Vodacom robbing inncoent customers, warranty is a mere piece of paper!

I am at the height of frustration with the blatant service or should i say lack of service provided by Vodacom, We purchased a Samsung S8 just over a year ago and recently the battery swelled up and popped so been comfortable that its under warranty we took it in to the store and they booked it in. To our dismay feedback was provided stating that" sorry your warranty doesnt cover the repairs because you had previously dropped your phone" ABSOLUTE LIES!!! they are looking for every reason to make us pay, oh and the bill to fix it is R10 500!!!! So i explained that the phone was not damaged when i handed it in so i requested the checklist and i was told that the phone was transported from 1 place to another and there is no checklist, so why am i held accountable for this, surely their employees could have dropped the phone or it could have been damaged in transit? It is disgusting that you would want to rob hard working individuals who have been loyal to your business for many years!

The response below is what I got from Lindiwe from Repairs escalations, absolutely shocking! I took the phone in because the battery swelled and popped, surely that is a manufacturer problem. "Regrettably we cannot repair it under warranty, as it does not meet the warranty terms and conditions. The customer can submit an insurance claim if covered, they cover accidental damages."