Paying R900 for Nothing – Vodacom Ignored Me Completely”

I am 69 years old and have never experienced such poor treatment from a service provider. I signed up for a Vodacom contract in 2022. I was told I would pay around R300/month, but I ended up being charged R900/month for data I never asked for, never received, and never used.

In November 2022, I lost my phone. I went to the Vodacom shop in Mthatha (because I live in Lusikisiki and there's no store here), but they refused to help me because I had missed the 30-day claim period — even though I had been paying for insurance every month. On top of that, the staff were rude and dismissive.

Since then, I’ve kept paying, but I have:

No phone

No data

No way to cancel

And a contract that is already fully paid off

Every time I try to call Vodacom, they just refer me to TOBi, the chatbot, which is useless and never connects you to a real person.

Even my daughter called on my behalf, and an agent told her she couldn’t help cancel the data. I’ve been referred to ICASA and the National Consumer Commission because Vodacom refuses to take responsibility.

This is financial abuse of elderly people, and I warn others: Do not trust Vodacom. You’ll pay for services you never use, and when you need help, you’ll be ignored or pushed to a bot.

– Mavis Nomfundiso Nkomo