aaannnnnnd the worst customer service award goes to . . . . . . . . . .VODACOM (private) customer service

1st April : I went into Vodacom walk in customer centre, Gateway, with the documents from my company plus my bank details required to transfer my number from a company phone number into my name, having just retired from the company I used to work for. Since I have an extensive contact list and have used the number for 20 years, I don't want to change it. after waiting an hour and 45 minutes, I was informed I was required to have not only 3 months stamped bank statements relating to my account, but the same for the company that was transferring the number to me, plus credit card statements in my name were acceptable, as I use my partner's current account on which I have authorised signature. 2 weeks pass where I desperately try to persuade my former company that I need these documents, and they are adamant that the documents supp**** are all that is required, eventually sending me an email to that effect. Mid month I go back to Vodacom walk in Gateway with the same documents, plus credit card statements and current account statements. I am served fairly speedily as I have learnt to choose the "red" route thank heavens. The Vodacom person assisting me advised that the bank statements I was trying to get out of my former company are not required, nor are credit card statements permitted, and that the previous Vodacom person was using the "wrong list" of what was required to transfer and shows me the new list (Clearly Vodacom walk in Gateway lack any semblance of a document management system, nor do they train their staff on changes to documents). This person takes in all the docs, and asks me to fill in a credit application in order to get the transfer done. He expressed concern that I was using a current account in my partner's name, but chose to take in these bank statements because my own current account bank statements hadn't shown much activity during the previous 3 months. I was told it would take 7 to 10 days. 10 days later (Saturday) I was at gateway, and popped in to find out how the credit application was progressing. I was informed it had been declined, but would be "reviewed" on Wednesday. Since I was with my partner, I said that if they needed his signature for his current account he was there and could give it. I was told that that wasn't necessary. I found the "review" statement a little odd, because why decline if its going to be reviewed ? and Wednesday was a public holiday 27th April (this fiasco started on the 1st April) but couldn't get any further with it so I left. Wednesday came and went. No response. I then send an email to Vodacom customer care online, asking to find out why my credit application was refused and that all I wanted was the number in my name. I get an email response that I must go through to Vodacom business, as this was a business cell number, along with the contact details. No response as to why my application had been refused, which is not a business application. By now I am asking why I have to have a contract given how poor Vodacom's service is. I telephone the business centre help line supp****, and spoke to a really helpful person, Brenda, who kindly walked over to the credit division with my reference number, and found out my credit application had been refused because the supporting documents had not been provided (the ones I handed into Gateway walk in customer Vodacom). She also told me that if I didn't want a contract, rather a pay as you go, my former company has to cancel the number and I have to re-apply for it after that - given the mess up so far, I am loathe to go this route simply because Vodacom will find some way to stuff it up. Brenda also tells me that the private consumer division handle the credit application and I will have to go back to them to get this sorted out. So once again I send an email to the online customer service for private, asking them to please get the documents out of Gateway (and by now my frustration is showing in my emails as I'm spitting mad). the response I get ? "I telephoned the Gateway customer care number (number given) and there was no reply". my response was : there isn't an email ? there isn't a fax number ? you are going to try once and that's it ? AND, the number you are calling is the gateway Vodacom retail shop, not the Vodacom walk in customer centre at Gateway. I also asked for their CEO's email address, as their executive officer should be ashamed of heading up a company with such poor service. I received a quick response that they could not give me the CEO's email address, but they would escalate the issue, and did I have the gateway walk in centre email address - obviously not, and I called the number given online for this centre repeatedly for 15 minutes and it was not answered, so I also gave that information. I then get another call from the online customer care centre - they had got hold of gateway, and the documents could not be found. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr this is un-******-believable. Vodacom walk in customer care centre has lost my documents, which include personal identity, personal bank accounts, payment slips etcetera. As a direct outcome of this, I am going to now have to pay an online service to ensure any attempts at identity theft are not successful. Spitting mad doesn't even cover this lot ! the adjectives ***********, AGGRAVATING, VEXATIOUS, DISGUSTING, service all come to mind, and that applies to Vodacom MANAGEMENT - I don't blame the people I am dealing with, I blame Vodacom's *********** (and other adjectives mentioned above) management for employing people that they clearly can't be bothered to train in customer service and other basic business practises, like document control and reading and responding to the consumer's entire mail, not just one line. and I am making this judgement from a position of knowledge - having been a quality manager for the last 25 years, I know precisely what is involved in ensuring customer service is up to scratch, and Vodacom's is a long way short of this in the private (non business) consumer service division. As I mentioned earlier, their CEO should be ashamed of heading up a company with this type of private customer service.