Telecommunication company doesnt do technology

I wanted to purchase a new phone on a contract with Vodacom, bearing in mind I already have 3 contracts with Vodacom. I decided on the phone and package that would suit my needs, started to complete the documentation ... Only to be told that this will take a week to be approved as all my information has been converted to a new system (3D I think they called it) and as a result they need to send the information through to be processed and because there is a backlog this will take a week or more to process. I have been a loyal customer for the past 18 years and was disgusted by this. They continued to tell me there was nothing they could do. So I went to MTN and got the exact item I wanted within 2 hours. How can a company roll out a new system without all their stores being ready to deal with it? I will think twice about renewing my contracts when they expire.. No one seemed really concerned that I was going to a direct competitor. Make me wonder how much they need business