********* BUSINESS AND DISGUSTING SERVICE FROM VODACOM

I’d like to start by stating that a contract and package is STILL NOT activated or working!! From a Black Friday deal which I app**** for on 29 November. The absolutely shocking service received from Vodacom is reaching new heights! This is now the second official complaint we (myself and wife) am logging in relation to this – I expect an official response to this with a reference number as I will thereafter be logging this with the NCC as well as ICASA.

Below is the trail of events:

1. I am an existing Business Account Owner with Vodacom (B0*****9-2) under the business name EpicAquatics. I have a current contract with cell number 083*****88 2. On Friday 29 November I app**** for an additional contract under the business on one of the advertised Black Friday deals on your website. 3. I was then contacted by Vaneshree Govender on 4 December to query whether I was still interested and she advertised what documentation was needed. 4. All documents were sent by myself on 7 December 5. I also required an existing number to be ported so Vaneshree advised that we needed to terminate the current contract the number was linked to and convert to prepaid in order to port the number to Vodacom. She advised this on 10 December. 6. The number was converted to prepaid on the morning of 11 December and as per Vaneshree’s email below she had until close of business on 11 December to process the application. 7. I had completed everything she asked for at this stage. 8. On the afternoon of 11 December I received a confirmation SMS from Vodacom advising that the port request was approved. 9. Vaneshree confirmed that afternoon as well that all was in order in relation to the porting and she would now fulfil the application. 10. This is then where Vodacom has completely failed in its duty to provide quality service. 11. On 12 December, Vaneshree advised that she was waiting for the deal requested to be opened. NOTE – this was a deal advertised on Vodacom’s website. It then took over a week to get the deal reopened/approved by Finance/approved by back office. There were various reasons provided for why this was taking so long. Also note, that I had to continuously call and email to request feedback and the same standard response was provided by Vaneshree each time. Apparently the only way for your Sales team to escalate anything is repeatedly send emails that then seem to be ignored by your “Back Office”. Also note that in this time, we had now converted to prepaid (on instruction from Vaneshree) and had to continuously top up due to this contract not being activated. 12. Vaneshree then advised on Thursday 19 December that the deal I had app**** for was still not available (A FULL WEEK LATER, FOR A DEAL THAT VODACOM HAD ADVERTISED). But she had a different deal that was available and could be activated immediately. This deal was R100 per month more expensive than the original one app**** for. I now consider this direct marketing from Vodacom as she initiated this call to advertise the deal 13. We confirmed the new deal on the Thursday. She then advised that the phone and sim card would be delivered on Monday 23 December to the address provided. She also advised that once the sim card was received, my wife should phone her on the Monday (23 Dec) to provide the sim card number in order to activate the line. The maximum turnaround time on this once the sim car number was provided was 48 hours as advised by Vaneshree. However, she advised that it’s generally done even quicker. 14. She also confirmed that because I (business owner) would not be available for delivery, the only document required would be a copy of my ID. 15. The delivery then also was a problem. On Monday 23 Dec, we spent between 2 and 3 hours speaking to RAM couriers about the delivery. Apparently Vaneshree had not advised them that someone else was going to take delivery of the package, so they could not deliver it without a letter from myself authorising delivery. Even though my wife had my original ID with her. After various communication with RAM (who advised that Vodacom was at fault for not advising what documents would be needed), I had to leave a business meeting in order to drive to the delivery address and accept delivery myself. This is ridiculous and as usual I assume Vodacom or Vaneshree will just say its not their fault. 16. After finally receiving the phone and Sim, my wife called Vodacom Business to provide the sim card number to Vaneshree (as she advised – refer to point 13). At this stage, she was advised that Vaneshree had gone on leave and would only be back on 6 January. Amanda Ragiah then confirmed she would assist. She requested my wife to mail the sim card number as well as the cell number to her and she would ensure its activated – again promising the maximum turnaround of 48 hours. 17. All of the required information was sent to Amanda on Monday 23 December. 18. It is now 29 December and the contract is still not activated. 19. My wife has been calling the business sales team (Amanda and co) for assistance with no resolution. Amanda advised that she had sent through the request for activation. Calls were made last Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. However, after speaking to various department within Vodacom on Tuesday and Thursday, they confirmed that there was no request. So I am not sure whether Amanda **** or one of your other departments are lying – but ultimately Vodacom has shown absolutely no regard for customer service and it is completely ********* to lie to your customers. 20. The Business Sales team must be one of the most unhelpful teams we have ever dealt with. The standard message again provided is that they have emailed someone and we just need to wait. Note – the turnaround time promised and committed to by Vodacom had now passed. In last week, my wife spoke to a Faith as well as Amanda to request assistance. She also requested to speak to a senior manager and was always advised that the senior manager is not available. Each time she was advised to wait overnight and the line should be activated. None of this worked. There were also no follow ups from Amanda during the entire week with my wife to provide status updates or confirm what was being done. My wife had to continuously phone (using our funds) to find out what is happening. As usual, no answer was given by Amanda or Faith. Faith also advised that she could not follow up on what Amanda had done as she cannot see anything that Amanda does. 21. At the time of speaking to Faith, Trushna requested her to log an official complaint on our behalf. She confirmed she would do so, however to date I have received no formal response or acknowledgement of complaint. 22. Finally, after phoning Amanda on Friday 27 December AGAIN, she confirmed via email that the line is activated and by Saturday it would all be in order – see below mails. 23. As usual, this was a complete lie and it was not activated or working yesterday. I cannot understand why Amanda confirmed it’s in order without validating that it is in fact done. 24. I then called the after sales support number – ***. I must say that this is the only area that has been helpful in this entire process. We spoke to Lebo yesterday who advised that she could see a request for activation at roughly 7am yesterday morning. She advised to wait overnight for the porting to be done so today (Sunday) it should be in order. She also advised that if it was not she would have to escalate. Lebo was actually helpful and could provide proper information from the system. 25. Once again, we waited overnight and this morning saw that the line/contract is still not activated – WHAT A SURPRISE!!! 26. We again called ***. She spoke to Tebogo who advised that the activation was not successful. She couldn’t say why and advised she would now need to escalate to the Technical team. They are only back in the office tomorrow so no further assistance can be provided today. She however, could also not confirm whether it would even be able to be resolved tomorrow as this now sits with the technical team. I would like to mention that Tebogo was also helpful. 27. I also received an SMS from Vodacom yesterday (28 Dec) advising that my bank account would be debited with R184.78. We queried this amount with Tebogo who advised that your billing area had generated an invoice and this amount is for the line activation. PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW YOU CAN BILL SOMEONE FOR A LINE THAT IS NOT ACTIVATED OR WORKING!! ONCE AGAIN, COMPLETELY ********* PRACTICES FROM VODACOM. Quick to start debit orders, but not willing to actually provide what was advertised and committed to. I will be reporting this practice to PASA as well in terms of this practice. Please also provide the debit order mandate which authorised you to deduct this amount.

So as I am writing this email, we still do not have an activated contract!!!!!! A full month after the original application. And 3 weeks after being advised to convert the number in question to prepaid. In this time, we have spent roughly R500 on topping up airtime – majority of which has been spent on phoning Vodacom.

THE SERVICE RECEIVED IN THIS ENTIRE MONTH HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING! ASIDE FROM LEBO AND TEBOGO, VODACOM AS A COMPANY AND YOUR STAFF ARE COMPLETELY UNHELPFUL WITH NO CONCERN OF WHETHER A CUSTOMER IS BEING TREATED FAIRLY AND THEIR REQUESTS ADDRESSED.

IS THIS HOW YOU TREAT ALL CUSTOMERS? ALSO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT I AM AN EXISTING PAYING VODACOM BUSINESS CUSTOMER – FOR SOME REASON YOU SEEM TO HAVE NO ISSUES WHEN IT COMES TO CHARGING CUSTOMERS.

I’d now like the following:

• All telephone recordings in relation to this entire deal – you can search for all calls from yourselves to 083 *** **88 and 082 *** **47. As well as calls received by Vodacom (your various contact centres especially the business sales). I expect these call recordings to be provided within the next 2 days. • The debit order mandate authorising you to deduct the R184.78 • If the amount is debited, I’d like an immediate refund of this back into my account • Compensation for the money spent in these 3 weeks on contacting Vodacom • If the line is not activated by tomorrow (30 Dec), this entire deal to be cancelled with compensation. This compensation must include the early termination of the previous contract I was on. • I will then also decide if I will be keeping my current contract with Vodacom. Note that should I choose not to, I will NOT pay an early termination fee. As Vodacom has completely not provided the service promised. • Reference number for this complaint in order to report to the relevant authorities. Your call centre also gave an email address for your complaints department but that address does not work.