Poor Vodacom Signal and Even Poorer Customer Service

I recently moved to a new property and realised immediately that the Vodacom signal was very poor/almost non existent in my new property. From personal experiences, less than 12 months ago, I know that Vodacom install signal boosters to improve the signal at a property if they find that the signal is indeed poor. I called Vodacom and spoke to the network team after logging a fault with the network department. Eventually someone from the Vodacom Network team called me and confirmed that they were aware that the signal was almost non existent at my property and then informed me that Vodacom no longer supply these signal booster but that they are available for me to purchase at Vodaworld in Midrand. I enquired as to why I need to purchase this signal booster and cover the cost to improve my signal and to actually receive the service I pay for every month. I was told that this was simply how it was and that Vodacom no longer supply these boosters anymore and that the customer is expected to fork out the money to improve the signal to actually receive a service that they pay for. My other alternatives were to put on Wifi Calling which I tried for over 1 week and it was terrible. My phone calls kept cutting out constantly or the calls were so delayed by voice. The other option was to simply wait until a new signal tower was built and erected in my area. I was told that this can take several years to get approval for a signal tower to be erected in an area. So I would essentially have to wait without signal for an indefinite period of time before this tower is maybe erected one day. The other option was to buy the signal booster myself.

I was reluctant to spend my own money for this signal booster but after having so many calls dropped or missed I eventually decided I would find out more about the signal boosters and cover the cost myself. I found out from Vodacom that the cost of these signal boosters range between R3000 and R10 000. BETWEEN THREE THOUSAND RAND AND TEN THOUSAND RAND?!?!? Vodacom expect me to pay between R3000 and R10 000 for this signal booster to improve their dreadful service that I pay a ton of money for already every single month?! How is it my responsibility to improve the signal that they are supposed to provide me with?

The other option that I was given was to cancel all of my Vodacom contracts. I have 6 Vodacom contracts in my household amounting to R3000-R5000 in total every month. I was told that they would cancel all the contracts, after informing them that the CPA requires that they supply me with the service that I pay for, and they cannot provide that service to me. Vodacom's solution to this is for me to cancel my contracts and look at another service provider. I have had my Vodacom cellphone contract for nearly 18 years and spend between R3000-R5000 per month, every month, on my Vodacom contract and they are not prepared to install a signal booster at my new property, to improve their signal, which will cost them R3000, which is a tiny drop in the ocean for Vodacom. This is even more difficult to believe as less than 12 months ago they installed a signal booster, FOR FREE, no questions asked, at a family members property who had terrible Vodacom signal. Vodacom can only tell me that they don't do this anymore.

It would probably cost Vodacom less than 2 months of my Vodacom contracts to make up that R3000 to install the signal booster and keep me as a customer for another 18 + years spending between R3000-R5000 per month but instead they are very willingly and happy for me to cancel all of my Vodacom contracts and move to another service provider. With this kind of attitude from Vodacom, they would have no customers left.

I think it is disgusting that Vodacom are not prepared to install a signal booster at my new property, which they were prepared to do several months ago, and expect ME to pay R3000-R10000 to improve THEIR poor signal and their only other solutions is to cancel all of my Vodacom contracts and to so easily and swiftly say goodbye to a loyal customer of 18 years, with 6 Vodacom contracts, spending R3000-R5000 per month on Vodacom contracts.

There is a VERY simple solution to this. Vodacom pay for the signal booster, as they used to do several months ago, and they will make up this money from me within 1 or 2 months and keep me on as a customer for another 18+ years.