Vodacom = absolute pathetic customer (NON) service

I am actually flabbergasted by the sheer incompetence and arrogance from Vodacom BUSINESS (nogal!) staff.

I attach my original complaint - one of countless others - below.

It has still not been sorted. I received phone calls from different vodacom departments and got a runaround from EVERYONE of them, because they actually do not know what they are doing!! Eventually I got to speak to someone who sounded as if they understand - just to get an SMS a couple of days later stating that I misunderstood and that they will not be changing anything and that I must maar just accept the status quo.

Vodacom customer service is a disappointment and UTTER frustration from beginning to end. AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THE POOR NETWORK COVERAGE!!

Vodacom - DO BETTER!!

***

I migrated my vodacom contract to a business contract in the beginning of the year - and I have had issues with them from day ONE and NO knowledgeable customer care agent EVER follows up on any one of my complaints. I keep on calling. Keep on telling THE SAME story and keep on getting THE SAME response which gives me hope that they understood and will attend to the issue. NOTHING! Then I just have to phone again and NOTHING EVER gets resolved.

It is the MOST RIDICULOUS customer care experience EVER.

Here is my ISSUE - I do hope that someone will take time to READ it and investigate AND ATTEND to my complaints!

I was on the Red contract before migrating and migrated to a Red package on the business side again. When applying, the manager in store drew my attention to the fact that I can now have 4 free dedicated data sim cards (I already had 2).

I wanted a third sim, but asked if he could activate the new sim on the twin call service. He said that he couldn't do it in store, but I should send my request to vbsadmin and that they will be able to assist me. (That was a frustration in itself!)

Eventually - after numerous calls and e-mails - someone understood and activated the data sim card. Then I enquired about the twin sim service which I requested and there the customer care agents were blank again. I kept on calling and rehashing the same information time and time again.

I then received an sms on one of my older data sim cards that my twin call service has been successfully activated thereon. I also saw on my account invoice that I am charged R25 per month for this service.

I phoned AGAIN and was told that the R25 was for the extra data sim. After a long discussion and where the supervisor checked my account history, they agreed that the R25 cannot be charged for the extra data sim, as I was allowed 4 free. They then subsequently told me that the R25 was for the twin sim service.

Now we are getting somewhere. But the twin call service is activated on the wrong number and not the number I requested.

In a follow up call to the call centre, the agent said that the system now showed that the twin call service was active on the sim card I requested and that I should turn of my device and leave it off for half an hour and then restart and it should work. It didn't. He also said that he sent through a request that the R25 per month be credited to me for the months I did not use the service, as it was their mistake. Nothing.

I phoned again - spoke to yet ANOTHER call centre agent who did not understand a word that I am talking about and tried in vain to explain and start from scratch. NO JOY.

I subsequently received an sms stating that I must rather e-mail vbs again with my request.

WHAT!!??

What is the call centre for? Where are all their notes and actions and whatever that needs to be on their system!?

This is the most pathetic service.

Running concurrently with this issue, was my network coverage complaints. I would complain, they will promise that a technician would come out and investigate and then.. NOTHING. Just an sms after a couple of days saying that my query has been resolved. NO IT HASN'T!!

I had to go and buy MTN prepaid sim cards for everyone working on the farm, just to be able to communicate!!!!

On the last call I made to the call centre, it was the FIRST TIME that the lady actually plotted my location on a map. No one EVER did that with any of my previous calls. No one EVER came to investigate and my coverage complaint has MOST DEFINITELY NOT been resolved.

I am paying a huge amount a month for a service I cannot use unless I travel. And I took out the business contract because I want to use it for my BUSINESS!! That means where I live and work!!

Vodacom - please have someone willing and ABLE to attend to my complaints contact me URGENTLY!! And if you don't get through - BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE SIGNAL - please phone on the MTN number that hellopeter provides you with.