Shocking customer service from Vodacom

<p>In summary, I added a new contract for my son to my account (now 3 numbers on my account) last year in the October time-frame and after recently doing my own recent audit of the very confusing monthly invoices Vodacom send me I find that they activated the wrong contract and are charging me more than the stated VAT-inclusive amount on my contract copy.</p> <p>I personally visited the Blue Route Vodacom branch to discuss this with a customer service representative a few weeks ago. The Service representative (T****a Mponopono) agreed that Blue Route had made a mistake with my contract activation for my son, and that he would get Vodacom to see me right and refund any monies owing to me.</p> <p>On 18 June Vodacom sent me an email saying that “<em>Vodacom is working on wavering the migration fee of R1083 so that your contract can go down to what you signed for”</em></p> <p>(see email trail below)</p> <p> </p> <p>Now Vodacom have back-tracked and are telling me that theycan't help me, and are basically saying that Vodacom is blaming me the customer for a mistake that Vodacom has made.</p> <p>No decent reputable customer service organization in the world would blame a customer for their own mistake.</p> <p> I am now escalating this email thread and I will not rest until I am treated respectfully and fairly as a Vodacom customer.</p> <p> </p> <p>Email trail below refers</p> <p> </p> <p>From: T****a Mponopono(VD) ********** <br /> Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2017 1:59 PM<br /> To: Hallauer, Mike ********** /> Subject: Re: Vodacom Queries - ********** </p> <p> </p> <p>Good day,</p> <p> </p> <p>We finally received feedback today. The request for your credit was declined. Vodacom cannot reverse the activation as activation reversals can only be done within the first 30 days of the contract and it has been 8 months since then. Our hands are tied as there is no entity that I know that can waiver the migration fee and credit your account this long into your contract.</p> <p> </p> <p>All the other queries have been resolved as per communication from the Vodacom and the changes will take effect in the 1st week of the following month.</p> <p> </p> <p>Regards,</p> <p> </p> <p>T****a</p> <p><br />From: "Mike Hallauer" ********** /> To: "T****a Mponopono, VD" ********** /> Sent: Thursday, 22 June, 2017 12:20:12<br /> Subject: RE: Vodacom Queries - ********** </p> <p> </p> <p>Hi T****a,</p> <p> </p> <p>Please note that Vodacom must not think they can get away with saying that this contract query comes too late for them to do anything about it.</p> <p>I have 3 cellphone accounts linked to my bill and the invoices that Vodacom has sent me are not consolidated. I mentioned the invoicing problem to you in the meeting last month and discussed how difficult it is for me review the various invoices sent to me and I requested a proper summary invoice summarizing all 3 accounts.</p> <p>I also assumed (incorrectly it seems) that Vodacom were billing me for the agreed contract amounts (VAT inclusive).</p> <p> </p> <p>Let me be quite clear on my expectations here:</p> <p> </p> <p>You communicated to me that Vodacom would resolve the contract activation error and refund any amounts due to me.</p> <p>I expect you to honor that commitment ASAP.</p> <p>I expect you to:</p> <p> </p> <p>1. Migrate the contract to the actual contract that was signed for and for the monthly VAT inclusive amount indicated on the contract that I signed. Any contract migration fee must be waived.</p> <p>2. Refund me for amounts incorrectly charged to me since contract activation.</p> <p> </p> <p>I request an acceptable response to this by end of today, failing which I will personally escalate this email to upper Vodacom management and request a personnel capability review of the Blue Route branch.</p> <p> </p> <p>Regards,</p> <p>Mike Hallauer</p> <p>(Cell: ********** )</p> <p> </p> <p>From: Hallauer, Mike <br /> Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2017 9:33 AM<br /> To: T****a Mponopono(VD) ********** /> Subject: RE: Vodacom Queries<br /> Importance: High</p> <p> </p> <p>Hi T****a,</p> <p> </p> <p>It is now nearly a month since I came into BlueRoute Vodacom and discussed these problems on my account with you, including the incorrect activation of my son’s contract in November last year.</p> <p>I don’t think it is acceptable for Vodacom to drag out the process to correct the contract activation problem.</p> <p>It should be resolved immediately and I should be credited with the amounts that have been charged to me incorrectly each month since November last year when the contract was activated.</p> <p>I am prepared to escalate this myself to Vodacom management if necessary.</p> <p>Please advise whether this problem has been escalated to management, and if not whether you want me to be further inconvenienced by having to escalate the matter myself.</p> <p>Please also provide an update on this by end of tomorrow (Friday 23rd June) on when and how the incorrect contract activation will be resolved.</p> <p> </p> <p>Thank you,</p> <p>Mike Hallauer</p> <p> </p> <p>From: Hallauer, Mike <br /> Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2017 11:51 AM<br /> To: T****a Mponopono(VD) ********** /> Subject: Re: Vodacom Queries</p> <p> </p> <p>Hi T****a,</p> <p> </p> <p>Thanks for the update, but in all honesty Vodacom should not be making such a meal of this because it is not my mistake. </p> <p>They should just make it right immediately if customer satisfaction and service was important thing to them. </p> <p>Please feel free to pass this on to Vodacom management. </p> <p> </p> <p>Regards</p> <p>Mike Hallauer</p> <p>Solutions Architect, South Africa</p> <p>(084) ********** </p> <p><br /> On 18 Jun 2017, at 11:46 AM, T****a Mponopono(VD) ********** wrote:</p> <p>Good Morning,</p> <p> </p> <p>Vodacom is working on wavering the migration fee of R1083 so that your contract can go down to what you signed for. Whenever you migrate from a big package to a smaller package you get levied a migration fee. They're working on resolving that by the end of the month so that you don't get overcharged again in July.</p> <p> </p> <p>Regards,</p> <p> </p> <p>T****a</p> <p><br />From:</p> <p>"T****a Mponopono, VD" ********** /> To: "Mike Hallauer" ********** /> Sent: Thursday, 15 June, 2017 10:44:01<br /> Subject: Re: Vodacom Queries </p> <p>Good morning,</p> <p> </p> <p>I am still awaiting feedback with the activation query. All of the other queries have been resolved and your account has been credited accordingly. </p> <p> </p> <p>The activation query is being handled by our FSC. I've just sent him an email requesting some sort of feedback.</p> <p> </p> <p>Regards,</p> <p> </p> <p>T****a</p> <p> </p> <p><br />From: "Hallauer, Mike" ********** /> To: "T****a Mponopono, VD" ********** /> Sent: Wednesday, 14 June, 2017 08:21:19<br /> Subject: RE: Vodacom Queries</p> <p> </p> <p>Hi T****a,</p> <p> </p> <p>Please advise what Vodacom will be doing to correct the problem with the incorrect contract activation.</p> <p>Also please advise when I can expect a refund for the data double-charge.</p> <p> </p> <p>Thanks,</p> <p>Mike Hallauer<br /> (Cell: ********** )</p> <p>From: "T****a Mponopono(VD)" ********** /> Date: 09 June 2017 at 3:12:55 PM SAST<br /> To: ********** /> Subject: Re: Vodacom Queries</p> <p>Good day,</p> <p> </p> <p>2 of the 3 queries that I logged for you have been logged. Going forward you will receive all your invoices on the updated email address. Secondly, a credit has been approved for the over-charge of R381.76 for the additional Smart S+ line rental so your next debit will be R381.76 less. The error has also amended and will no longer pop up on your invoices. </p> <p> </p> <p><br /> <br /> </p> <p>The only requests that are still pending are the double-charge for data and our store's incorrect contract activation.</p> <p><br /> <br /> </p> <p>I have made a note to follow up with you in those queries on 14/06/2017.</p> <p><br /> <br /> </p> <p>Kind Regards,</p> <p> </p> <p>T****a</p>