TELKOM CONTRACTS WHICH DID NOT WORK FORCED TO PENSIONER

My dad was promised by Telkom staff to get monthly data of 10GB on his cell phone and also on the cell phone of my mom. This besides a third contract running on a mobile Wi-Fi Router. Mainly used for my dad’s laptop.

The 2 mobile nos. concerned are: Dad – Bruno Bosch = *** Mom – Christine Bosch = ***

Sadly, my mom passed away on 31st December 2020. As a result we wanted to cancel her data contract on her phone. Then we had to find out, that only the mobile Wi-Fi Router had a Telkom sim card in and was the only data contract out of 3 which was working for the past 17 months. Both phones of my dad and my mom, still had Vodacom sim cards in and no Telkom sim cards were ever received from Telkom by my dad and neither a sim swap done.

Why have no sim card swaps been done in order to get the data directly on the 2 phones of my parents and for them to keep their tel. nos. issued by Vodacom? As it stands now, my dad was billed R99.00 x2 = R 198.00 for 17 months amounting to R 3’366.00 in total. This from beginning of September to end of January 2021. For 2x 10GB data contracts on 2 phones were data never could be used without Telkom sim cards???.

My dad should have been given proper advice by Telkom staff before entering into those contracts. This did not happen. He was simply misled by Telkom staff at the Somerset West Branch, etc. He wanted data on the phones directly and not only via the Wi-Fi Router. His English is very poor. He is a ripe 78 years old pensioner. He was left with the understanding to get 10GB data each for R 99.00 monthly on 2 mobile phones belonging to him and my late mom. He thought all was working fine as he had no idea that when at home the data for the phones was coming via the Wi-Fi Router on the phones and not via the 2 phones directly. There was no data being delivered via the 2 phones with NO Telkom sim cards in them but Vodacom sim cards. Relative to info we received from your Somerset West Branch on 27.01.2021, NO DATA WAS USED AT ALL FROM THE 2 CONTRACTS WE CONTEST. Certainly not, my parents were without Telkom sim cards for those.

My dad did never have the knowledge how the whole data system is working. It cannot be correct that data contracts are sold to elderly and technically helpless people with no understanding how data on phones and routers works. And this without giving them proper advice what they really need and how things are working for them. This advice was never given and my dad left in the dark. The 2 contracts concerned did not work with Vodacom cards on a Telkom network. How could they ever???

We cancelled the 2 contracts on 27.01.2021 in your Somerset West Branch. We were told there are no cancellations fees involved. Order No.: ***A Order No.: ***A

The 2 contracts nos. are *** ***

Under these unfair circumstances we demand that my dad by given the full credit for the data charged to the 2 mobile phones. He never could use such data over the period of 17 months.

If required, my dad will provide a signed Affidavit.

We hope that Telkom will sort out this mess for the data bills without us having to pursue the matter through the South African Police, The Public Protector, ICASA, the Media, etc. in order to get it solved.