VODACOM ********LY BLACKLISTED PRIVATE HANDSET

After a long ordeal of 48 days to port my number (I was previously a Vodacom client up to end of October 2018) back from FNB Connect to the Vodacom Network, I was informed on Friday 20 December 2019 by a Vodacom Shop assistant that my phone, Samsung Galaxy S7 (IMEI: ***34642), which I bought cash in January 2017, was blacklisted by the Finance department due to lack of payment/not settling my outstanding account. I have completed the required Un-blacklist request form, Copy of my ID, SAPS Affidavit and the last three month’s statements received from Vodacom in 2018 to show that all payments was in fact up to date.

I submitted the affidavit, ID Copy and unblacklisting form to *** on 27/12/2019 and I received the Ref. No.: EC-1SNF-2E4IT1. On 30/12/2019 I received an e-mail from Debbie stating "Kindly phone Accounts department on *** for the unblacklisting of your handset" and that "Your service request no. EC-1SNF-2E4IT1 has been closed". After speaking to a chap at the Accounts Department, who informed me that that department CAN NOT un-blacklist my handset, I was eventually transferred (after two more calls to the Customer Service Centre) to the Collections Department. The guy I spoke to confirmed that my account has never been in arrears and after giving him my Ref No., he assured me that my phone would be un-blacklisted within the next 24 hours. This after being on the phone with Vodacom for over a Hour.

To date (2 January 2020), 72 hours later my phone have still not been un-blacklisted. My phone was bought privately and Vodacom never had any rights to blacklist my handset and it has been an excruciatingly painful and frustrating process to undone their actions.