BAD SERVICE FROM VODACOM

ON 2020-08-22 MY SON AND I WENT IN TO MATLOSANA MALL VODASHOP TO DO AN UPGRADE ON MY CONTRACT. MY SON WAS WITH ME, AS THIS IS THE NUMBER THAT I OWN THE CONTRACT ON BUT WHICH HE USES, SO HE HAD TO CHOOSE THE DEVICE TO WHICH HE WANTED TO UPGRADE.

HE HAD DECIDED TO UPGRADE TO THE SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 10+, AS HIS RESEARCH HAD SHOWN HIM THAT IF HE HAD THIS DEVICE IT WAS NOT NECESSARY FOR HIM TO GET A LAPTOP FOR THE CYBER COURSE FOR WHICH WE WERE BOTH PLANNING TO SIGN UP FOR. WE HAD ARRIVED AT HOME, WHEN MY SON OPENED THE BOX AND TOOK OUT THE DEVICE AND SWITCHED IT ON TO DO THE SIM AND SD CARD INSTALLATION. WHEN HE SWITCHED ON THE DEVICE HE FOUND THAT THE DEVICE HAD DEAD PIXELS. WE CALLED THE VODASHOP BUT FOUND THAT THEY HAD ALREADY CLOSED. HE TOOK THE DEVICE BACK ON SUNDAY MORNING 2020-08-23, HE WAS INFORMED THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE ANOTHER SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 10+ DEVICE IN STOCK, SO THEY WOULD DO AN OUT OF BOX FAILURE AND ORDER A NEW DEVICE FOR HIM. ON WEDNESDAY 2020-08-26, MY WIFE WENT INTO THE STORE TO ENQUIRE ABOUT THE DEVICE AND SHE WAS TOLD THAT THE DEVICE WAS NOT YET THERE BUT AFTER CHECKING THE COMPUTER IT WOULD BE THERE ON THURSDAY 2020-08-27. ON THURSDAY 2020-08-27 MY WIFE WENT BACK TO THE STORE AND SHE COLLECTED THE NEW DEVICE.

ON SUNDAY 2021-01-31 WHILE MY SON WAS USING THE DEVICE HE HEARD THAT THE SPEAKER WAS DISTORTING. AS HE WORKS FROM 07:00 TO 17:15 EVERYDAY OF THE WEEK, WE TOOK THE DEVICE BACK INTO THE VODASHOP ON SATURDAY 2021-02-06 AND BOOKED IT IN FOR REPAIRS, AND WE WERE ASSISTED BY DIKIWIDI KEOTSHEPILE. HE INFORMED US THAT THE PHONE WOULD BE SENT TO THEIR MAIN BRANCH IN POTCHEFSTROOM ON MONDAY MORNING AND THAT NORMAL TURN-AROUND TIME FOR REPAIRS WAS 7 TO 14 DAYS. ON TUESDAY 2021-02-09, I RECEIVED THREE SMS’S FROM VODACOM REPAIRS. THE FIRST WAS A TWO SMS MESSAGE SAYING THAT THE JOB No. WAS ***2 AND IT WAS RECEIVED BY VODACOM REPAIRS POTCHEFSTROOM AND THE WARRANTY REPAIRS WOULD BE 2 – 3 WORKING DAYS. THE 3RD SMS WAS SAYING THAT THE PHONE WAS IN THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS. SINCE THIS SMS I HAD NO FURTHER INFORMATION FROM VODACOM REPAIRS.

ON 2021-02-16, I CALLED THE MATLOSANA MALL SHOP AND ASKED FOR THE MANAGER AND I LEFT A MESSAGE AS THEY SAID HE WAS OUT, I NEVER RECEIVED ANY RESPONSE TO THIS CALL. I CALLED THE SHOP, (AS I TRAVEL OUT OF TOWN REGULARLY I HAD TO CALL AS I WAS NOT LOCAL TO VISIT THE STORE), THREE MORE TIMES DURING THAT WEEK AND THE WEEK THAT FOLLOWED, BUT NEVER RECEIVED ANY RESPONSE FROM THE MANAGER. MY SON STARTED QUERYING ON FACEBOOK WHAT TO DO AND HE WAS CONTACTED BY SOMEONE FROM VODACOM WHO REQUESTED MY DETAILS. ON THURSDAY 2021-02-25 AT 17:38, I CALLED THE SHOP AGAIN AND WAS AGAIN INFORMED THAT THE MANAGER WAS OUT AND THEY TOOK MY NUMBER FOR HIM TO CALL ME BACK. ON FRIDAY 2021-02-26 AT 08:39 I RECEIVED A CALL FROM VODACOM BUSINESS, I CANNOT RECALL HIS NAME. HE CHECKED MY DETAILS AND THEN CHECKED ON THE SYSTEM AND INFORMED ME THAT ACCORDING TO HIS COMPUTER THE DEVICE WAS RECEIVED BACK IN STORE FROM THE REPAIRS ON 2021-02-15. I INFORMED HIM THAT I HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY SMS OR CALL FROM THE SHOP AND THAT I WAS IN FACT STILL WAITING FOR THE MANAGER TO CALL ME BACK, WHICH HAS STILL NOT HAPPENED. MY SON WENT INTO THE STORE ON FRIDAY 2021-02-26, AFTER WORK, TO COLLECT THE PHONE AND WHEN HE TURNED IT ON TO TEST THE SPEAKER, HE FOUND THAT THE SPEAKER WAS WORKING BUT THERE WERE AGAIN DEAD PIXELS ON THE DEVICE. THE ASSISTANT SAID THAT HE COULD TAKE THE DEVICE OR THEY COULD SEND IT BACK TO REPAIRS. HE SAID THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO ACCEPT THE DEVICE WITH DEAD PIXELS AS THIS WAS NOT HOW HE HAD HANDED THE PHONE IN ON 2021-02-06. THE PHONE HAD BEEN IN PERFECT CONDITION AND ONLY THE SPEAKER WAS BLOWN.

BY THIS TIME HE HAD ALREADY BEEN WITHOUT HIS DEVICE FOR THREE WEEKS AND WAS NOT EVEN SUPP**** A LOAN DEVICE FROM THE STORE. WHEN HE QUERIED GETTING A LOAN DEVICE HE WAS TOLD THAT THEY DO NOT DO THAT ANYMORE AS PEOPLE DO NOT BRING THE LOAN DEVICE BACK. I AM PAYING R765-67 PER MONTH, ON THIS CONTRACT ALONE AND AM ASKING THE QUESTION AS TO WHY SHOULD I PAY FOR THE DEVICE WHEN HE HAS NOT HAD IT FOR SINCE THE 6TH OF FEBRUARY. IN TOTAL HE HAS NOT HAD THE USE OF THE DEVICE FOR SEVEN WEEKS OF THE SIX MONTHS THAT I HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR IT. WHO KNOWS HOW MUCH LONGER WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE DEVICE TO BE RETURNED THIS TIME.

ON MONDAY 2021-03-01 I RECEIVED A SINGLE SMS FROM VODACOM REPAIRS STATING THAT THE DEVICE WAS IN THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS.

I AM, ACCORDING TO VODACOM, A “VALUED” CLIENT WHO HAS SIX CONTRACTS WITH THEM, SPENDING ON AVERAGE R1854-49 EVERY MONTH. I HAVE ALSO BEEN INFORMED WHEN I UPGRADED ONE OF MY OTHER NUMBERS IN OCTOBER LAST YEAR THAT I HAVE AN EXCELLENT CREDIT RATING OF R10 000-00 P/M, WITH VODACOM. I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL CLIENT OF VODACOM FOR THE LAST 21 YEARS. I ALSO KEEP PROMOTING VODACOM TO MY COLLEAGUES, ACQUAINTANCES AND IN FACT ANYONE I MEET, WHO IS NOT ON VODACOM NETWORK, WHICH I THINK I SHOULD STOP DOING.

AFTER SENDING THIS COMPLAINT TO THE CEO OF VODACOM AND THE CUSTOMER CARE E-MAIL ADDRESS, I WAS CONTACTED ON FRIDAY 2021-03-05 BY LECEANIA LEWIS, SHE ASKED ME WHAT I FELT WOULD BE THE BEST OUTCOME FOR MY COMPLAINT AND I INFORMED HER THAT SHOULD THEY SEND ME A NEW DEVICE IN THE BOX AND REFUND OR STOP, TWO MONTHS DEVICE PAYMENTS I WOULD FEEL BETTER ABOUT THE INCONVENIENCE. SHE SAID THAT SHE WOULD NOTE IT DOWN AND FORWARD THE COMPLAINT ON TO THE RELEVANT DEPARTMENT AND WAS TOLD THAT MY COMPLAINT WOULD RECEIVE THE NECESSARY ATTENTION, WHEN I REQUESTED TO BE CC’D IN THE EMAIL SHE INFORMED ME THAT SHE COULD NOT DO THAT. SHE SENT ME AN EMAIL CONFIRMING OUR CONVERSATION.

IT IS NOW WEDNESDAY 2021-03-10 AND I HAVE HEARD NOTHING MORE FROM ANYBODY AT VODACOM. THIS JUST LEAVES ME WITH A VERY BITTER TASTE IN MY MOUTH. SO MUCH FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!