Telkom Mobile Keywest encounter with rude and dismissive manager Akhona Mhlawuli

On September 16th, we entered into a contract with Telkom Mobile, and during this transaction, we had the displeasure of dealing with a manager named Akhona Mhlawuli. Our interaction with Akhona was marked by his confrontational and argumentative demeanor. The purpose of our visit was to purchase an OPPO cellphone; however, it quickly became apparent that there were significant issues with the device we had acquired:

1. The device would frequently overheat, preventing it from reaching its full charging capacity. 2. The user interface was sluggish and unresponsive, making it challenging to use the device effectively. 3. The device exhibited frustratingly slow performance and would frequently freeze, necessitating a complete restart.

A cursory online search confirmed that many other users had encountered similar problems with this particular device. Given the shared grievances, we decided to explore the possibility of amending our contract to exchange this problematic model for a different one.

On Sunday, the 17th, we attempted to contact Telkom regarding these issues. Regrettably, there was no direct in-store contact available, forcing us to postpone addressing our concerns until Monday, the 18th.

When we returned to the store on the 18th, we received assistance from a lady named Boitumelo, who promptly contacted an OPPO technician on-site named Tebogo. Unfortunately, our encounter with Tebogo was marred by his dismissive and discourteous attitude. He seemed disinterested in listening to our complaints about the device's issues. Frustrated by the lack of assistance from the store, we requested to speak with the manager, and it was Akhona Mhlawuli who came forward.

To our dismay, Akhona, the manager, echoed the same dismissive sentiments as the technician. he, too, displayed combative behavior and appeared unwilling to genuinely address our concerns. The only solution offered was to surrender the device for potential repairs, which we found to be an unlikely resolution. Despite our clear desire to exchange the model, Akhona remained unyielding in his stance.

We are deeply dissatisfied with the conduct of both the technician and the manager during this ordeal. While Boitumelo made admirable efforts to defuse the situation, we found ourselves left with no viable recourse other than to seek assistance from the Ombudsman.