********* business practice

After a nightmare in getting Vodacom to give me a data contract to use on the same SIM (they thought I was a credit risk because I wasn't up to my eye***** in debt) I now find that they are forcing me to pay for Customer Line Identification because my DATA is on contract. (Not voice)<br> I specifically asked for a 24 month contract that would give me data while still allowing me the flexibility of topping up voice airtime whenever I wanted.<br> When I was on prepaid, I didn't have to pay for CLI.<br> Spoke to Vuyo at Customer Care 111, and then to Oscar, the team leader. Both were very professional but iterated that this is the rule from Vodacom.<br> It is a patently ********* rule.<br> I was then told that if I don't want to pay the CLI charge, I can deactivate it but then all calls to my number (where the voice component works just like prepaid) will no longer show a number, defeating the purpose of having a smartphone. <br> To sum up:<br> 1. It is not ethical to hold customers hostage with CLI if the voice airtime works the same as prepaid<br> 2. It is idiotic to have to pay for CLI on a DATA contract but I didn't have to pay for CLI when I was prepaid.<br> 3. Prepaid data is highly expensive so can't do that.