Extremely bad, dissapointing service @ Vodacom

On the 9th of June my Mom walked into a Vodashop (Southern Centre, Bloemfontein), to upgrade on her existing Vodacom contract. My mom is a pensioner. She went to the store with her son. Her son left her with a consultant by the name of Anandi, and went home to collect his card to pay for the upgrade, as they were told they need to pay R 150 for the upgrade. My mom is 72 years old. She and Anandi started with the upgrade. Very little detail was discussed or explained to my mom. When she asked about different phones, Anandi answered that she should look at Samsung or Huawei. but she would not recommend Samsung as she has many complaints regarding Samsung phones. So it was the Huawei Y9 prime phone that was suggested and Anandi started with the paperwork. Everything went rather quick, and another guy Drikus opened the phone to check whether it was in a working condition. While doing this he was not standing at the desk where my mom was, although my mom could see, from a distance, that he opened the box and checked something. The phone was never opened and shown to my mom, and the screen turned on, or just given to her to hold and see if she likes the size, or colour or just the look of the phone. He closed the box and confirmed that the phone was working. Anandi told my mom that there is a little stick that you press into a hole, and then you insert the simcard. They never offered a transfer of contacts, or asked how big her current sim is and if a simswop should be necessary, nor if they could set the phone up for her. She signed the documentation and her son came into the shop to pay the R 150 upgrade fee, and they left. When asked, my mom did not know what the nature of her contract were- how much data or airtime or rand value she has on this contract, so she went back to the store at a later stage to confirm that. Her greatest need is data, and she was upset when she was told that she receives R 175 rand value every month, as she needed data! Only then was it explained to her, that she can transfer the rand value for a little airtime and data. (If the contract was explained to her properly, she would have raised the same concern, and they would have explained it to het there and then and she would have been at ease. She went home and tried to insert the simcard, but saw that she did not know how to, so she went to a friend for help. The friend showed her how to open the part where the sim should be inserted, and she tried to put in the simcard, but realized that she must have done something wrong, and decided to rather go back to the store the following day. When she arrived at the store the next day they sent the phone to their repair centre, which in turn sent it to Jhb. She was not given another simcard or asked if she would need one. She was without a phone. Over the following 3 days she went back to the store several times asking for her simcard. Anandi assured her that they are just waiting for the delivery guy to bring it to the store, and she offered to deliver it to her in person, as soon as they receive it, but nothing came of it. When on the 3rd day she insisted on getting her simcard and said she will wait in the shop till they have it, Anandi announced that the simcard was sent to JHB with the phone, and that they don't have it at their repair centre at the waterfront! She has been lying for 3 days to my mom's face and that was very upsetting for my mother! They also said that the phone was badly damaged and that it would cost R 2 900 to repair, and that my mom would be responsible to pay for the damage. On the 17th I contacted Drikus at the store and asked him if we can discuss this upgrade, because I am very unhappy about the whole situation and how it was handled. He said that he would need to talk to Anandi first and get al the info regarding the upgrade. I did not tell him that I knew that he was one of the people handling the upgrade and obviously already knew very well about this whole upgrade and the unhappiness surrounding it. I wanted to give him all the time he needed to get his facts straight. We agreed that he would phone me back the following day and that he would have all possible info regarding this upgrade available. The next day the 18th, Anandi phoned me back around 13h35. I asked her why Drikus was not phoning me back, seeing that he promised to do so very clearly. She stumbled over her words a bit, and then said that he is not in the shop currently. I explained my concern about everything regarding the way the upgrade was handled and the fact that they want to hold my mom responsible for damage to the phone. The damage to the phone was a direct consequence of the poor service associated with the upgrade, and that the client was not even given the very basic info, or shown any specs of the phone, asked about transfer of contacts or inserting the simcard for the client, especially because she is 72, and might not have a clue as to how to do it! When I asked her directly if she think it was enough to tell a 72 year old lady that there is a stick that you push into a hole and then you insert the sim, she said that she offered my Mom to help with the sim and the contacts, but that my mom rep**** that she cannot afford to pay for this service. At that point I told her that she has just shot herself in the foot with her answer, because if she did ask this question (which she did not), and my moms response was that she could not pay, then surely she still could have inserted the simcard, because there are no costs involved in inserting the simcard, the costs are for transfering the contacts, and setting up the phone. At this point she said that the client's son was also present and that he offered to set up the phone. ( A blatant lie - because nothing of the upgrade was ever discussed with him, as he was not present during the upgrade and only came in when everything was signed and done, to pay the R 150, and then he left. He also told me that he would never offer to do something like that as he would not know how to do it. His service provider does all of that for him every time he upgrades, and he walks out of the shop with a fully functional phone, at no extra costs!) At this point I got cross and said that they can cancel the contract. She explained that the client herself needs to call a call centre to cancel the contract. I asked her " So the client can come into your shop and sign a contract or upgrade, but when they want to cancel they must call a call centre - who wants to do that? Everyone knows how frustrating that is! She then offered to do a upgrade reversal, and I felt a bit of relief, but luckily I asked her if they do an upgrade reversal, what is going to happen to the damaged phone, and the R 2 900, and then she said that the client would still be responsible for the R 2900! If I did not ask this she was sure not going to make it clear to me, so I felt like she was trying to softsoap me and if I had excepted the upgrade reversal, heaven knows when they would have told me that it does not change a thing about the broken phone or the R 2900! I told her that before the end of the day I expect an email from her stating that they will do a upgrade reversal and that they will be writing of the cost of the broken phone, or who they are talking to, trying to organise just that. I received an e-mail from her just stating that they will do an upgrade reversal, and no comment whatsoever about the broken phone or the outstanding costs to fix it. 23 June I sent an email to the manageress of the store (Nicola Anderson Du Toit) who was on maternity leave, and I explained the above situation, and also mentioned my conversation over the telephone with Anandi. I mentioned the date and time of the call so that she could go listen to the recording of the conversation, as Anandi phoned me from their shop.) She said that she needed a bit more info on 3 or 4 points, and that she will talk to her staff as soon as the shop opens. I gladly provided the extra info on the 24th, and thanked her for her quick response. She rep**** on the 25th. She said that their calls from the shop was not recorded ( I find that hard to believe) She said that she had spoken to her personnel separately, and that she watched the video material available from the shop, and that the client's son WAS present during the upgrade (not possible, both are willing to get an affadavit to confirm what happened that day) and that he did offer to set up the phone, when Anadi offered to do it ( which she never did). She even went as far as to say that the client's son offered to set up the phone in front of both Drikus and Anandi! I was so shocked that I cried when I read her e-mail. It took me a few days to decide if I should bother to answer her e-mail. Eventually I send her a mail on the 5th of July, asking for the video footage that she claims to have seen, and telling her that her personnel are lying and covering for one another. The video material will prove that they are lying about the presence of the client's son and if they would lie about that, their word has been compromised, and therefore are obviously lying about the rest, and connot be trusted. That would indeed confirm poor service and a lack of info and basic upgrade procedure, which would make the client a victim, and Vodacom Southern Centre responsable for the damage to the phone. I requested both jobcards from Bfn Waterfront, as well as JHB repair centre,( only recieved the one from Bfn repair centre) the upgrade contract that the client signed, and that they wright off the cost of the broken phone, do an upgrade reversal, and allow the client to do the upgrade over, at another branch, where she would not have to deal with these people. On the 9th of July I send her a detailed e-mail. answering her e-mail of the 25th on every single point she made, just to be clear on what really happened. I received an email from Nicola Anderson du Toit, on the 9th of July only stating the following: 1st*That if I need the upgrade contract the client will have to request it herself ( She knows full well that the client has no access to e-mail, as she has no phone, and that she has no transport, so that would mean that the 72 year old client will have to walk to their shop, as she has done numerous times already, only to be **** to, and deeply upset, or **** to be a **** herself! She has had no contact with anyone since she upgraded, she had to go buy a cheep R 140 phone, just to be able to phone...)She can't Whatsapp or e-mail. I have told Nicola in one of my e-mails that I don't think they have any idea, or even feelings of remorse for the absolute trauma they caused this client, and are still causing her!) 2nd*That she will not comment on my e-mail as everything has already being discussed ( In her previous e-mail she mentions that neither she or I was present with the upgrade, so she has to go on the facts and what she seas. (Would "facts ' be the version of events told to her by her staff? That can hardly be called FACTS And as for the video material - I have not received any of it till this day...?) She did send me 2 screenshots taken from a phone and sircled the date very clearly - 24 June- ....the upgrade was done on the 9th of June! The screenshots does not confirm any one thing that we are arguing about, and is not relevant at all. 3rd* That if the client would want to confirm the size of the original simcard, now stuck in the phone, she will have to come and collect the phone. 4th* That in future she would only reply to a complaint from the client herself or her son. (Thus stating that she will not reply to any of my mails regarding this matter in future.) I am the only person following this up, and asking questions, and confronting them with this situation, thus preventing them from walking over a 72 year old lady and leaving her helpless and vulnerable. She has to pay them R 2900 for a phone of which she had no idea how to put the simcard in, and was never even offered the option of help. Then she is **** a **** to her face, and also **** to on several occasions by the staff of this shop. And the manageress NEVER, not once, contacts this client to hear her part of the story, but claims that she has the "facts" in this regard, and doesn't share so called video material that would solve this issue once and for all? Is it far fetched or unreasonable of me to conclude that she is lying as well? What am I to do? Again ...it's Vodacom, they think they are untouchable! THEY SHOULD NOT BE! This case needs to be made an example! I want to know who I can count on to get them to right off the cost of the broken phone, do a upgrade reversal, and allow this client to upgrade at another branch, as well as a written letter of apology (from the manageress and staff) for the lies, the poor service and the altogether horrible experience this client was exposed to at this shop. I can be contacted at **********. or @ *********** Regards, Adri de Klerk