MTN Mall of the South

On Black Friday 24 Nov 2017, I took a day's leave and took my wife, baby and went to the MTN store at Mall of the South at 6 am, to be 1st in the queue as we were told the previous day the will open at 7 am and there are possible specials as there were in 2016 with the 1GB data, 1000mintes pm x 24. (As a backup plan wanting the latest Samsung S8 with the 24' Screen, keyboard and wireless charging/synching device as advertised in their November 2017 edition booklet if there are no other specials this year).

The staff only arrived after 8 am. Being the first customers of the day, and Black Friday, things understandably take a bit of time to start up and the online system might be slow. I told my wife to go have breakfast in the meantime since it took so long, I got out the store by 12 midday with new phones, a Huawei P9 special 50Gig, 1000 minutes pmx24 and a 100GB pm x 24 additional data bundle that we can collect and will be activated later the weekend when the systems are faster.

Joining my wife for breakfast/lunch, she wants to go to another store and I said I want a screen protector and cover for the new phones, so I return to MTN, the staff member says they are glad to see me, since the Special we got, in fact is not a Special and was incorrectly communicated internally within MTN. We need to return the already configured phones and pick a different contract.

Ok, fine, so we want the S8's with the 24' screen etc for around R800pm. It was rep**** to me that this is only available at MTN in Randburg on 14th Avenue and we need to go there if we want that special. I said I am not driving there now as it is a busy day can you not IBT it and we pick it up later? No was the reply. Why is it advertised in a way that says it is available at MTN stores? It does not specifically say only at this branch? The staff could not answer me. If I was in another province? This MTN booklet is online and made available across SA how is this then the case?

Anyway, so being lenient again, I said, what other S8 specials do you have? Ok, we have the normal S8 which comes with a 256GB SD card for R599. So we went with that just to get out of this store. The phones will be activated later the weekend and an SMS will be sent and you will be called to pick up the additional Sim card.

Leaving the store at 3 pm, this is from 6 am were lunch was about for 1 hour. No screen protector, no cover and also no insurance on the phone was offered.

Saturday, we returned to the store to ask for cell phone covers and screen protectors and also just check in on the progress of the sim, there were no cellphone covers for the phone or screen protectors and the sim was not ready. So we walked out.

Sunday 26th Nov, returned to the store because my phone is upgraded but not my wife's, and to check if there is progress on the sim, addressing the problem with the upgrade first and said they will follow up and get back to us. Wifes phone was upgraded, but still no additional sim.

Monday, 27 November, SMS received to pick up the sim.

Tuesday, 28 November, 16:00, my wife returns to the store to pick up the sim as surely it should be ready, got to the store and there were issues since the lady is not there and they first need to contact her to get all the information to log into her profile. Eventually getting the sim and walking out.

Ok, to summarise my nightmare and complaints: 1) We spent so much time at this store from Friday to Tuesday driving in everyday, except Monday, to get our New phones and Simcard sorted which we are still not sure if we are on the right package as the sim only got 30GB on it, it should be 60GB daytime, 40GB night-time = 100GB. 2) We were never contacted once on the progress of the upgrades, only automated smses. 3) We received a lot of apologies from staff members, and they were trying their best, but nowhere was there a manager who intervened or stepped in to help? Only got his name afterward. Should I have thrown a tantrum earlier? Is this the only way to get things done in life? We tried to be understandable. 4) We got the right phones, but did not get the other deal since its ONLY available at 14th Avenue MTN? Ya right. 5) Rhetorical question, how is the wrong deal communicated across the whole of MTN, I get upgraded on it, and then told the upgrade is not valid?

Kind Regards Andries van der Walt