Vodacom won’t help you replace a device insured by them, here’s proof

Ah January 2020 when I first had to deal with Vodacom Customer Care, Tobi their online help bot, Finrite and a service provider that will go to any length to ensure they don’t replace devices or cancel contracts. Nothing new on Hello Peter, but Vodacom does tend to have a knack for underwhelming customers and shrink their customer base. My experience however played out via email and even the blue-ticked Vodacom Twitter account got involved. And it’s pretty clear: they will make sure you are unable to replace a device. So, January 2020. Okay, I’ve paid for insurance the entire run of my contract, and now for the first time I will use it. Get the affidavits and whatever’s needed. First problem, to log into Vodacom and get your number blacklisted, you need your Vodacom number (quite hard when the device and sim card is no longer your property). Great, get Tobi to help. Can’t help me because I need to enter an OTP that is being sent to the number no longer in my possession. Finally get a human agent. Can’t help and I’m transferred to another department. Finally, IMEI numbers, etc is given to them. Vodacom now lodges a request for a replacement on my behalf, and ask I deal with Finrite. To have the number blacklisted and fill in the form you need an ITC number, which I now don’t have because Vodacom lodged the request on my behalf, and as a result I can’t complete the form. Moan and groan on Twitter. This gets sorted. I finally after nearly two months in mid-February 2020 have a claim number for a new device and I’m assured I can go to any store at any time, any day to order my replacement. February 12, I head to Vodashop Irene Village Mall. We go through the whole process of, phone ******, replacement, insurance. 30 Minutes of making copies of my ID and tapping on a keyboard the guy helping me says; “We can’t do this on a Sunday because Finrite is not available, will you come back tomorrow.” So, information that he could have given me from the start is given to me after I’ve wasted another 30 minutes and hours on back and forths with Vodacom and their various departments I walk out. Done. Depleted. Tired. My contract is nearly up and I phone the next day to cancel my contract instead of giving them a rand more or a minute of time. The agent goes through the options with me to buy out the contract which is (rounded off) R300 since I only have a month left. I agree to the final month on contract and then they’ll cancel. Life happens, and Vodacom is read as spam. Since I have no number with them I’m never notified that my contract was not cancelled and have moved to a month to month payment plan (since my latest run in, I was also never notified by email that they never cancelled my contract, or that I was moved onto another plan without my consent or notifying me in any way). January 2021, I get a bill. I’ve disregarded all Vodacom mails as spam and most of the subsequent bills have been in my spam folder. On January 28 I query this via email. I have no Vodacom number and can’t use the online service as I have no number to send an OTP to. Nothing. April 7, 2021. I’m mad by now. Vodacom has given no response and claims me as a customer, as they’ve been gnawing my bank account monthly sneakily. First things first, same problem. Can/t get hold of Vodacom via any method. Can’t phone them, don’t have a Vodacom number, and I refuse to pay only to be on hold for hours. Can’t email, can’t use their Tobi abomination (which also won’t let you through to a human agent no matter how many times you try, you will always get the same message of “sorry, no agents available”. Email again using the reference number they sent January and DM Vodacom and Vodacom Support. The torrid exchanges from 2020 still in my Messages. (BTW, my last message to them after they promised they will look into the matter was “I won’t hold my breath”. Glad I didn’t. I have no screencaptured all the exchanges (and the latest) just to show how they refuse to help. Anyway, the request is simple to them – I cancelled my contract, here’s the rundown, and I cancelled it because it took two months to get a new device from you. It’s over a year later and I queried a bill in January and again stated I cancelled this contract in February 2020, I need clarity. First response from Vodacom on April 7, 2021, ‘did you receive a device and how can we help you?’. My plan was to merely ensure this terrible contract is cancelled, but now I’m working the device back in – I mean if I were to receive a device I’ve given up on and get my contract cancelled, 2021 is looking up. Everything you’ve read above happened exactly the same way. No matter how many times you share a claim number and all the details, you’ll either be told they will phone you (on the number that is meant to be blacklisted and was reported ******) or you have to go to a store. Finally I get someone on email from their Customer Service Department. Same story, over again. I ask why I wasn’t contacted in January. They say “it must have been a technical difficulty”. I start again on April 8, repeating the same story on Twitter and email. Phone accounts, phone Finrite is the basic response, with no explanation on why they there have been no response. Finally, via Twitter get the address for their legal department. The legal department. Anyway, please do send spam to *** if you have any contract disputes or customer query disputes. This is apparently the email to use for that. In 1 year and 4 months I’ve asked Vodacom’s help to replace a device through their chosen short-term insurance provider 37 times through mails and tweets. I have phoned and been on calls with agents four times to get the device replaced. I have visited a shop. I have been on calls with agents twice to cancel a contract. Every time, nothing gets done and you’re referred back to self service or their call centre. For which you need a Vodacom number to receive OTP’s or to call them from. On April 7 and 8 2021 I asked Vodacom nine times how they intend to help me replace a device and cancel a contract, why my contract wasn’t cancelled and why queries from January 2021 was never answered. So far that email address is the only new tidbit of information, for a department that certainly won’t help in either regard. They just really don’t want to help you replace a device. Please never take insurance with a device. And if you can, do cancel your contract with them. Vodacom is truly still the worst service provider in terms of Customer Service.