Vodacom - locked out of fibre router and website down

During the lockdown I've been staying with my father and today attempted to help him fix some problems he's been having connecting to his wifi at home, which he pays hundreds of rands for. To have a go at fixing his problems, I need access to the router settings.

Firstly, it appears that Vodacom does not provide it's customers with the credentials to access the router and it's settings, even though almost every other ISP does (or at least doesn't seem to go out of their way to block you from accessing the more technical router settings). And I don't buy the excuse that the router is 'their' property, given that no other ISP is this restrictive.

Next, after searching more online forums, it seems that one needs to phone Vodacom and ask for a temporary password to access the router. One would think that this should be as simple as phoning the usual 082 111 number and speaking to an automated voice. But no, one actually needs to phone a completely different number (***, for those who are interested), which I had to find hidden deep in a help forum. After phoning this number, one gets a blanket 'Covid-19, we are very busy' message, which I completely understand. And finally, after attempting to set up an online Vodacom account and sort this problem out using an online portal, Vodacom's website decides that, while I'm busy, now is the perfect time to crash.

I understand that Covid-19 is playing havoc on their call centres, but all the more reason that Vodacom's online self-service help should be working. Furthermore, myself (along with many others, if a simple google search is anything to go by) wouldn't have this problem if Vodacom self-righteously decide to lock their customers from their own routers.

Another reason why I am so happy since moving to Telkom, and I'll be convincing my father to do the same as soon as the pandemic is under control.