Cancellation impossible by design

I have been a Vodacom customer for some time but your system of cancellation by call centre is flawed (by design I think) to make it almost impossible to cancel a contract. This is unacceptable!! Especially if the initial renewal (2015) was achieved through misrepresentation of facts.

In 2013 I contracted for 3 data contracts (1GB each with a Vodacom device for one). The contracts expired and I was quite happy to go on a month-on-month base. I was then contacted by Elite Mobile (which I understand is your marketing arm). Here is where the misrepresentation comes in. I was told if I renew I would have a significant monthly saving. I was told a sms would be send with the reference number as well as an email to confirm the contract renewal. This was in Aug 2015. I checked and saw that two of the contracts were already only at R75/month so why would I agree to an admin fee of R350 per contract and an obligation for a further 2 years with no benefit. I would remain paying R75/month as before the contract. I wanted to stop the renewal but had no reference number or anything to refer to. For the 3rd contract I would have the amazing saving of R20/month which did not even break even over the 2 year period after the admin fee was deducted. Neither the sms or the email came through and I assumed that when they checked they saw I would be worse off and that what was presented to me was not correct. I then decided to cancel the cell numbers in Feb 2016 and was told that the contracts were renewed (with the admin fees etc from Jan 2016). I contested and requested (after several calls to your call center and Elite Mobile) to listen to the recording of the phone call but none was available. I then requested the cancellation (which they did, deducting the full contract value from my account - so I paid anyway, but with no data service. Again this was not explained and any sane person given a choice between paying and receiving the data and paying anyway and NOT receiving the data would settle for the first.

After a second set of numerous calls to your call center the accounts were activated again and the deduction credited. One of the contracts was cancelled somewhere during this period with 2 contracts remaining. To my surprise the end date of the contracts also moved one delaying potential termination date. It felt that every time I phone the call center things just got worse.

Somewhere in 2017/18 I stopped receiving accounts from Vodacom. I was informed that the last contract could be cancelled or fell away in 2018. During 2018/2019 I visited the local Vodacom shop which rendered excellent service. However, they could request and opened at least 3 requests on the system to cancel the remaining 2 contracts. It seems these requests were mostly ignored by Vodacom.

• In Dec 2019 I stopped the debit order which from my point of view was deducting for contracts I have cancelled (or requested numerous times). • In March I realised that my credit rating is effected by Vodacom claiming I did not pay. I settled an amount of R286 and again requested the cancellation of my two contracts. I considered the matter settled. I did not receive any accounts/bills. • I checked my credit rating to ensure the situation was corrected, and saw that non-payment from Vodacom in May, June and July 2019 again effected my credit score. I phoned the call centre and there response was this : • Initially they could not find any contract/cell number against my ID • Then I gave them a cell number from a very old bill (2014) and she did find it claiming that the account (though settled 25 March 2019) was again R315 in arrears. She claimed the one number was cancelled, but the 2nd number was still being billed. • I went to the Vodacom shop and settled the account.

I will now try again to cancel with your call center, but given that my job do not allow for me to spend hours on a call center line and that my level of success over 3.5 years was non-existing to disastrous I now inform you of my dissatisfaction.

According to me the initial renewal in 2015 was misrepresented and should never have been contracted. Since then a number of admin fees etc. have been levied against the account which was deducted ********ly. And at least all fees charged since Dec 2018 should not have been charged due to the numerous cancellation requests.

Vodacom Call centre have the following flaws/frustration : • No accountability • Each query you basically start over • Call centers not equipped to handle deviations – just standard requests • Time consuming for people that have active day-jobs that do not allow for spending 30min to 1 hour interacting with the call center. • Lack of proof and audit trail – email much more useful to clearly show the detail of what was done when. • Elite Mobile as marketing arm misrepresented facts but there was no way to reverse the renewal from Vodacom’s side (according to the call center) despite it being a misrepresented renewal.