Complaint Regarding Repeated Device Faults and Vodacom’s Failure to Provide a Lasting Resolution

I am lodging this formal complaint regarding the unacceptable handling of my faulty device and the repeated failure by Vodacom to resolve a well-documented issue.

Despite paying exorbitant monthly instalments for this device, I have been left with a phone that has consistently failed me. The matter has been logged and escalated several times, with multiple bookings (at least four separate incidents) where the same fault was raised and yet never resolved adequately. Each time, temporary “bandages” were app**** rather than a lasting solution. This history is well-known to Vodacom, yet the same defective device continues to be returned to me without any meaningful resolution.

Most recently, the phone was booked into the Advanced Repair Centre (ARC) under Job No. ***7. Instead of resolving the matter, Vodacom has now returned the device and is attempting to shift responsibility onto my insurance. This is wholly unacceptable given the evident history of recurring faults on this model and Vodacom’s knowledge of the matter.

I wish to remind Vodacom of its obligations under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), specifically: - Section 55: Consumers are entitled to receive goods that are of good quality, free of defects, and reasonably durable.

Vodacom’s insistence on passing the matter to my insurance is a direct violation of these provisions. This is not an insurance matter – it is a faulty device that Vodacom supp****, and Vodacom must take accountability.

I therefore demand the following: 1. That Vodacom immediately engage with the manufacturer to either replace the device with a new unit of equal or 2. Provide me with a credit against the contract so that I am not left paying for a defective product.

Should Vodacom fail to resolve this matter promptly, I will have no alternative but to escalate the complaint to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO) and the National Consumer Commission (NCC) for investigation under the CPA.

I trust Vodacom will take this matter with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.