Vodacom - My Worst Xmas Experience

Thank You for the apology, but l believe this is insufficient to say the least.

Let me narrate to you my horrid ordeal :

o 14 Dec 2023, I received email (You Vodacom Life Policy), A Funeral Policy or Life Policy under policy no VCF***, for my life starting 30 Dec 2023 – with monthly premiums of ZAR79 per month – was opened. o Vodacom the insurer in this case is a South African telecoms company. o The product details can be found here : Funeral Cover | Individual Cover, Family Cover | Vodacom Insurance o I have never had a relationship with this company in my entire life – and l did not open a life policy that pays the insured’s beneficiaries on my death.

- Actions taken to date: o I immediately made a report to XX Bank my bankers, o Reported to VVbank my primary bankers – as the contract mentioned a debit order amount – and thought that this contract might allow access to my savings. o Reported to Vodacom, where in l said :

 I am not a Vodacom client, never been my entire life – on any one of your product lines.  This morning l received the email below, claiming l had just concluded an Life insurance policy with yourselves – I am based in CC, I have not been in South Africa since last year, and made no such contract with you.  I sent an email to the ***** disputes at Vodacom (Your reference number is ECXX), No reply, Have tried all manner of ways to call your offices for the resolution of this matter – No reply, transferred and held forever.  I do not know if this is an attempt on my Life, if there is an actual policy under VCF*** on my life or what is going on.  I am scared, l am desperate, Vodacom thus far has not been helpful – as l feel it is facilitating for someone to profit from my untimely death.  May you kindly help me : • Has such a policy been opened with you ? • How should l reverse, or cancel this transaction ? • How can l protect myself from this ever happening ? • And why is Vodacom facilitating this process of one profiting from my death ?

o I received a case reference : CA****** (automated response). o To get Vodacom to prioritise this matter, l placed my complaint on a public platform called Hello Peter. o On 21 Dec 2023, l followed up with Vodacom :

 I have tried to contact nearly each department copied in this email,  To ask if this Life Policy opened in my name does actually exist with you, and how this was possible without my sanction and how to cancel and deal with your system shortcomings – to no avail.  This is the last reminder, as l believe someone has potentially taken a policy with you, that pays on my death – and when l have attempted to have the matter resolved with you (calling, reporting on all your ***** systems, emails etc.), l have been simply ignored despite the threat on my life.  If no action is taken, first step is the : Ombudsman for Long Term Insurance Telephone: *** Email: *** & South African Reserve Bank.

o I have also reported to the South African ***** Prevention Services (SAFPS).

- My assessment of the two possibilities were these :

o My initial thought was that this was a phishing **** however, when you assess the first email - You Vodacom Life Policy, one can immediately see that this is a legitimate communication from the company. o The second, which sometimes happens in South Africa :

 Life insurance cover is taken on your behalf,  The premiums are paid in time for the waiting period – 6 months.  After 6 months you are killed,  And perpetrators collected the insured sum.  See an example of a case by Agnes Segomotsi Setshwantsho : Woman who allegedly killed relatives for insurance payouts appears in court - YouTube

- My claim & / grievance against Vodacom Life is :

o It has taken 25 days from 14 Dec 2023 for Vodacom to come back to me, post several complaints (several follow - ups) – through all their platforms, Hello Peter, emails l could get online. o I highlighted to Vodacom the potential threat to life :

 Having reported this matter to Vodacom 14 Dec 2023, nearly 4 weeks ago –  Wherein, someone, managed to open a Life or Funeral insurance contract with Vodacom Life, wherein, Vodacom will reward or pay him or her ZARXX on my death post 6 month waiting period (& them meeting the premiums for 6 months).  There are several cases in the media, were in, people are killed for these insurance sums,  I have asked for a helping hand, from every section of Vodacom, from ***** to Customer, to Hello Peter (in a bid to save my life) – to no resolution 4 weeks later.  By close of business tomorrow, I am escalating this matter to Ombudsman for Short Term Insurance (OSTI), | Sitholizwe Mdlalose | Hello Peter and any other party who can extended a helping hand.  Not all things need to be copied to Sitho to be efficiently & effectively resolved.  My prayer is that none of you (or your relatives), here copied, have to go through this type of disregard for Life.  For me this is life and death, and the silence, after reporting the matter 4 weeks ago, does not reflect well on VodaCom and your promise to protect life and not be instruments of how life is taken prematurely.

o I failed to sleep the entire month, living in potential fear – whilst Vodacom dragged its feet, only replying because l had :

 Approached Hello Peter.  Copied nearly all available email addresses – from Executives to ***** sections.  Threat to bring the matter to the Regulator.  Threat to report to the CEO.

o After a month of anguish, l have been informed as follows (see email – Final Reminder) :

 From our extensive investigation into where our process went wrong we have identified from the sales recording that the sales agent captured the email address incorrectly as HH and should have been captured with <”XX”@gmail.com> (XX - Numerical characters).  What this means is that we have standard documents that are pre-set and approved by the underwriters for each newly created policy that we have on our system. Obviously for each policy holder the specific information (such as surname, address, Id number etc.) are imported and emailed to the policy holder on the purchase of the product.

o My grievance against Vodacom Life :

 Why can someone just quote details on a call, and a life or funeral contract be established, paying on the death of the insured – without even a fingerprint verification at some later date to confirm that the applicant is aware and consents to this cover – when we know people are being killed for these sums ?

 The insurance companies could easily make all funeral and life policy, become subject to a fingerprint verification – through the network of branches they have – It’s a pricey step for them, but is the protection of life not worth the cost (and besides premiums are 5% more expensive owing to these *****ulent activities).

 Coming to the Vodacom error, this is violation of the Popi Act, when l know nothing of a transaction – and now being sent complete Policy documents (VCFXX) – phone numbers (***) etc of this other RRR (full name).

 Additionally, the emotional anguish l went through, as Vodacom Life dragged their feet to redress what l believed was a life and death situation.

After the above horrid detailed ordeal, l get 2 responses from Mr. Fai.

I don’t even believe that it was a request – just mere statement of fact “The attachment that you sent is password protected.”

See attached emails for ease of reference.

The investigator, with access to all systems, after sending over 20 emails to Vodacom – his response is – the document, generated by Voda Life – which he is fami**** with – (processes and systems), has a password protection.

That was the worst treatment, l have come to experience from a renowned company, such as Vodacom.

Please advise your grievance process, as l believe my experience must be shared with others higher up the Vodacom chain.