Vodacom refuses to take responsibilty

Vodacom refuses to repair/replace their Vodacom Smart Tab 3G. The error messages seem to be software related. Their reason for not repairing or replacing is due to the fact that there are scratches on the phone. The camera does not work either. Vodacom raised a quote of - R780 (for a new phone, why? why can it not be repaired?) yet when I took it to the store I was told to pay R80 to back up the data and they would restore factory settings but I refused feeling it should be a free charge. I escalated the issue and it was agreed that the scratches had nothing to do with the errors messages. Then I received no further communication via escalation email after I advised that it should not be my problem that the tablet has software problems instead I received an sms saying that the phone will be sent back to the store not repaired. This is the wonderful service that we receive from our service provider whom that will not accept responsibility for the devices having factory faults. The scratches are probably so minor too but its their policy so they say. Please can someone who will replace/repair the device free of charge contact me. Thanks Nicola.