So Poor

I have been a Vodacom customer for over 10 years. I am on Pay As You Go and spend approximately R600 per month. That equates to roughly R72,000 to R80,000 spent with Vodacom over the past decade.

I am currently experiencing a SIM card and signal issue. I called 082 135 to resolve it. If your problem does not fit into the automated menu options, there is no way to speak to a human being. There is no escalation path. There is no customer support beyond preprogrammed prompts.

After exhausting that channel, I drove 45 minutes to the nearest Vodacom store at George Mall.

The staff understood the issue immediately. However, I was refused assistance and they would not log a service request because I did not have my physical ID document with me.

For clarity:

• I have previously completed FICA with Vodacom. • My details are on your system. • I had my driver’s licence, bank cards, and the active SIM in my possession.

There were reasonable and practical ways to verify my identity. Instead, I was told that policy prevented any assistance without a physical ID.

Policy was prioritised over customer service, over discretion, and over common sense.

So I left and went next door to Cell C. They were willing to assist.

Perhaps R72,000 over ten years is insignificant to Vodacom. Perhaps long term customers on Pay As You Go are not a priority. That is your decision to make.

Here is mine.

You have received your last cent from me.

I will not return. I will not recommend Vodacom. And I will share this experience with others.

For completeness, I acknowledge that I left the store frustrated and may have used a profanity as I exited. For that, I apologise. The frustration, however, was entirely justified.

This is not a complaint seeking resolution.

This is a formal notice that I am taking my business elsewhere.

Goodbye.