Swollen Samsung battery and more bad service from BlueRoute Mall branch

Was having trouble with my Samsung phone, battery was not holding a charge or changing its displayed percentage rapidly. Opened it up to find the battery swollen, which was alarming. Took it into the Vodacom store in BlueRoute Mall to find out whether I could get a replacement battery and what the cause could be.

Firstly, I was told by a disinterested employee that it was my fault for over-charging my phone. As far as I know this is grossly incorrect, as most smart phones will stop charging when 100% is reached.

Secondly, I was told that the store didn't stock replacement batteries for a phone model that is less than a year old. I was advised to go to the Samsung outlet in TygerValley.

Finally, when I asked whether I could hand the swollen battery over for safe disposal, I was told with a laugh that no, they don't do that.

This is not the first time I have had to deal with lazy and poorly-informed staff at this outlet. In general, Vodacom stores are quick to help you spend money and slow to offer useful solutions, but this one is something special. First time I have been faced with an utter lack of corporate responsibility for the e-waste that they peddle. If this last item is incorrect, and the stores do in fact take responsibility for disposing hazardous e-waste, then the staff at the BlueRoute outlet are clearly in dire need of training.

So, since Vodacom once again proved to be unhelpful, I went around the corner and bought the exact Samsung battery I needed from a generic cell store. Yes, it has the right model number and everything.