Poor Service at Vodacom Westwood Branch

On Sunday the 28th of January 2024, I had the worst experience from the vodacom Westwood branch.

It took almost 2 hours just to complete a simple e-sim registration due to poor customer service.

However I should note that one of the staff, Kaylan the Technician, had superb customer service and tried his utmost best to assist me even with the limitations of his *********** colleagues.

On the 25th I had paid for an e-sim registration at the vodacom Westwood branch, the consultant failed to mention that I have limited time to register the QR code before it expires. On the 28th is when I attempted to scan the QR code to which I received an error message, I then called customer service for assistance with the registration to which I was told that they were meant to complete the registration of my e-sim instore before I even left.

I immediately drove to the Westwood branch to which I found 4 staff on floor being the manager, 2 consultants and the technician. The manager was assisting a customer and the 2 consultants were assisting a single customer so I patiently waited. Noticing this the technician, Kaylan, attended to me in an attempt to assist, I explained my predicament to him and he then proceeded to try and register my e-sim voucher. When coming across the same error I had encountered he then explained to me that one of the consultants would have to assist me in getting a new voucher as he does not have access to the system.

I then patiently waited my turn. When the consultant, Marcel, freed up he called the family after me as the ticketing system was not working, thinking this to be a simple mistake I immediately intervened and explained that I was next as I arrived prior and have been waiting. When I tried to explain my predicament I was hastily dismissed and told that there is nothing he can do without the manager permission who was seated in the desk next to him, and he then proceeded to assist the family that was after me.

Left unattended I went back to the technician who then went to ask the manager to assist me as soon as he was done with his customer, I then patiently waited again. After the manager was done he came to see what was the issue to which then he explained that the QR code had expired and I need a new one. However he refused to generate a new voucher, telling the technician to go do it, the technician tried to explain that he doesn't have access to the system to which he was told to figure it out and the manager went on to assist the next group of customers.

With instruction from Marcel, the technician was able to generate a new voucher for me however I was told that I have to pay for this voucher again. I calmly explained that I was not told about the expiration of the voucher and therefore not at fault and the manager simply told me that I must come back tomorrow then so I may speak to the consultant that made the sale to me. I explained that I am unable to return tomorrow as the trip would be impractical for me to which the manager said then there's nothing he can do. Frustrated and unwilling to make the 30km round trip for the third time to the same store, I was forced to make the purchase again.

Kaylan, who was assisting me at the time then tried to register the e-sim to which he then discovered that the sim needed to be rica'd again. With the consultants and the manager busy with their 3rd/4th group of customers each since my arrival they were unable/unwilling to assist. So again I had to wait for one of the consultants to free up so that they may Rica my e-sim for the sim swap.

When Marcel was done with his customer, Kaylan then ensured that he does not take another customer without first completing my Rica process, afterwhich Kaylan proceeded to successfully register my e-sim and sincerely apologized for the gross treatment I had experienced at the Vodacom Westwood branch.

If this is the standard to which Vodacom branches are held then it is surely disappointing. In all honesty it is because of Kaylan, the Technician, that vodacom has retained a customer in me.

I submitted my complaint via the customer service email and received no response. I then forwarded my complaint via social media platforms and was simply told that this is an instore query so I have to speak to the store manager, I explained that the store manager was present and is part of my complaint hence I am seeking to escalate the matter to which the response was simply that there's nothing they can do.