Vodacom: I'm at my wits' end!

The only reason there is one star above, is because there isn't an option for minus stars. I am absolutely at my wits' end with Vodacom. I tried to close accounts of which the contracts had ran out years before telephonically last year, with no luck. Eventually I drove to the head office in Midrand on 31 August 2020, where I was assisted by a very efficient person. She told me that everything had to go through the customer care switchboard, so she tried to get hold of them. Every time she started to tell my story, she was cut off, until she contacted her supervisor who made magic happen and the call was answered. I had to confirm everything to the person on the phone as well. He gave me a reference number, which has turned out to be either bogus or incorrect, because every time I subsequently tried to follow up on my cancellations, it is nowhere to be found.

I cancelled my debit order at my bank, where they confirmed that if it wasn't cancelled from the business' side within three months, it will continue to be deducted from my account. After three months, nothing happened and I was happy that my relationships with Vodacom- except for one contract which will 'end' - as much as any contract can end with Vodacom - in August 2021. Then the letters saying that I owed money started to arrive. I assumed that it was for the one existing contract and that the debit order wasn't adapted for that one, so I paid online, but the amounts got bigger and bigger. I sent various emails to customer service, and every email was responded to with another email asking me to send the email again, round and round, getting nowhere. I tried by phone again on 23 April 2021, where I was told that none of the contracts were cancelled, hence the growing amounts being demanded from me. I was referred to another department where I told my whole story again, and was told that the original reference number (to which I referred above) did not exist, although they did have a record of my visit to Midrand in August. I was ensured that a query would be sent through to the relevant department and that I would receive an answer within 24 to 48 hours. It's now nearly a month later, with no reply. In the meantime I received a call from the collections department. When I, once again, explained the situation, the person suggested that I phoned ***. I just did, and was told by a recording to use the self-service options, and then the call ended: no self-service options. I can't use the online platform because I don't have the sim card of the original phone account, since I destroyed it once the contracts were closed, or so I believed. I simply have no more recourse, and in the meantime my credit record is suffering.

Please advise to what more I can do to close the accounts. Vodacom - like many other businesses - is very quick to open an account or start a new contract, but they make it impossible to end the contract, even though they are supposed to only last 2 years.

Thank you

Tania Cleary