Formal Complaint: Unfair Handling of Lost Phone Claim (Vodacom & Makro)

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding the lack of adequate communication and service I have received after losing my iPhone 14, which I acquired less than two months ago through a contract facilitated by Vodacom and Makro.

During the process of obtaining the contract, I was never offered or informed about the option to take out insurance for the phone. Given that this was a new package, I reasonably assumed insurance was included as part of the offering, as is often customary for such agreements. Unfortunately, I only came to learn that no insurance had been included after the loss of the device.

Upon reporting the loss, I was informed that, since the phone was not insured, Vodacom and Makro cannot assist in replacing the device. I find this unacceptable for the following reasons:

Lack of Communication: At no point during the contract process was I informed that insurance was not included or offered the option to add it. This critical oversight has left me unprotected and at a significant loss.

Failure to Fulfill Duty of Care: As service providers, both Vodacom and Makro have a duty to ensure that customers are fully informed about their agreements, including the availability and necessity of insurance, especially for high-value items like smartphones.

Customer Disadvantage: The current stance taken by both parties leaves me unfairly penalized for a gap in your process that could have easily been addressed during the initiation of the contract.