Unfair Cancellation Fee Increase and Missing Cost Disclosure (Loyal Customer Since 2016)

I am extremely disappointed with the cancellation fee process for my Vodacom contract, and I am requesting an urgent review from Vodacom’s Office.

I have been a loyal Vodacom customer since 2016, and I have always paid my account on time. Earlier this year, in March 2025, I contacted Vodacom’s cancellation department to enquire about the cost of cancelling my contract. I was quoted R19 000. Based on that figure, I decided not to cancel at the time, assuming, reasonably, that the amount would decrease over the months as the contract moved closer to its end.

However, when I requested the cancellation fee again in November 2025, I was shocked to be told that the amount is now over R20 000, which is higher than the amount provided earlier in the year.

When I queried this difference, I was told the March amount included a “discount,” and that the November amount does not. This is deeply concerning for several reasons:

1. No one told me in March that the quote included a temporary discount. I was given the impression that the R19 000 was the actual cancellation fee at that time. No information was provided that the amount was being reduced by a discount, and no warning was given that the fee could increase later.

2. The November invoice now includes a new line item (“Contract Subsidy Balance”) that was not visible in March. This line item is the main reason the November amount is significantly higher. If this cost had been visible in March, I would have understood what the discount app**** to and I would likely have cancelled then.

The lack of transparency on such a material cost component meant I could not make an informed decision.

3. I acted on incomplete or misleading information. I waited until November because I genuinely believed the amount would decrease, which is the logical expectation with a contract. Vodacom’s failure to disclose the subsidy balance line and explain the discount directly influenced my decision.

4. The agents repeatedly tell me “the system generates it” and refuse to escalate. This is extremely frustrating. I am told there is “nothing they can do,” even though the issue here is not the system, it is the lack of disclosure in March and the sudden unexplained increase now. As a loyal customer, this treatment feels unfair and unacceptable.

I am requesting that Vodacom: 1. Explain why the Contract Subsidy Balance was not disclosed in March, 2. Explain why my cancellation fee increased instead of decreasing, and 3. Reconsider the November amount.

I want to emphasise that I am not cancelling all my services with Vodacom. I still have an active contract on my other number, and the only reason I intended to cancel this specific contract was so that I could take up a new device contract. I am currently not eligible for an upgrade, so cancelling this line was meant to allow me to remain with Vodacom while upgrading to a new iPhone. This situation now prevents me from continuing with that plan.

I am not refusing to pay; I simply want fairness, transparency, and an opportunity to resolve this based on accurate information, something I was not given earlier this year.

I trust that Vodacom will handle this matter urgently and fairly.