********* Business Practice or just sheer incompetence?

<p>I have been a loyal Vodacom customer since they entered the country and I spend a decent amount of money with them every month. I have three contracts with them, two red advantage package and a 20GB data package. In early August my one package became due for an upgrade and a duly went to the Brooklyn Mall Vodashop to see what can be done. I decided to cancel my data contract (which I have had for 3 years) and to move the data as extra data onto my Red Advantage packages and get a new handset. </p> <p> </p> <p>The sale guy (Rhaine) was pretty good and got all my things ready, until we reached the last step, which was to cancel the data package. He told me I could not because I recently upgraded this package... I then realized what had happened - in Dec last year I went to the same Vodashop and asked to combine 2 10gig data packages which I have had for longer than 2 years into one, thinking that I could save some money. Well, there is a reason for the #DataMustFall campaign, Vodacom could not reduce my data fee then or give me more data for the same money. So I then agreed that they just combined the two packages with now added advantage for me. The *********** (or devious) sales lady (that by the way no longer works there) combined the two packages by canceling the one and UPGRADING the other, without explaining to me properly what she had done. Because a) you don't get what you want if you don;t sign and b) you would like to think you can trust Vodacom, I unfortunately signed the contract placed in front of me. So long story, I got trapped into a 2 year contract, without any additional benefit (i.e. no cheaper data rate, no additional data, no device).</p> <p> </p> <p>When I realised this, I thought it would be a simple matter to explain, since there was clearly no intent from my side to get anything you would normally expect if you upgrade a contract for two years. So this is where I meet the store management (Reinette and her boss who's name alludes me), which simply saysI signed the contract. Although the reaction I got when asking where the lady was that trapped me in this situation, clearly indicated that she was not their favorite employee, they simply did not want to do anything about this silly situation. So I was then forced to cancel all the upgrades and additional packages we had agreed upon.</p> <p> </p> <p>Come end of the month, Vodacom decides they are going to charge me R11 000 for the upgrades I canceled plus 2 months worth of added data for my other red advantage package. I then had to go back (not even gonna talk about the several times I went to the store to try and get things resolved or the endless call centers you have the pleasure to deal with trying to escalate something like this) to try and get this bill sorted out.</p> <p> </p> <p>Although they realised something was wrong the ability to get things sorted our there and then was not there - I insisted (after this was the 3-4 time I was in store) that it be sorted out while I am there. After failing to get joy about my frustrations, I asked the manager to give me someone at head office I can speak to. Of course he refused, referring me to Vodacom's lovely call center... After a while it turns out that the regional manager (Sipho) was actually in the store at the time!!!! If I was not so desperate to get this sorted our there and then I would have pointed out how stupid this was, but Sipho took my details and said it would be sorted out by Monday.</p> <p> </p> <p>Sipho managed to solve the R11 000 problem for me (not in the timeframe he committed, but I'm grateful that he solved a part of the problem for me). When this was sorted I spoke to Sipho again and he then said the cancellation of the data package (which started this whole thing) is being handled by someone else, but that he understood my problem and that it will be resolved. When this again took longer than expected I spoke to him again, only to be told that it is back with the store and they need to deal with it.</p> <p> </p> <p>So after 2 months of patience and expectation that Vodacom will realise that a 20+ year client has been treated like garbage and being exploited, I finally went to the store again today, just to be told again that there is nothing they can (or want to) do... So an *********** sales rep traps a loyal customer into a 2-year contract without giving him any benefit for doing so, and Vodacom is happy to keep on overcharging me for data. This whilst ignoring that I was willing to buy additional data from them for my home etc.</p> <p>I will now simply wait until all my contracts with them have run out and move to anyone who will not exploit me in this manner.</p>