SM
Sharmini M

1 reviews | Active since Nov 2009

24 Jan 2019, 10:34

Vodacom online "sales"

Vodacom's online portal to place new orders is incredibly inefficient. On 23 November 2018 I placed an order for a Huawei R218h Mobile Wifi with a 20 gig data price plan. I received a confirmation email with the order details, a reference number and a promise that I would receive further instructions either via email or from a call centre agent. I then received an SMS requesting further supporting documentation which I submitted via email. From the initial order placement until today I have not received the device, the order was not processed and no further communication was received from Vodacom Online unless initiated by myself via their Facebook page. Social media consultants would then respond to my Facebook posts saying they were forwarding my query to their online sales team. To date, I received only two phone calls from these sales consultants who informed me that they needed to investigate further and get back to me as the offer was no longer available at the price I had initially signed on for. They would need to speak to their manager to get him/her to re-open that offer. When I asked to speak to said manager the response was that they'd refer them to me. It's been 2 months and I have not received any further communication from Vodacom. This flagrant disregard for their clients and the lack of service provided is very disappointing from a telecommunications company that I previously held in high esteem. As a loyal customer for over a decade, this type of behaviour leaves a bitter taste and certainly does not make the idea of renewing my cellphone contract with them very appealing.

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Replies (4)
Vodacom
Vodacom's reply24 Jan 2019, 11:22
Official
Dear Customer,  Thank you for making us aware of your complaint.  Kindly be advised that a consultant will make contact with you in due course to assist with your query.  ***Please note*** Beware of phishing ****s.  Vodacom will not contact you via Whatsapp to request your personal details  Regards,  Vodacom Consumer Website Team        
SM
Sharmini M's update24 Jan 2019, 11:53
Reviewer Update
As indicated in my complaint consultants were in contact with me after I took the initiative to follow up on the order myself. They were wholly unhelpful and gave the standard response of "we'll have to look into it". In fact, the one consultant was entirely unaware of what the background of the complaint was and merely phoned me because she received an email from the social media department as I had lodged my complaint there initially. I hope to interact with a more competent individual this time around. But I won't hold my breath.
Vodacom
Vodacom's reply28 Jan 2019, 13:01
Official
Dear Sharmini, 
 Thank you for the time and effort taken to voice your dissatisfaction to our office. It is with the cooperation and feedback from valued clients such as yourself that we are able to identify any areas of improvement within our organisation.  As per our chat today, we have escalated the matter to our Vodacom Online Sales team for assistance. You will be contacted shortly regarding feedback. Regards Ashwin Abdurahman  Consumer Website Team(SA)   
SM
Sharmini M's update29 Jan 2019, 10:37
Reviewer Update
So after much back and forth Vodacom cannot honour their deal which they advertised on Black Friday 2018 and are no longer prepared to supply me with the contract at the price that I signed up for. According to a very helpful Ashwin, who was the only consultant who followed up, they claim that the confirmation email is actually not a confirmation of anything. Only if a sales consultant contacted me within 24hrs after placing the online order should I consider the order successful. (Apparently I have the wrong understanding of what a confirmation email is?). To further explain, the availability of a device is not guaranteed irrespective if it does not indicate that it was sold out on their website. Again, business practices by Vodacom leave a lot to be desired. Maybe a manager will contact me, maybe not. His/her availability might be subject to the same ridiculous conditions.