POOR SERVICE

Hello Peter

I refer to various telephone conversations between my husband and members of Vodacom regarding the arrears on my account. During these conversations my husband was informed that my cell phone number as well as the numbers of my kids’ cell phones were deleted and that the outstanding balance which was supposed to be around R17 000 (max) is now R34 566 (I don’t know where they got this from). This came as a shock to me as I have been a loyal Vodacom customer for many years. Due to the fact that the aforementioned cell phone numbers were deleted, Vodacom was unable to contact me and therefore I gave my husband Power of Attorney to communicate with them on my behalf.

Like many other people, the devastating consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, had a disruptive effect on my personal life and also on my financial situation. The compulsory lock down period as well as all the restrictions as a result thereof, office closures, loss of income etc. caused long payment delays which reflected very negatively on our family income.

Due to the fact that the problem couldn’t be solved via telephone, I wrote a letter to Vodacom as well to inform them that our financial situation has since improved to such an extent that I am now in a position to pay the arrears on the account and that I would really appreciate it if they can just reinstate the services of our cell phones after payment. We have two school going children, one in his final year at school and he is also part of the school’s leadership team and this team also communicate on a regular basis via WhatsApp and therefore, he missed some of the conversations as well. With the current Covid situation, the kids are largely dependent on remote education. Contact between the school and the parents are of vital importance under these circumstances. Without the use of our cell phones, communication becomes extremely difficult.

Up until now, I have no response – not via email or via telephone. In most cases they said they will phone back, but they never do.

It will be highly appreciated if you can assist me in this regard.