Horrible customer service and product

I had recently lost my phone xiami redmi note 11 pro and I submitted insurance claim that was approved. I went to the Vodacom festival mall store to collect a new device without any clue which devices I qualified for. Assisted by a consultant named Kasilda, a few devices were presented and with every option that I chose, I was told it's not in stocks. Eventually there were 3 options they had in stock: Samsung A25 which I refused, Samsung A34 and Huawei nova Y72. I chose A34 which had quite a high betterment and Kasilda recommended the hauwei device became it had 0 betterment and excess affordable. With that I was hesitant expressing my concerns of my doubts with the specs possibly not meeting my expectations like bad camera quality and the Huawei software that is not user friendly as per my experience before. Kasilda still strongly recommended the device and even got huawei sales rep Xolani to come vouch for it. I eventually was convinced and took the device, which wasn't activated in the store and I had to take home for self activation because they were rushing to close the store and go home. I get home and the phone turns to be pure nonsense and I've been sold a dream. I take the phone back to the store the following day and the service I received was very bad with the staff sending me from one to another without actually addressing my concern. Instead Kasilda tries to fix the camera settings and install apps for me to make it easier for me to use the apps I'm accustomed to. They blamed the horribly poor quality of the pictures on the focus setting of the camera and poor lighting but after all attempts and tests with help via phone from Xolani, the pictures still turn out very poor. I made them aware that I called customer care prior to coming to the store and they tell me customer care people often give nonsense advice on matters they don't understand or know anything about. I request they call them from the store and they arrogantly tell me they do not have time to waste. Eventually I ask for the manager because of being passed around the consultants but no solution and I am told she is busy and therefore cannot come see me. Kaslida along with other consultants I forgot names of, recommend I get the device booked for OBF under false pretences with the hope that it passes testing and gets replaced, which I refused to do because there was no issue with the device qualifying it OBF. For the period that I am ignored and waiting I eventually decide to go home and was handed a copy of Ts and Cs that rendered useless so I left with the promise that I will escalate the matter. I get home, make numerous calls to the insurance customer care line, contract customer care line, I am still assured I can return the device for exchange or refund. I call the store and the manager, Sue, answers, I bring her up to speed and she blatantly emphasizes she is not taking back the device with an attitude and no care to what I am saying because it is my word against Kasilda's whom is off at the time of my call and because she as the manager was not part of the discussions the day I returned the device and goes on to say she was told I was in a hurry and therefore refused to wait for her to finish her meeting and come attend to me, which wasn't true. She hides behind some alleged documents I signed and that acceptance binds me to no exchange. She goes on to tell me a lot of information that was not communicated to me during the insurance claim process that was supposed to have been communicated then. I request a copy sent to me and the only document I receive is the insurance order that I signed not the alleged document that contained all the terms in black and white. I escalate to head office and I am told my complaint has been lodged but there's no communication confirming this. I follow up twice in a space of a few days and there's no way forward just more empty promises. Days later, now outside the cool off period, I call again for an update and I am directed to an investigator called Kuben rajagopaul whom I call and he listens to my story and agrees my reasons for requesting an exchange are valid. He promises to investigate and get back to me in a few days and requested I put in writing what I told him and forward the email from the store as well. which he doesn't. I call and follow up and he is shocked the store never called. He sounds to have forgotten my story as he asks what my complaint was again, sounds to have not read my email as I refer to some things I said there and he isn't fami**** with the information, only admits he forwarded to Sue the manager of the store and instructed her to sort this out. Tells me they said something about documents I signed which he requests from me as the store did not show him and claims he wasn't bothered because he knows the documents they mentioned by heart and only needed to confirm I signed. All this while it clearly sounds like this investigator never put any effort into investigating this matter as he keeps saying he went to the store but did not get their side of the story as he was there for other reasons and therefore cannot advise on the way forward. For hours I am back and forth with him and checking if the store will call but nothing. Eventually the store calls, I miss their calls but call back and Kasilda's on the line. Starts reading out to me OBF and warranty terms with a very nasty attitude and telling me to shut up and listen. I ask we add Kuben to the line and turns out his phone is now off. This is 4 weeks later. Still no breakthrough or solution and all that this investigator offers me is to get the store to apologize for how they handled the matter and their attitude and the run around and the misinformation but they can't take back the device. What? So it's my money down the drain? Who in their right mind would downgrade from a powerful device to such s**** that's even lower in value(price)? This is pure nonsense and I hate it. I have even discovered the sensitivity is bad, you click on one thing and it responds with something else. As for pictures it's heartbreaking. So the store targets customers without knowledge of these things to push sales of ******* devices and the manager deals with the backlash with support from this lazy/carefree investigator? Unfortunately I fell within the target market.

I am settling my contract and completely cutting ties with Vodacom and I strongly recommend that if you want to get good service with integrity and effort... NEVER EVER SET FOOT AT THE VODACOM FESTIVAL MALL STORE unless you have money to throw away. This device is the worst quality I have ever used in my life and thanks to the consultant that I trusted and thought to have best interest of customers at heart. It is the attitude to this mess for me and how they keep sending me around without a solution or valid reasons why they cannot grant my request. Their stories keep changing and so is their reasons and the manager Sue will not even engage me in this matter. I am very disappointed at vodacom for allowing such behavior form their staff. I am now stuck with a device I hate after I lost so much money getting it. This store seems to have such a reputation because I heard there has been other cases like this that went as far as customers involving lawsuit. STAY AWAY FROM VODACOM FESTIVAL MALL if you want quality and value for your money.