Poor Telkom service

My elderly parents' fixed wireless phone stopped working. I took the phone to the Riverside Telkom branch and an employer told me that the sim card was 'dead' - we needed a sim swop which couldn't be done as it was a Sunday and their technician was not there. On the Monday I travelled 60 km to the same branch again. They couldn't help me as they needed my 86-year old father for his thumb print. Despite the dangers of Covid19 for the elderly I fetched him and had to wait about 40 minutes as the technician was on lunch. They finally helped me - despite the technician still not being there. I took my parents home to the retirement village where they live but the phone still didn't work - couldn't read the sim card. I took the phone back. This time the technician was there and told me that the phone was outdated and wasn't compatible with the new sim card. I bought a new phone at R720, took it back and inserted the sim card. The sim card was not activated yet. I phoned Telkom faults and they told me to wait until the next morning. It is now the next morning and the sim card is still not active. I am now getting ready to drive the 60 km to the Riverside Telkom branch again. If I cannot succeed today I will insist on returning the phone I bought and discontinue this Telkom service. My parents cannot rely on such unreliable service.