Vodacom Agents Purposefully Misleading

On 26 September 2022 I received a call from a Vodacom consultant Mpendulo Mlungwana stating that as an old and extremely valuable Vodacom customer, (He repeatedly stated that) that he has special discounted packages for me. My one number that I have was passed its upgrade date. We chatted and I explained that I would like to upgrade my laptop. He made the following suggestion that I accepted. A new HP laptop with 20 gigs of normal data and 20 gigs of nightowl and they would throw in an additional 10 bonus gigs of normal data. Total is 50 gigs and he explained that only the 20 normal gigs would be able to roll over to the following month if not used. I was also told that I would get a new hand held wifi router, which I confirmed as I have the new torrent already and would like the hand held as then my wifi could be mobile. REPEATEDLY I confirmed and yet I still got the torrent. Then I happened to ask if any of my other numbers were up for an upgrade. He responded with yes, one of my other numbers could be upgraded too and I said that I would like to upgrade then, why not get it over and done with? We then discussed the Samsung A32 for R449 pm. He explained that it was a dual sym. I told him to throw in a gig of data for one of my other mobiles (I have 4 contracts in total) then we have a deal. I repeatedly told him that I would only accept this deal if I got the 1 gig for my other number. I said to him that if I am such a special customer that Vodacom could easily just throw in the extra gig as they got it for cents, after some haggling, we then came to the agreement that I would pay R29pm for the one gig. We agreed that my full payment for this upgrade would be R449.00 He further more told me that the 1 gig would run from the 26th of this month (September0 to the 26 th of the next month and then on the 26th of each recurring month going forward. He furthermore told me that once we were done with the call and I have received the text stating that the upgrades had gone through that I needed to call Vodacom on the 135 number to activate the one gig. I called and was told that the activation would only happen on the first of the new month as Vodacom don’t do random dates but from the beginning of the month. I accepted that. So, I would be paying the following amounts R449.00 for the A32 and R559 for the new laptop and R29 for the 1gig total (R559 + R29 = R 588) I was rather impressed when my items were delivered the very next day considering that I reside along the west coast. However, I was not impressed or happy with what I received and did not receive. Firstly, he negated to tell me that you do not get a charger with the new A32. I called Vodacom and asked where the charger was and was told that this is the way going forward, that all new contracts are now without charger…..Mpendulo should at least have warned me as that would have made a difference in my decision. The person I spoke to also told me that I could not use the A32 as a dual sym as in South Africa the insurance gets cancelled if I try use the dual sym, I have no idea what that means. Later I called again to verify that fact, the lady I spoke with said that she did not know and would try and find out. I held on but she came back saying that she cannot get through to the upgrades department to verify that. So, she would email them so long but also try and put me through to the upgrades but would call me back in case I did not get through once she received a response to her email. The line to upgrades rang and rang, was then picked up and put down. I then tried calling the upgrades line but no success, no answer, so I waited for the lady to call me back. The lady in question did call me back only to tell me that she has had no response to her email and that she still had no clarity on that, so I asked that she please get clarity and to call me back….today is 6 October and I am still waiting for her call….. Secondly, Mpendulo did not tell me that the contract for the A32 was not really due for a normal upgrade, but rather a forced upgrade which meant that I am still liable for the existing handset charge. This I found out when I called to enquire as to the 1 gig data and the charger for the new handset. NOT IMPRESSED On 30 September I spoke with Ntombi telling her of my unhappiness. I told her of the 1 gig that I did not get. I spoke about not being able to use the dual sym function and Ntombi told me to wait until Sunday as she was off on the Saturday but working on the Sunday. That I should then see on the 1st what I get and we would then discuss what I got and what I did not get on the Sunday. True to her word Ntomi called me on the Sunday, however I had load shedding and not having a charger as yet for the A32 so it has not charged (to see if I could put in a second sym)and asked if she could call me a day or two later, let me first find a Vodacom shop (I am out in a small town along the West Coast and need to get a lift into Saldanha or the West Coast Mall to try and source a charger.) Sadly, this time Ntombi seems to have forgotten me. To recap: 1) I did not receive the promised 1 gig (R29) for my number ending 81. (After repeatedly being re-assured that I would) 2) I received a Wi-Fi torrent where I repeatedly was told that it would be the small square hand-held Wi-Fi 3) I was not warned that the new mobiles come without a charger. 4) I got a dual sym which can or cannot use the dual sym function, who knows. 5) I was never informed that I still have to pay for the old handset the one being replaced by the A32 despite me saying that I do not want to pay migration or any other unnecessary costs. I was told that I would not. He should have told me that I am still liable for the handset as it was a forced upgrade. Please could Vodacom get a senior person call me, someone who knows and is able to sort this out, failing to then to fetch back their laptop and A32 and we carry on as per normal with the old contracts.