-only request.

We are reasonable people. The Vivo is unused, boxed and complete, ready to return. All we are asking is that my wife receive the Samsung she asked for and qualifies for, with no penalty for correcting a mistake that was not ours.

We would welcome contact from someone with the authority to actually resolve this — in writing.