Give My Money Back! Set Me Free Of You!

<p>Terrible Day, (I’d say Good Day, but I’d clearly had a Terrible Experience with Vodacom)</p> <p> </p> <p>I have officially reached my absolute end with Vodacom. I am so sick and tired of phoning in every day of the week every week since August 2015. Constantly being told a different story by each person I come into contact with and constantly having to tell me story to each person OVER and OVER again. I really have better things to do with my time! I have now decided to take it further as I am literally unable to contact anyone I need to contact via any data connection. I have lost so much unnecessary data because of signal being absolutely unacceptable. </p> <p> </p> <p>I phoned in August 2015 and reported that there is no signal in my area, Craigieburn in the Umkomaas region in KZN. They gave me a reference number (one of countless ones that I honestly can’t remember). The Solutions Department phoned me back after 2 weeks of investigation. An Afrikaans gentle man phoned me from the solutions department and told me that the radio planners got back to him and stated that there is insufficient signal in the area and that if I couldn’t wait 6 months for a tower to be established in the area, that I could opt out of my Top Up 200 contract at NO CANCELLATION fee! I confirmed this with him and he repeated that I wouldn’t need to pay anything in. I would just need to phone in and explain the story and they could cancel the contract at no cancellation fee due to the signal being proven inadequate. I gave it a month or two and phoned in again. This time to cancel as I couldn’t handle not being able to run my business properly without data connection signal. Clients would complain that they get my messages too late sometimes 2 days later. Vodacom said they would investigate that what I was saying was true or not. I waited and waited. January I phoned again. This time very upset as I still never get a word back from Vodacom. They had smsed me this particular day in January stating that case (bla bla bla with reference: can’t remember) was closed. It was most certainly not closed! I then had to explain my entire story for the second time. I was told that it would be investigated AGAIN. Why would it need to be done again? I want out of this network as soon as possible as its affecting my business. My only source of income. </p> <p> </p> <p>I then wait hoping to get a call again but nothing absolutely nothing comes from Vodacom. I then carry on living in the Dark Ages with no signal and having to travel out of town to connect on my phone daily. What a waste of money on fuel and car maintenance expenses. I kept paying via eft the end of the month to Vodacom R308.50 as my Bill was always amounted to be on the Top Up 200 Contract. I paid the 26 February 2017 the usually R308.50. I then check the 1 March 2017 for my usual R200 airtime that comes into my phone on this contract and there wasn’t R200. I then phoned Vodacom. They only then inform me that I have been changed to prepaid in January. I never received a call or a sms, absolutely nothing to inform me of the changeover. I request them to refund back my R308.50 that I paid in on the 26th February 2017 as I never got my airtime and I do believe that if I’m on prepaid that money isn’t contract payment, it clearly should be refund back to me. I end up going from department to department call after call. 2 hours on the one day. Landed up crying because they suddenly also decide to inform me that I owe R6000 towards my contract. Endless crying I get back to the solutions department after telling my story too many times over. I was then given the Ref: 1- ********** 434649 by a gentleman that told me not to cry, that accounts department wasn’t updated on their side of the system. I was also told by the same gentleman that I wouldn’t have been changed to prepaid if the R6000 hadn’t already been written off. He calmed my crying when he told me I didn’t owe anything and that a refund would be processed provided that I email my bank statement to ********** for a refund to my account. I felt at ease and sent through the documents a few days later after printing the statement at the atm. </p> <p> </p> <p>I then didn’t receive my refund and I waited a month. I then phoned every day of the week since 24 March 2017. Of which I was told different stories. I was told I still owe money. But I shouldn’t be as I was told I wouldn’t pay a cancellation fee if I opted out due to there being a proven signal problem in the area. I was told that it would be investigated. Every call had a new investigation which meant nobody was actually logging anything that was happening on any of the calls. </p> <p> </p> <p>I am still struggling with signal. I was told latest that I owe R6000 and that I, and I quote, “I shouldn’t believe that I don’t owe anything as it was premature cancellation”. But it was a cancellation I was told I could do due to no signal by a solutions department employee. How am I on prepaid without them giving me facts! I want my refund and I most certainly want that R6000 written off as I was promised by the gentleman that gave me the reference number: 1- ********** 434649.</p> <p> </p> <p>I am absolutely devastated as I can’t change networks to cell c (my husband has cell c and signal is great in the area), because I have R6000 black listing APPARENTLY and because I am still waiting on Vodacom to refund me because if I change over, the free call, which is costing my time and business, will cost me more phoning from another network.</p> <p> </p> <p>Absolutely Disgusted in the Service from Vodacom.</p> <p>Charmain Dunn</p>