I hope someone at Vodacom reads this.

I don't seem to be able to post a pic, but for the record I have photographically documented a call made from the Vodacom sim in question four hours before it was deleted (allegedly) for inactivity...

As far as I can see, Vodacom are in violation of their own terms of service here ... as a secondary phone it didn't get used often but the phone was used less than five hours before the deletion specifically to keep it going. so I would suggest some warning and clarity is required beyond " Service has not been used by you for a period in excess of 110 days " because I fulfilled those terms and I used the service (even if minimally)... I can actually prove that since I still have the phone logs (though allegedly no details can be found since the claim is that a deleted the sim results in a loss of data.. so how are they sure of the inactivity itself? HMMM?

More broadly speaking - how can we sort out the rights and wrongs of a situation when the first response is to delete all records of it... and again Vodacom I have the logs on the phones themselves so ... nice try).

To be fair their representative was quite nice, but that's only makes things worse... because it is this nice person's job to defend the indefensible, and while I do not want to berate an individual I am pretty damn mad at you Vodacom... the company is in the wrong and about as concerned about it a Patrick Bateman (I suspect).

I was told that I couldn't have my number back (it will be recycled despite my security worries), and that since my sim was already deleted the money was technically lost!

The representative said he would make an exception and try to get me some air time but that this was not official policy (it should be ... because otherwise the policy is barely concealed theft which to my mind can't be officially hand waved away because: we don't do things that way.

Remind me to use that logic if I am ever up in court for mugging: "I won't be giving you the money in the wallet I stole back because it just isn't policy" (again I am grateful for the representative's assistance, but as far as I am concerned he was only doing the basically decent thing and returning my money after I had been arbitrarily wiped from the system.

*** update*** money has been put on my other sim now I see... but that seems the very least the company could do and I still feel I must state the principle, not just for myself, but for others (I see online that I have not been the only one to have this sort of experience).

To restate my case:

1) A call was made = activity (what constituted enough? Unclear... even though I have repeatedly asked three different representatives of the company).

2) Money was on the sim and should be returned as a matter of general policy rather than kindness: it is not given at Vodacom's discretion - it is owed by any reasonable understanding of fair practice. If a bar owner closes his establishment does he just get to keep money from anyone with a positive tab?! (how many people don't make a fuss or accept that it is "policy" to lose their money? Utterly unacceptable).

3) in an age of OTP's and linked numbers it is startling to find that there is no recourse to a deletion that came without warning and, as far as I am concerned, no good explanation. (is there no duty of care? Or good Samaritan principle at play? I don't think I am exaggerating to say that this has the potential to really mess up people's lives... banking and online accounts ect.)

it seems bizarre that if money was required to keep the sim active, it couldn't be taken off of the positive balance, that was there, and that no warning or specifics were given as to what was needed to keep the sim in my name (and there is just no remedy after it was taken - I mean if the number is now in the pool: give it back! Not possible... Why?).

From where I stand, Vodacom has taken an arbitrary decision at my expense and is now weaponizing its own ineptitude is the iron clad excuse for doing so ("computer says no" say the people who set up the system in the first place, and of course we the individual consumers just have to eat that).

Once again I think the customer representative did well, they were patient and reasonable, but the policy underlying all this is anything but (dare I suggest that there wouldn't be a need to put out fires if the system itself didn't seem designed to produce friction).

I can't help seeing it as either greed and an exploitation of Vodacom's customers or a complete lack of foresight when it comes to this issue.

Hanlon's razor obliges me to accept the latter, but I am still appalled and less than happy at the prospect that this can happen and that nothing can be done to reverse it when it does (even when reaction is prompt and there is some question about the situation itself).

Off the top of my head... if a warning and a payment from the balance can't achieved (I can't imagine why) then how about having a limbo state for sim cards ... say a week where you can actually pitch up and say "I was using that" ... as opposed to irreversible elimination of the sim, user and their balance!

Rant far from over but I'll end this here.