Formal Complaint – Repeated Order Cancellations and Poor Service on Online Upgrade (Order No: ***)

I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with the service I have received regarding an attempted online upgrade with Vodacom.

On Friday, 30 May 2025, I visited the Vodacom online store to explore laptop upgrade deals. I found a suitable offer and contacted the online sales department. The agent I spoke to was unable to assist and referred me to complete the upgrade online instead.

Shortly thereafter, I completed the process and received a confirmation email stating:

Congratulations on your upgrade! Order Number: ***

Assuming everything was in order, I patiently waited for delivery. However, two weeks later, I contacted the sales team and was informed that the system had cancelled my order – with no reason provided. At no point was I notified of this cancellation.

I was then assisted by a sales agent who processed a second upgrade, and I received all contract confirmations once again. Still, no delivery took place, and after another two weeks, I followed up. Once again, I was told by a consultant – and later a team leader named Joey – that the system cancelled the order again without explanation.

Joey transferred me to online sales, where I spoke to Denise, who then processed a third upgrade. She kept in touch and informed me that they were awaiting confirmation from the distribution centre.

On Wednesday, 18 June 2025, I received another call from a consultant stating, yet again, that the order was cancelled. This repeated failure understandably left me frustrated, and I regretfully admit to losing my temper during that call. I sincerely apologise to the consultant who bore the brunt of my frustration.

This experience has been not only time-consuming but incredibly disheartening. I feel that Vodacom may be engaging in misleading advertising practices by offering online deals that cannot or will not be fulfilled. From a consumer perspective, this feels like deception and misrepresentation – luring customers into applying for upgrades that are consistently cancelled without any explanation.

I will be escalating this matter further by filing a formal complaint with the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO).

I expect a formal response from Vodacom explaining:

Why my upgrade orders were repeatedly cancelled;

Why no proactive communication was made regarding cancellations;

What will be done to resolve this and compensate for the inconvenience caused.

Kindly treat this as urgent.

Sincerely, V Naidoo ***