Misrepresentation, Bait Marketing and Unfair Conduct

I would like to lodge a complaint against Vodacom. I am an existing customer with Vodacom and currently have three cell phone contracts with them. I was looking for a more reliable home internet as the Telkom month to month Sim card I am currently using is not suited to my needs, as it is unreliable and I often work from home due to my position as Operations Manager and Ethics Officer at my place of work. I saw Vodacom had an offer online for a 600GB per month home router that came with a Playstation 5, for an approximate amount of R 870.00 per month on a 36 month contract. I decided that this was the contract I would take, as I am a single parent and wanted the Playstation 5 for my kids. I could have taken internet somewhere else, but opted for this package because I am an existing customer and because of the Playstation 5 specifically. I sent an online request on 31 March 2026 and was contacted by an Agent the next day, 1 April 2026. When I spoke with the Agent, she explained the package to me and advised me that they did not have stock of the Playstation 5 at the time of my call, but that they would order stock and that it would be delivered to my place of work, along with the router, within a period of two to three weeks and asked if I was happy to wait and to proceed. I advised that I was happy to wait the two to three week period and that I wanted to proceed. She took my details and ran the relevant checks and confirmed that I did qualify for the deal and met the relevant criteria and sold me the package. She further offered me an additional insurance related product at an additional cost, which I accepted. She then read me the terms and conditions, which I accepted. In my mind, this was a banding contractual agreement that both myself and Vodacom had entered into and I stopped looking for home internet, under the impression that I would receive the package in the stipulated two to three week period. I had not had any feedback on the matter and decided to contact Vodacom to check the delivery status of my package on 16 April 2026, whereupon I was advised that my order had been cancelled. I was shocked to hear this, as no one had contacted me to advise on any cancellation or issues. Had I not contacted Vodacom myself to follow up, when would I have been notified of this and how long would I have sat waiting for a package that was not going to arrive? I was more shocked to learn on later calls, that my order was only cancelled on 16 April 2026, when I made the call. I was told that they cancelled because they did not have stock. When I advised that I was explicitly told when purchasing the package, that there was no stock but that stock would be ordered, therefore that was the whole reason that I proceeded with the purchase, I was told that Vodacom had discontinued the offer. This upset me greatly, as the fact that stock could be ordered and that I was asked if I was happy to wait and proceed, which I agreed to do, directly influenced my decision to purchase. I have had several calls between myself and Vodacom since and each time the story changes slightly. I was eventually contacted by the Agent that made the sale to me, who told me that it didn’t matter what she said on the call/promised me on the call, Vodacom had the right to change terms and conditions as they saw fit, so her promised that stock could be ordered, was irrelevant. This does not sit well with me, as that promise was the deciding factor for me purchasing the package. I was explicit in the fact that I needed the internet package for work purposes. I was on another call told that their systems between their warehouses and Call Centres don’t always correlate with each other and on another call, I was told that the issue I am experiencing has happened to many other people. This is even more deeply concerning. I was called and told that there is nothing they can do because they will not be receiving stock, my options are to take only the router, or take the router with a Nintendo Switch. I do not want a Nintendo Switch. I want the Playstation 5 as this is better suited to my needs for my children. On another call I was told that the physical stores have stock of the Playstation 5 and that I could go in store to re-apply. I advised that I would be happy to do that, however I wanted the package at the same price that I had originally purchased it for, as the in-store options are more expensive. I was told that this could not happen. I also asked why they could not get stock from one of the stores and was told this was not possible. Eventually on 30 April 2026, I received a call from a gentlemen at Vodacom who told me that I should re-submit the order online and that I would be contacted on Monday, 4 May 2026, to confirm my order. Noone called me on 4 May 2026, I emailed with no response. I emailed again on 5 May 2026 with no response. I then called and was told that the order could not be processed due to no stock. The same gentleman called me later that afternoon and reiterated that there was nothing Vodacom could do, They would not be getting stock and that was that. I am extremely unhappy with this situation. I have again had to pay for an unreliable internet connection for another month and have been disappointed a second time because told to reapply and receive the same response. I feel that I entered into a binding contract with Vodacom and that they have handled this poorly and reneged on their end of the agreement. I am deeply concerned that Vodacom’s conduct in this matter constitutes multiple contraventions of the Consumer Protection Act:

1. Misrepresentation (Section 41) I re**** on a clear and material representation that the PlayStation 5 would be ordered and delivered within a specified timeframe. This representation directly influenced my decision to proceed with the agreement. 2. Bait Marketing (Section 30) The advertised PlayStation 5 bundle appears to have been used to induce the transaction, after which I was redirected to alternative products that I did not originally intend to purchase. 3. Unfair, Unreasonable and Unjust Conduct (Section 48)

• I was not informed of the cancellation of my order. • I waited 16 days in good faith with no communication. • I received inconsistent and contradictory explanations. • I was dismissed when raising concerns, with an assertion that Vodacom can override prior representations, which is not consistent with the CPA.

4. A valid agreement was concluded based on:

• Offer and acceptance • Successful credit approval • Acceptance of terms and conditions • Addition of insurance

I re**** on this agreement to my detriment, including making arrangements for my work-from-home requirements and personal commitments.

This situation has caused significant inconvenience and prejudice:

• I must now urgently secure alternative internet services, impacting my ability to work. • I re**** on this specific package offering for both professional and personal reasons, including my family.

In light of the above, I request that Vodacom provide a fair and reasonable remedy, specifically:

• Honour the original agreement by providing the PlayStation 5 bundle as agreed; OR • Provide a comparable or better package at the same agreed price; OR • Offer an alternative resolution that adequately compensates for the prejudice suffered.