Telkom phone repair *******!

I took a new contract with Telkom for a Samsung A32 at the end of December 2021. After 2 months the phone just switched off and wouldn't go back on after several attempts. I took the phone in to telkom where the technician on duty opened a job card to send the phone for diagnostics. I received an sms with a quote to repair the phone for R4900. When I called to enquire I was told that the damage was due to customer abuse. The report stated that the phone was bent and the LCD cracked. I was not happy as the phone was well taken care of and at no point dropped/ damaged and had no physical damages at all. I was told to pay a fee of R195 to release the phone so that it can be returned. I did not prioritize paying to have a damaged phone returned to me as I did not have the funds at the time. The telkom technician called to update me about the report and also indicated that the R195 must be paid. I expressed my disappointment since the technician did a pre-inspection and there were no physical damage. The technician said that according to the diagnostics the phone will not be repaired under warranty as it was damaged by me. I was called a few ago by the technician again reminding me about the R195 to release the phone. I told him I hadn't paid it yet. And he responded saying that the phone had been sold since I did not pay release fee. I am completely shocked since he made no previous mention of a deadline for R195 or even a warning prior to inform me that I have a certain period before the phone would be sold since I still have to pay the contract for the remainder of the 24 months yet I only enjoyed the benefits of the phone for 2 months. They have lost a loyal customer. I am truly disappointed at the unfair and poor services.