Charged for Data in a country iv never been within 5-15000km of?

I’ve been a loyal, paying customer with Vodacom for 15 years. I’ve never had pay-as-you-go, iv always been on the top package, wether it was the Talk 1000, Buisiness Talk, or now the Red VIP+ Package. Which is second to their top Red premium package. My avarange spend over the years being between R 3000.00-R 6000.00p/Month.

On 09 August 2017, my wife and I flew from Johannesburg to Mos*** via Istanbul. As per any airline,country or flight, I switched off my phone when we boarded the plane. I’m a frequent flyer so I knew to switch off my data and roaming.

After the plane took off, and the ailined informed us we could, I turned my phone back on and connected to the Turkish Airlines WiFi with my phone on airplane mode and the Data Off.

A minute later, I received a text from Vodacom stating that I had used R4000 worth of data. Another minute later, I received a second text from Vodacom stipulating that R6000 worth of data was used in Norway. A country which is not just 5000km in distance from where I was traveling to but more like 15000km from where I was at the time of their absolutely physically and geographically IMPOSSIBLE claim. More importantly a country iv never been. Clearly evident in ones passport !

I was on my way to Russia for three weeks so I couldn’t contact Vodacom immediately. I also switched off my phone immediately at that point of the second message (Norway). I then purchased a local sim when I landed to use for the duration of my trip. As one who travels does.

When I got back to Johannesburg, I noticed Vodacom had taken R 8986,76 out of my account. I went to Vodacom Craighall where I’ve had an account for 15 years. And where I thought I had built a somehwat of a relationship with the staff, seeing as how most of them have been there for quite a few years and I lietrally know everyone by name.

I told them what had happened, but they said they couldn’t help me. And certainly didn’t seem too interested in doing so. The manager, Rhea, however advised me to reverse the debit order and cancel my future debit orders and rather pay my account in-store. I took her advice and have been paying my account at the Craighall shop every month since. An excersice that has never ever taken me less than 60/90min. Absolutely nothing effcient or convenient about it. Quite honeslty an absolute hack, and who really has that time in a work day to go sit in a Vodacom shop each month for 1/2hours only to pay a bill!

Rhea suggested that I post this absurde issue on the Vodacom Facebook page and Hello Peter to get a response.

When I did eventually put the story on Facebook, a stagering 47 people commented saying the exact same thing happened to them and they had eneded up leaving Vodacom because the issue was not resolved. NOW for the absolute CRUX in the ridiculous story. Since then, those messages have been deleted; all the comments on my facebook post. Even more concerning the SMS message stipulating R6000 Norway data has been deleted off my phone. Now if this was a legitmiate claim, surely that message would not have been deleted! Further more it would have been produced on the more than 50 occations iv asked for it. Yet still not SMS???

Between August 2017 and February 2018, I’ve had hours upon hours of absolutely pointless phone calls with various employees at Vodacom. And even more frustrating hours wasted in the Craighall shop. At first, Pearl an employee at Craighall said she would look into my query. I later received a letter stating they would credit me +_R1000. This is unacceptable and quite honestly patronizing. You want to credit me for data I never used in a country iv never been. And yet you have absolutely no evidence for your outlandish claim!

From January, Vodacom started cutting my phone off. This lead to weekly visits to Craighall easily running into 2/3hours at a time. It even started happening twice a week. Who can afford to leave work for 6+ hours a week during work hours to deal with such a ridculous situation? I should be claiming loss of income with this all. In February, they said they could give me a further credit. Again unacceptable and patronizing. You want to credit me for data I never used in a country iv never been. And yet you have absolutely no evidence for your outlandish claim!

For six months, I’ve been going back and forth to Craighall to query the amount, Pearl reassured me countless times they had escalated the issue, and that it had been handed to Dion their back of shop guy. Who is the only one who can deal with their credit department and excalate the issue. Craighall Vodacom advised me to go to HQ in Midrand, however they couldn’t give me department nor a person to go see. After now having litterally wasted days of potential work time I was beyond reluctant to go waste 6 hours repeteding a story iv told 1 000 000 times to 1 000 000 Vodacom employes and been given 1 000 000 reference numbers for on the 1 000 000 calls iv made. Absolutely NOT A SINGLE ONE or person for that matter was prodctive or helpful in any way. Then comes February, and Vodacom completely suspended my phone. I cannot use my phone at all unless I’m in a WiFi Zone. This is when this became a serious issue to me, someone tried to break into my house the other night, and I couldn’t phone security or the police. I have a wife and child who were at risk because I didn’t have a working phone.

Eventually I got through to Diana Zimema at the Vodacom Solutions department, who told me I need to contact the Credit solution deparmtent. There I finally spoke to the first person in 7months and over a few hundred phone calls who seemed to know how their company works. Vuzi Manganye. He however informed me the issue had NEVER EVER been escalated! So Craighall and all the employess had simply **** to my face for weeks and weeks on end. This after telling me in person they had done so countless times. However Vuzi’s outcome was none different to what id already been told. He Vodacom has given you a credit and that he would look into the issue and phone me back. How dissapointing he started out so well yet never got back to be. Same as every other person Iv delt with in this company. Absolutely disgusting customor service.

I eventually got through to a Adolphus Sangwewie at the extensive collections department. Again two weeks passed by with empty promise of returning calls day after day and constatly refusing to give me a direct contact. Seems this prerequicet done practice with Vodacom. How ever when I finally get ahold of him, he was beyond rude and abrupt. Couldn’t have been less helpful if he tried. And finally said Vodacom has given me a credit and that all they prepared to do. I told Adolphus as iv have so many other employes I want evidence: where and how I used the data as well as they actual sms claim that since been detelted by vodacom; because I have evidence of my flights with Turkish Airlines as well as their sms staing im on the airline and connected to their wifi, I too have the intial data messages received from Vodacom on 09/10 August 2017. As well as my passport wich shows iv never been to norway.

Im asking emploring abolsutely everyone and anyone to share this. Espiciaaly if you or someone you know have been in the same situation. I also hope the 47 people who wrote last time will do so again. I want to expose Vodacom for the decetfull company they are.

This is completely unacceptable. Quite simply I was on a plane to Turkey, not Norway, and I have never been to Norway. I was connected to an ailinres wifi, my data was off. I have evidence to affirm alll the abopve. However, Vodacom refuses to provide evidence of the data usage or the recorded message.

How honest and foright do they look right now.

Vodacom for a miniscule amount of R2700 odd, you have thrown egg all over your own face. Tarnished your company name and reputation. And look like a dectfull company run by incompitent *****. In oppostion to a 15year loyal standing client, who has spend close to R1 000 000.00 over the duration of his contarct with you. Who never never once has faulted on a payment. SURELY admiting your mistake, voiding this claim, saving face and recifitying your long standing loyal paying customers claim would be way beyond the R2700.00. Even more so when you a listed company and are the size you are? Not much foresight NEVER mind customor care.