Misconduct and Potential POPIA Breach by Vodacom Bayside Consultant***

My son, who is on the autism spectrum and is employed, visited Vodacom Bayside Mall on several occasions after seeing an advert in your brochure offering an Xbox on a 36-month contract. He app**** for the offer but was advised by Monique that he first needed to obtain a cellphone contract. He then app**** and was approved for an Honor device; however, he was not satisfied with that option and contacted his mother. She informed him that she would accompany him to the store on Saturday, 19 October, and I decided to join them.

Upon arrival, we informed a staff member that we were there to see Monique, as my son is her client. We waited for more than half an hour while she assisted other customers. During this time, Monique did not once approach or acknowledge us to indicate that she would assist us shortly. When she eventually completed her previous consultation, she continued with paperwork, ignoring us.

A new customer then entered the store, and another consultant advised Monique that we had been waiting. She responded that the new client had an appointment. We were surprised, as this was not communicated to us, nor is it standard practice to make appointments at a retail branch.

Monique eventually approached us, but instead of greeting or introducing herself, she immediately stated that my son had been declined for affordability reasons. Before my wife could respond, Monique went on to say that my wife had also been declined, even though my wife did not apply for any contract and already holds an active Vodacom contract.

This raises serious concerns, as Monique had no authority or consent to perform any credit check on my wife’s name. This constitutes a potential breach of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and a clear violation of privacy. Furthermore, Monique made these statements loudly in a public area of the store, causing unnecessary embarrassment and distress.

Shortly after we left, my son showed me an SMS confirming that his application had, in fact, been approved. I returned to the store to clarify this, and Monique’s response was dismissive and inappropriate. When informed that my son was waiting outside as he finds confrontation overwhelming, she remarked, “Why is he running away?”, which was insensitive and unprofessional.

This entire interaction was handled with a complete lack of professionalism, empathy, and respect. The matter has caused significant emotional distress to my family and reflects poorly on Vodacom’s standards of service and data protection compliance.

She should not handeling customers!!