Vodacom, PLEASE EXPLAIN YOURSELF!

VODACOM's Customer Care is disgusting and ***********!

I app**** for an upgrade mid-August (online). It was a pre-order as the phone wasn't available yet. I eventually received the phone end of August HOWEVER, the first payment for the phone went off my account 25th August!!!!! RED FLAG NUMBER 1

Could not make use of the phone as there's not charger. You have to order the charger - you only receive a cable - which you CANNOT USE without the charging block therefore you CANNOT USE the new phone. When I eventually had the charger, I had use of the phone +-4-5 days before it started overheating. A new phone overheated!! Unheard of!!!

I called it in to Vodacom (14/09) who promptly advised me to take it into the nearest store. Which I did. Only to realise they will be sending my new phone away for REPAIRS! Repairs on a new phone! RED FLAG #2

I eventually received my new phone back on the 29/09. Started up the phone and encountered the same problem. Overheating. Called it in to the Call Centre again and was advised that they would send the courier to come and collect. So I wait. Second payment for said phone had already gone off my account on 25th.

On 04/10 I call in again and asked now when is this courier coming to collect this faulty phone? Guess what? It hadn't been logged - there was NOTHING on my account to say it had to be collected. They promptly "escalate" my request for collection (as if I had a choice in the matter) and collect the phone on 11/10. On the 14th October I call in again to find out if they have received the phone into their possession. Spent 25minutes on the phone to hear that yes indeed, they have received the phone. I ask if I can now order the replacement phone and yes indeed, I can now do so. Right, order placed. Only to receive a call "verifying" my order - in this verification process you get asked random, stupid questions which I failed spectacularly and was told to go to the nearest Vodacom store to place a manual order for my replacement phone. I only had to take my COL code and the store would assist me.

I went to the closest store where it was explained to me that Vodacom - all departments - ****ed up! NOBODY had cancelled my existing contract (the upgrade) therefore if I proceeded with the new replacement, I would be paying TWICE for the same thing! The assistant at the store was brave and kind enough to call Vodacom to ask what was happening and all kinds of answers came up because - yes, you guessed it - nobody made ample notes and the entire thing had to be explained from the beginning! The young lady assisting me was kind enough to lodge a service request with Vodacom whereby they must cancel the existing contract. Today is the 20th October 2022 - I received a call from Vodacom advising that the existing contract has now been cancelled HOWEVER because it is their systems, I will only be able to apply for the upgrade on the 01st November. In the interim, I am still paying for a new contract of which I DO NOT have the handset!

Vodacom, please explain your reasoning behind all of this? 3 payments for a new phone that I don't have! Extra payments as I upgraded 2 months before my contract expired yet I don't have a replacement phone? How does this all compute? Does anyone in that place know what they are doing?