Vodacom doesn't care about your change of heart... just your money

Once you've signed the dotted line...

I am trying to return an admittedly "change of heart" purchase. I took a Huawei P40 Pro contract based on the sales consultant's recommendations (I originally wanted a Samsung S20). Later that day, I decided I do not want the phone because Huawei has now become a platform for blatant data mining and advertising practices. Even the official Huawei app store makes you watch an add video every time you open it. Want to watch YouTube? Then you have to download a proxy app from a proxy app store that provides 3rd party access. Of course the staff deny any knowledge of such an advertising presence on the "post-google" phones.

I immediately tried to return the phone in exchange for a different phone. After driving from Pretoria to Krugersdorp because you "have to return it to the store where you purchased it", the staff (correctly) told me that they cannot accept returns of non-faulty devices, unless approved from higher up management. We therefore escalated the complaint, but to this day I have not received any feedback other than to "send an email to ***".

I realise that it is at Vodacom's discretion whether or not they accept the return, but surely for a loyal customer with many years (and contracts) to come, it is not an unreasonable request? How can you expect me to commit to a 2-year contract based on the consultant's recommendations of a phone I have never used before, anyway? I am even willing to pay a repackaging and assessment fee, and accept another device in the same price range.

If it was a "budget-phone", I would accept certain sacrifices in return for cost savings. But for Vodacom to accept R25k for this phone, based on their own consultant's advice, and then deny any knowledge of the problems, is completely *********.

My advise for anyone experiencing similar problems, if the matter cannot be resolved, will be to sell the phone and cancel the contract (and, in my case, all future Vodacom contracts, both personal and professional).

So be warned: do not take phones based on Vodacom's own consultants' recommendations. We misplace our trust in them, but you should rather place trust in yourself.