Still no help from Vodacom!

Dear sir/madame, I have been having issues with Vodacom for just over 2 years now and wish to cancel my contract that in fact should have ended in December 2018, but was pushed to April 12th 2019 due to a failure in Vodacom’s billing side and has now been pushed to December 2019 without my consent nor agreement either verbally or written.

I have tried to sort out the following issues in store and via the call centre for just over a year now and have no clue what to do next. The Vodacom 4u stores say they cannot help me and the call centre keeps passing me onto different departments where eventually the phone dies or keeps ringing up to an hour.

I have proof via recordings, screen captures and other documents to prove my case is valid and wish to send them onto a Vodacom representative that can physically see and hear that my story is true and what I have been dealing with. Below is my story that I can not explain via another a pointless phone call to any of the Vodacom departments, I will try and keep the timeline as close to the date as possible. 2017 Back in 2017, I was going through a divorce with my then wife J***** ***** (I can provide her cell number and ID ) J****** and I had been sharing a Vodacom contract where both her cell phone number and mine were on one contract.

I need to express that J****** and my self were not on speaking terms and the following months after this process communication had broken down to a point of zero contact between us.

On the 22nd of May 2017, Both J****** and I went into the Vodacom 4U branch at long beach mall where the female agent in a store known as Hendrickson helped us split the contract. The reference number for the Vetting application is #***0 and I can send proof. From then on, our account should have been separate AMD I had started to pay my account from that day forward via debit order.

Over the next few months, my account would be debited the amount stated on my invoice and a few days later I would receive an SMS saying that my account was in arrears and that my phone would be cut off, or I would be debited an amount far beyond my contract terms and I couldn’t find out why?

My phone was being cut off on a monthly basis at this point and I would have to go in store and pay the amounts owing in person a day or two later. Neither the original 4U Long Beach store or the call centre could give me an explanation when I proved the amounts I was paying via bank statements and said it might be caused by extra data charges that were not being added to my monthly statements. I decided to then cancel my debit order and pay in person at Vodacom stores. 2018

Finally in October 2018 an incredibly helpful male agent ( regrettably I can not remember their name ) at the Blue Route mall Vodacom store found the issue. The agent had figured out that my payments were going to Jessica’s Vodacom account and not mine. My debit orders had been going into her account, and when I gave my cell phone number to the agents at a Vodacom store counter it was giving them Jessica’s billing amount and not mine. After numerous calls to Vodacom, no one would listen and I was forced to tell my story on the blue peter website hoping that someone would help. At this time when I logged into my Vodacom account online it was still in her name ( can send proof ). To top all of this off, Jessica had moved to Ireland at some point in 2018, and left her account unpaid this large amount was then placed onto my account.

Soon after my hellopeter.com post, Vodacom got in contact with me and figured out the issue. At the time of the contract split between Jessica and myself, Vodacom had undergone a system change over. On the Old system, my number was still under Jessica’s name and on the new system, it was in my name. So for some unknown reason every time I paid with either the debit order or via my number at the store it was paying her bill.

At this point, I am furious with Vodacom and the lack of service or care from anyone within the company and decided I wanted to cancel my contract. The call centre agent then tells me that they owe me money due to the billing error and can’t cancel my contract until the payment is made. I told them that I don’t care and want to cancel my contract asap. I am then forwarded to the cancellation department and told that my contract only ends in December 2018 and I would need to pay an early cancellation fee. I tried to tell them that it was unreasonable that after the mess up they caused and wouldn’t fix I was not paying a cancelation fee.

In the end, I decided to wait that extra month and call in November 2018 to make sure they cancel my contract. During these prior phone calls, I stated that under no circumstance must they extend my contract. I have no clue if the call centers record our call as they say, but I am more than happy for them to pull them up and give them a listen.

Come the 7th of November 2018 I receive an SMS from Vodacom ( I can send proof ) that says

“Dear valued Vodacom customer, your contract term for this line will soon come to an end. Upgrade at your nearest Vodacom Store or online at www.vodacom.co.za. If you do not wish to upgrade or cancel your contract yet, it will continue on a month to month basis and all discounts will stop from the end of the contract term.” ( I have a screen capture as proof )

Finally, the time had arrived to be rid of Vodacom for good…

I am then told that because my account had been suspended for two months, they had pushed the termination date back to 12th April 2019. From my knowledge my account was never suspended, yes my phone was cut off but with payment in one or two days, it was back to normal. I tried to argue, I sent them proof of the billing mess up and got nowhere. Finally, the call centre agent sent me a PREMATURE CANCELLATION QUOTATION ( can send it as proof ) and I refused to give them the fee once again and through gritted teeth told them again that under no circumstance do I want to carry my contract on and will contact them in April 2019. 2019

On the 30th of May 2019, I had yet again more trouble trying to cancel my contract that should be month to month as per the Vodacom SMS and consumer protection act at this point. After wasting hours in the call centre trying to cancel my contract and then once again posting on hellopeter.com I was contacted by a Jason from Vodacom. I found Jason to be rude and incredibly unhelpful, he wouldn’t take anything I was telling him to mind or try and find out what was going on. Once again, I was told that the contract had been extended due to a suspension and would only end in December 2019.

First of all, there was no suspension I remember, only my phone being cut as normal when you don’t pay in time and secondly, it would have to of been suspended for 8 months to warrant an extension that would carry to December 2019? As per usual he offered me the PREMATURE CANCELLATION QUOTATION that I refused, He then said before he could even give me the quotation I would have to pay the outstanding amount and he will send me a statement with all of my payments. The payments he sent were completely wrong and only show payments from December 2017?!?

I don’t even know where this outstanding amount had come from, but that was a whole other kettle of fish to try figure out.

Then on June 11th, I found all the proof I needed to really show Vodacom that I wasn’t being unfair and something has gone wrong on their side. The SMS from last December, A screen grab of my online Vodacom account that states the end of my contract was April 12th 2019 and decided to call Vodacom again, but this time record the conversation on my side.

After a dropped call on the first try, I finally was able to talk to an operator by the name of Porsche, who was actually very helpful and matter of fact confused with what her computer was showing her. She said she could see I had spoken to a Jason and that she would put me in touch with him right away as he was down the hall from her.

Jason once again called me, and after explaining everything once again he said it could only be cancelled in December 2019. At the end of the call, he actually tried to sell me a new contract then handed me off to another department that didn’t pick up the phone!?! I seem to get three department transfers in and the call either dropped or never answered?

Now please, I beg you. Please, Please, please can someone help me figure this out and actually cancel my contract. As I have stated, I have all the proof you will need. Bank statements, screen captures and voice recordings of conversations to help prove that I paid everything I owe, my contract should be month to month now and that I’m not in the wrong here or being confused or unfair. I can’t keep trying to explain this story on the phone to Vodacom call centre departments because no one cares or understands. This goes against the consumer protection act and needs to be addressed. All i want is an email address and a caring Vodacom employee to help me out.

PLEASE DON’T NOT HAND ME TO JASON AGAIN!