Take advantage of the elderly

I am completely outraged at the manner with which VODACOM has taken advantage of my elderly Mother. My mother has been cheated by VODACOM who refuses to act and rectify the matter, instead VODACOM continues to take from the little pension the elderly receive. My mother received a call from an “approved” agent or dealer in May of 2017. As she has suffered from a stroke her speech is difficult to understand, she asked a care giver to assist her as the agent or dealer could not understand what she was saying, in addition the agent could not converse with her in her preferred language which is Afrikaans. My Mother suffers from Dementia and therefore is not always aware or cannot remember conversations and events.

I was informed by my Mother’s care giver that she will be receiving 2 x smartphones, vouchers and data at no extra cost as it was simply an UPGRADE to her existing contract. I informed the care givers and my Mom not to sign for the parcel when it arrives. My mother can’t afford it financially and also can’t work with smart phones and never use data for anything. As mentioned above my mother has dementia and she signed for the packages upon delivery.

My mother now has an existing contract plus a new contract for which she has no need and cannot afford.

I have made numerous phone calls to VODACOM as one cannot get hold of the dealer / agent. Vodacom refuses to accept my call or resolve the matter as they wish to first vet my mother but as mentioned they cannot understand her due to her speech. The phones are untouched and not opened. Nobody at Vodacom has been willing to assist us and we have no alternative but to take the matter further.