VODACOM'S ******** CONDUCT TOWARDS CUSTOMERS ( VODA's ACT OF THIEVERY )

<p>1. I hereby express my absolute disgust with Vodacom’s extreme incompetence and ******** conduct. Firstly I had a contract with Vodacom which officially terminated on 18 September 2016. However before a contract is officially terminated, Vodacom requires that a customer (which in this case is myself) sends them a cancellation notification one month in advance so that the contact can be terminated on their system.</p> <p> </p> <p>2. I obliged to this requirement and a notice was sent to Vodacom on 18 August 2016. As evidence Vodacom confirmed as follows,”</p> <p>Good Day Sir,</p> <p>Please find attached the cancellation sent through to our department.</p> <p>Please note this was done on the 18th of August already.</p> <p>The mail address to query this will be ********** <p>Thank you,</p> <p>Regards</p> <p>Michelle Liebenberg</p> <p>Sales Consultant</p> <p>Vodacom Shop Picbel Parkade</p> <p>Tel: 021 ********** </p> <p>Cell: 072 ********** </p> <p>E-mail: ********** <p> </p> <p>3. Given that the contract had legally lapsed on the 18 September 2016, this meant that Vodacom has no legal right to deduct any money from my bank account as I had no longer had any financial obligations towards them. However, to my dismay on 19/October/2016 VODACOM deducted R 119.00 from my Bank account. The deduction of this amount from my bank account is simply ******* as Vodacom has no legal standing for carrying out such a transaction. This amounts to *****ing as there was no consent given by me to Vodacom to deduct money from my account.</p> <p> </p> <p>4. Nonetheless, on the 19th of October 2016 I notified VODACOM in this regard, and requested that the ******** transaction be rectified by refunding me my money and further instructed them to deposit the money back to my bank account. VODACOM responded as follows, “</p> <p>· From: ********** ********** <br /> Sent: 19 October 2016 01:11 PM<br /> To: Xola Vabaza<br /> Subject: RE: Vodacom Customer Care Reply - Authentication Response ***</p> <p>Dear Xola</p> <p> Thank you for your email.</p> <p> I have tried to contact you on ********** 130, but the phone rang and routed to voicemail. Please be advised that your query is been logged to our Back office and refund has been requested also, please note process of refund may take up to 7 to 14 working days. The service reference number is 1- ********** 8468.<br /> Regards,</p> <p><br /> Tamella Gxothiwe<br /> Customer Care<br /> eService Team”.</p> <p> </p> <p>And </p> <p> </p> <p>· From: ********** ********** <br /> Sent: 25 October 2016 01:10 PM<br /> To: Xola Vabaza<br /> Subject: 1- ********** 8748 ***</p> <p>Dear Xola Vabaza</p> <p> We acknowledge the receipt of your email.</p> <p>Kindly be advised that I have tried contacting you on ********** 130 at 13h53, however you were unavailable to take my call.</p> <p>With reference to service request reference number 1- ********** 8468 logged on the 19th October 2016.</p> <p>The line was cancelled the credit request credit for R119, 49 passed to your Vodacom account.</p> <p>The request has now been made for the credit balance on your Vodacom Account to be transferred to your Bank account. The reference number for that is 1- ********** 8748 and it can take 7- 14 working days for the amount to be transferred to your bank account.</p> <p>For any future enquiries you may also chat to us directly via the following link between the hours of 8am and 10pm: https://help.vodacom.co.za/vchat/chat.aspx </p> <p>Regards,<br /> Kabelo Mogorosi<br /> <br /> Customer Care<br /> eService Team</p> <p> </p> <p>5. Notably, I had to wait a maximum of 14 days for a glitch which emanated from VODACOM’s administration. Again I obliged to VODACOM’s policy as inconvenient as it is. Furthermore VODACOM maintains that “The request has now been made for the credit balance on your Vodacom Account to be transferred to your Bank account” (From: ********** 25 October 2016 01:10 PM)</p> <p> </p> <p>However, their (VODACOM’s) incompetence resurfaced when it transpired that my money was not refunded after the 14 days waiting period which they (VODACOM) prescribed on their own. Quite disappointing for such a big company to not even adhere to its own policies and controls. I therefore made a follow up query upon discovering that the refund was not done, where I communicated as follows,</p> <p>“From: Xola Vabaza <br /> Sent: 09 November 2016 02:40 PM<br /> To: ********** /> Subject: RE: Vodacom Customer Care Reply - Authentication Response ***</p> <p>Good afternoon</p> <p>In reference to the below mentioned.</p> <p>Today is the 15th working day and the response below stipulated that my money will be refunded within (up to) 14 days maximum. I really do not appreciate the sluggish or incompetency of Vodacom in dealing with my issue as it stems from its own incompetency in any case. It is quite exhausting that I have to remind an organisation on how to do its job. I would like to inform that as a matter of courtesy to please oblige by the communication below as I will simply go the bank to dispute the amount and secondly report on Hello Peter website and the National consumer commissioner your nauseating conduct.</p> <p> Vodacom responded saying (email below)</p> <p>From: ********** ********** <br /> Sent: 09 November 2016 10:00 PM<br /> To: Xola Vabaza<br /> Subject: RE: Vodacom Customer Care Reply - Authentication Response ***</p> <p>Dear Xola</p> <p> </p> <p> Thank you for your email.</p> <p> Kindly be advised that the credit has been passed to your Vodacom account, however I have sent an email to our Back Office to find out when the funds will be paid directly to your bank account.</p> <p> </p> <p>If possible, please provide us with a contact number should we need to call you.</p> <p> </p> <p>Thank you for your patience with this query and we apologise for any inconvenience that you may have experienced.</p> <p> </p> <p>Regards,<br /> Elna Letsimo<br /> <br /> Customer Care<br /> eService Team”.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>What is clear here is that VODACOM has not paid my money which they deducted ********ly and cannot account for it.</p> <p> </p> <p>6. On the 10/11/2016, I again contacted Vodacom about my query which was initially lodged on the 19/October 2016. I communicated as follows, </p> <p>“From: Xola Vabaza</p> <p>Sent: 10 November 2016 01:39 PM</p> <p>To: ********** <p>Subject: RE: Vodacom Customer Care Reply - Authentication Response ***</p> <p>I have noticed how your organisation hasn’t given a direct response to the pertinent issue. The point of focus is not the addition of my number but what is mentioned below (refund). Please note that Vodacom has committed to refund me within a maximum of 14 days as of 19 October 2016. It is now obvious that the 14 days maximum as stipulated by your company (Vodacom policy) has lapsed and no refund has been made. can you therefore address the actual issue of Vodacom’s incompetence at hand. When is Vodacom making the refund, has it actually been made or patronised as have been so far”.</p> <p> </p> <p>AGAIN VODACOM gave an orthodox response saying</p> <p> </p> <p>“From: ********** ********** <br /> Sent: 10 November 2016 02:13 PM<br /> To: Xola Vabaza<br /> Subject: RE: Vodacom Customer Care Reply - Authentication Response ***</p> <p>Good day Xola</p> <p> </p> <p>Thank you for your email.</p> <p> </p> <p>As per our telephonic interaction on ********** 634 I Authenticated you and you requested that we provide you with feedback on your query.</p> <p> </p> <p>Please be advised that a refund was requested by vodacom.</p> <p>Your request was forwarded to our back office and I requested for urgent feedback.Please be advised that a refund can take 7 to 14 working days to be paid into your bank account.</p> <p> </p> <p>We apologise for the inconvenience caused.</p> <p><br /> Contact us for further assistance.</p> <p><br /> Regards,<br /> Charne Petersen<br /> <br /> Customer Care<br /> eService Team”.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>More worryingly here is that I am again told that my complaint must be subjected to the 14 days waiting period whereas the reason for my follow up query is that the 14 working days waiting period for a refund has already lapsed, and now VODACOM in trying to avoid paying my money they play the 14 working days period card for the same complaint that was lodged more than 14 days ago.</p> <p> </p> <p>7. Fast forward to 30/11/2016, I again approached Vodacom and further queried about my money, they responded as follows’ “</p> <p> </p> <p>From: ********** ********** <br /> Sent: 30 November 2016 10:16 AM<br /> To: Xola Vabaza<br /> Subject: RE: Vodacom Customer Care Reply - Authentication Response ***</p> <p>Dear Xola</p> <p> </p> <p>Thank you for your email.</p> <p> </p> <p>As per our telephonic intercation on ********** 634 at 30/11/2016. authentication process followed.</p> <p> </p> <p>Feedback regarding your query with reference number 1- ********** 8468 is as follow :</p> <p> </p> <p>"refund done by letchie"</p> <p> </p> <p>I contacted the Owner of your query internally with regards to reference number 1- ********** 8468 the Owner advised that she will deposit the money for the Credit which has been passed to your Vodacom Account into your Personal Bank Account within 10-15 working days.</p> <p><br /> I do apologise for any inconvenience caused.</p> <p><br /> Kind Regards,<br /> Alida Brown<br /> <br /> Customer Care<br /> eService Team</p> <p> </p> <p>Again VODACOM’s response highlights that I must again wait another 10 to 15 working days. What can be deduced here is the misrepresentation and dishonesty by VODACOM, this can be seen by the altering of the waiting period for a refund, it has now went from 7 to 14 working days to being 10 to 15 working days. This also alludes to VODACOM’s attitude of refusing to pay me my money which they have ********ly deducted from my bank account (*****ing).</p> <p> </p> <p>8. It must also be noted that I gave VODACOM more than enough time to rectify their ******** conduct and since the 19/10/2016 to date my money has not been refunded.</p> <p>The principle of the matter is that VODACOM has acted *******ly and went into my bank account without any authorised permission and thereafter I had to waste my time and drain my resources as a customer by chasing after them (VODACOM) telling their staff how to do their work .</p> <p> </p>