Least customer-friendly Network

<p>This review is the sum total of 14 months worth of issues with Vodacom and is riddled with idiocy, incompetence, unreasonable disensetivising mechanisms and plain callousness.</p> <p> </p> <p>14 months ago I decided to get a new phone, and decided to switch from prepaid to contract. I got a phone on a Red Advantage Package that would cost me roughly R1000 a month. First, the idiot that dealt with the contract, neglected to advise me with respect to the transfer of R800 of airtime and about 2GB of data I had on my prepaid account, which resulted in a significant financial loss.</p> <p> </p> <p>Secondly, no documents (copy of contract) or any other papers were given to me. I have been in to the Vodacom store in Mooirivier Mall, Potchefstroom twice to request copies of those papers. I am yet to receive it.</p> <p> </p> <p>I have also been in to the store thrice to discuss the matter of my airtime and data (R1100) being lost as a result of their negligence. A lot of absent managers and a whole lot more promises to resolve the matter were thrown at me, still to this date - not a sinlge word on the resolution of my complaints and queries.</p> <p> </p> <p>In addition to all of this, I ran up monthly bills in excess of R3000, which I could not understand. It then appeared that I was billed out of bundle rates for data that I use on my seperate data plan, meaning that I paid more than twice for the same data.</p> <p> </p> <p>Then when I finally give up and decide to become complacent and just wait out the contract period of 24 months, my phone gets ****** while I am on holiday in Cape Town. I have visited the V&A Waterfront Vodacom store and Cavendish Square Vodacom Shop daily for 6 days in a row just to get my cell number to work again. And, inbetween these visits, I had made tonnes of phone calls to the call centre and I swear the incompetence I was met with was unassuming. It took 2 minutes to blacklist my ****** phone, but six days to unlock my number again and get a sim swop.</p> <p> </p> <p>To complicate matters even more, nobody at call centres or vodacom shops can assist you over a weekend if it is the end of the month and your payment (Debit order) is scheduled to go off on the Monday, because your account is in arreas - because it was not paid on the first of the month, which happened to be on a Sunday.</p> <p> </p> <p>To really bring my brain anuerysm (if had to have one) close to a violent rupture, they could not process my insurance claim - it took them a month to resolve the matter. I ended up buying a new phone out of pocket and then claiming the money back from them eventually.</p> <p> </p> <p>So, now after all this trouble and turmoil I decide to cancel my contract prematurely (10 months left). So here I am eagerly awaiting the e-mail, just to find my blood boiling and my coranaries clogging up when Vodacom wants me to pay them just over R10 000 to cancel my contract. And, to cancel my data plan with them I am expected to pay an aditional R2000. </p> <p> </p> <p>So, this is Vodacom's definition of "reasonable" as stated in their client agreements. They charge you 75% of the remaining contractual obligation. 75% of Services that you will not use or have access to. I can understand wanting to disincentivising premature cancellations and protecting the patrimonial interests of your company, but this is ridiculous. This is **************** and I think it is ********* business practise. In a tight economy they (Vodacom) want to sit back and get R12 000 from me for doing absolutely nothing.</p> <p> </p> <p>If I did not suffer as much turmoil and frustration with their services and the manner in which this corporation deals with its clients, I would not be inclined to cancel my contract with them.</p> <p> </p> <p>Additionally, their network is really not the greatest where I am from. I have one spot in my house that has coverage on the Vodacom Network. So, really I have not inclination to struggle more.</p> <p> </p> <p>I find it absolutely abominable that hardworking people in South Africa should suffer such economic and financial abuse and ******* from large corporations.</p>