Phone blacklisted - lack of assistance

I bought a phone from a 3rd party, used the phone for 3 months, and then stopped working.<br> <br> Turned out that Vodacom blacklisted the device, as the 3rd party did not pay his account. I have been trying to get assistance from Vodacom, bad have been getting very poor service.<br> <br> I was told to get affidavit and submit it to Vodacom and then the *****/forensic team will look into it. Thus fur, I got an mail stating the reason why it has been blacklisted(which I stated on the affidavit), and that the service request was closed.<br> <br> I would really appreciate some assistance and understanding, as I have been bounced from department to department and no one can help. I have been a loyal customer for over 10 years and if this issue does not get resolved, I will change to another service provide.