Unsuccessful Cancelation of Vodacom Contract

Incompetence, Deception and Thievery by Vodacom

I have had to worst experience with Vodacom when it came to cancelling a contract on my name.

Please note, this has been going on for some time.

January 2023, I went to a Vodacom store and request to cancel my contract. The friendly staff inform me that they cannot do it, it has to be done telephonically.

The staff member calls the number from their store phone to which I was grateful for... as you normally have to hold on for some time. Eventually I get connected to an agent and I explain that I want to cancel my contract. I then get a whole sales pitch of continuing my contract on better tariffs and deals etc. etc., After numerous attempts of normal calm response from my side to cancel, I ended up shouting in the store to the agent that I want my contract F-ing canceled, in front of the people in the store as witnesses.

Please note, the contract in question was my ex-wife's and had expired already months prior to this phone call, and that it was on a recurring month-to-month basis on a mifi ****le that has been inactive of use. Please check/track the records if you don't believe me. So it was NOT an early "cancelation prior to expiry date" contract situation.

Lo and behold, I would still receive monthly invoices after this, i.e. Contract still active. More phone calls from myself between Vodacom ensues, and more rudeness as i lose my patience everytime i get a sales pitch instead of cancelation confirmation.

Eventually by April I lose it completely. I call the center again; an agent duly informs me that the contract cannot be cancelled if there is an outstanding balance. I comply against my will and settle the outstanding amount on 04 April 2023. (3months worth of charges now) I called the agent again to confirm that he can see the account being settled and there is a zero balance. The agent informed me there is sometimes delays, but the agent reassured me that the cancelation has been logged and will be processed as soon as payment reflects.

also to Note: During this period, my account was also frozen because of non-payment, not that it bothers me as I am trying to close this darn thing.

Guess what !?!? The money received did not trigger the cancelation process, it only unblocked the contract, and a new cycle of invoicing started again.... AAArrghh !!!!!

by July i had received threats to be handed over for non-payment and outstanding balances ... W T F Vodacom !!

So this is where i am currently at 2 years down the line, still being threatened by Vodacom and their lawyers to pay up, and in the mean time i have to sit with a bad credit rating etc. but there is no recourse or bad credit rating for poor service for the supplier...

I can promise you; I was not a friendly chap over the phone with either the agents or the lawyer firms calling me since July 2023 because of this thievery from Vodacom.

THE BIGGEST PROBLEM HERE IS THAT THE CALL CENTRE IS THE CANCELATIONS AND RETENTIONS DEPARTMENT.... THE AGENTS ARE INSTRUCTED TO RETAIN CUSTOMERS, NOT LET THEM GO.

Good on you for cheating the system, but it is still theft Vodacom. A police case has been opened against Vodacom for *****.

According to me, the payment made in April 2023 is owed to myself as the 1st point of contact was in January to inform Vodacom of my intent to cancel, upon which a further 3 months worth of charges was made.

JUST for extra information, i have in the mean time asked other people (friends / family) to also see if they can cancel their vodacom contract, we recorded the conversations and guess what, in each case it was the same response, a sales pitch without actual cancelations ... so this is not a once off mistake. IT IS their Modus Operandi