3 weeks without data

My phone got ****** 3 weeks ago. I immediately I cancelled my service through the call centre and went to the Vodashop close to me to do a sim swap the next day...everything went according to plan, and I did all the necessary to re-activate my service. Voice and SMS services came back on line but no Data.

I worked with the call centre to re-syncronize my services etc, for the better part of 2 weeks, eventually I got sent back to the Vodashop to check the device. As it turns out the device settings were correct. No problems there.

So I started back at the call centre. Several threats of escalating the matter, again, no luck. I decided to go back to the Vodashop to be sure. So yesterday the Vodashop assisted me to do another sim swap to eliminate the sim card as a potential problem....THIS DID NOTHING, even in different devices. My problem remains, Voice and SMS is fine, DATA is offline.

I am at the end of my tether. I have been sent back and forth between call centre agents, who seems to be working from a script with no idea of how to really find and fix problems. When my problem gets 'escalated' to the 'network specialists' it appears that the lack of knowledge remains but that they are working from a slightly 'cleverer' script. Vodashop was able to check my device settings and eliminate it as a problem, but when the Vodashop assistant called the Vodacom Call Centre, they are met with the same incompetence and bad service. Its laughable and also dis-heartening.

I am travelling as of Monday and without Data I can see the trip being a nightmare. I'm hoping that someone from Vodacom who takes their job and Vodacom's lack of performance personally, will read this, feel ashamed and find someone in the organization that can actually resolve technical and Vodacom system issues.

My loyalty to Vodacom really depends on what happens next.