Caller ID Charges

I recently upgraded to a contract with Vodacom and noticed that incoming calls all display as Unknown since upgrading. I called the help centre and am told that I have to pay an extra R9.50 to activate caller ID - not a useful function like Truecaller, that I would be fine with, but just to see the NUMBER that is calling me, regardless of whether they're in my contacts or not.

This is the first time I've ever come across this kind of business practice and I think this is absolutely unacceptable. I'm already paying R800 a month for my contract and device, and while R9.50 is a negligible amount, I refuse to pay it out of principle; this charge wasn't explained to me at any point when signing up for a contract. Vodacom is trying to milk their customers for every cent they can get. Add to that the exorbitant price of data (the highest in a major African economy, from what I've read) and you've got a very unhappy customer.

This company does not seem to have their customers' best interests at heart, only their profit stream. I would happily pay more if I felt I was getting my money's worth. Vodacom, please revisit your business strategy, there is so much potential for you to be more than just a default choice.