Misleading Contract Upgrade Without Consent

I formally lodged a complaint regarding a recent experience with one of your agents which I believe constitutes misleading conduct.

On Saturday, 26 July 2025 at 12h00, I received a telephone call from a Vodacom representative who offered me what was described as a beneficial deal from the number +***5. I unfortunately did not take down his name. I was offered a lowered monthly rate on my contract, which excludes the device installments. Instead of paying approx. R2500 (incl. device), I would pay a contract subscription of approx R1800 (incl device). i.e. changing my airtime and data to a 24 month period for approx R1200 and the device installment would be ongoing as it would have on my 36 month initial contract. It was explained that Vodacom is currently restructuring their RED VIP packages for all old RED customers. I asked him if this would in any event affect me negatively and he assured me that it would not and that any "saving is always supposed to be welcome".

Further to this, and after making it very clear that I did not want to upgrade the 0*****3655 number as my son would be taking ownership of this contract upon expiry, the consultant insisted on lowering the monthly contract fee to R379 for "vetting purposes", assuring me that when my son takes ownership of his contract, he would still be able to upgrade and get a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (which he wants) and change the package if he wanted to, after 3 months.

I repeatedly asked him if this was really possible and he stated yes. So I took the offer and was told I had 14 days to review the documents he would send via email, and if not happy, I could contact Vodacom to amend or cancel.

So, on Sunday when I still did not receive the email, I phoned Vodacom Customer Care and was informed that there is an upgrade in process for 0*****3566 and no changes to my contract (0*****3315). I asked the lady if my son's number would still be able to be upgraded after he takes ownership and she said no, because this is the upgrade being done. I immediately requested her to cancel the upgrade, which she did via email to the relevant department.

I consider this behavior deceptive, especially as a loyal Vodacom customer for 10 years +, I find this conduct extremely disappointing and unacceptable. I was deliberately misled, and the offer I was promised has not been delivered. This is a serious violation of the Consumer Protection Act, which prohibits deceptive marketing and ensures that consumers receive full disclosure before entering agreements. To Vodacom - I do not want your automated response as with all the other complaints reported on HelloPeter.