No follow-up on promotional products and no follow through on training customer care staff

After receiving a system-generated message, I had a query on the data attached to my mobile account. I was under the impression, that a specific data size was available, which has been for about two (2) years.

I check a few things with the chat-bot and on my phone before I speak to a consultant. A friendly young man answers the call, but I can hear he hasn't been dealing with customer care that long because it is still very scripted and not a flowing conversation. I have no problem with that, we all have to start somewhere. However, I know that companies rarely make sure their customer care staff is really looked after. They learn mostly by trial and error or just give up.

I am told that the data I thought I had was on a promotion that ended nearly 3 months ago. I asked a few questions and was referred to the sales department. How can Vodacom act so poorly as to not have a way for this young man to have a referral to their sales department or one of the millions of companies (marked as spam) that call so ceaselessly to sell you something?

I get called regularly about the other data contracts I use for business as a freelancer when there are new benefits or promotions. I ask, why is there no follow-up on the promotion that expired recently, connected to my mobile account?

I am more upset with Vodacom feeding their customer care staff to the wolves and the ill-mannered public than I am with them (all system-generated) not knowing and following up with another product item that I probably would have said yes to if it was to my benefit.

It is shocking that you leave your staff in customer care without being able to close a loop with a potential sale for yourself. I know exactly how the rest of the staff at HQ behave. I know how many times I had gone there as a consultant, only to have time, money and fuel wasted because they were so poorly disciplined. The customer care staff and the in-store staff are the important ones. You should train them properly and you should care.

I have been a long-time Vodacom client, but I have never been so disappointed in Vodacom like today.

I am less data, but worse off is, some young chap who really needs his customer care job, might be giving up on putting the daily bread on the table, because you don't care about your frontline.