Vodacom's Appalling Treatment of Customers and Staff: DV3K16DAAA Unresolved PS5 Deal - 7 Months and Counting

I am writing this to share my deeply frustrating and ongoing experience with Vodacom. What was initially an exciting upgrade to my contract has turned into a nightmare, filled with broken promises, endless delays, and a complete lack of accountability. As someone who works in the telecommunications industry, I understand the importance of customer service and the correct way things should be handled. Vodacom has failed on all fronts.

On November 11, 2023, I app**** for a deal on Vodacom's website and requested a call to upgrade to this deal:

R299 pm x 36 months PS5 Console with PS Plus Deluxe Bundle (24-month subscription) Home Internet 10Mbps Fair Usage Policy of 200GB Router

I received a call from a Vodacom online sales agent named Preston, who confirmed this deal during a phone call and later reconfirmed that the PS5 was included. I took screenshots of the deal and provided these to Vodacom.

Despite the clear confirmation, I only received the router, not the PS5. When I called to query this, I was told the PS5 was not included. Shockingly, I received a new contract via email that contradicted the original deal. How can Vodacom send me a new contract after the upgrade was already active?

After numerous calls and emails, Preston searched for the deal code and acknowledged that the PS5 was part of the deal. Vodacom's management made Preston accountable for the PS5 deal, even though the call recordings will clearly show that Preston did his due diligence to check and confirm that it was definitely part of the deal. Preston called, confirmed once again calls were recorded and offered me R1000 over 12 months from his own pocket as compensation for the PS5, which I declined because Vodacom should be responsible, not Preston. This offer was outright wrong and unacceptable. When I requested the call recordings, my request was denied. I was referred to an online disclaimer that contradicted everything and was not clear at all. I spoke to another representative on June 3rd, 2024, who promised to investigate and get back to me by June 7th. I am still waiting.

Prior to the call I received 3rd June 2024, I have spoken to numerous agents who have referred me back and forth between departments, costing me money in phone calls without providing any solutions. This is my third ticket on this issue. The previous two tickets were closed with no resolution. I have reference numbers for all three tickets, and still, there has been no progress.

I have been waiting for 7 months, paying for a service that is incomplete. I have been more than patient, but my patience has run out. This is clearly a tactic to pass responsibility, delay and frustrate customers.

Not only is this about a PS5, but it is also about how Vodacom treats its customers and staff. Making Preston liable to provide a PS5 out of his own pocket is unacceptable. This entire situation reflects poorly on Vodacom’s customer service and internal processes. Accepting compensation from an agent personally is unacceptable; it must come from Vodacom with proper documentation. If I had to accept the agents offer to pay me R1000 monthly that agent can just easily resign and forget about the payments leaving me as the customer still with no PS5 and liable for a 36 months contract. Vodacom would still take no responsibility for that.

And no, this is not me being a "Karen". I exercised all the proper channels to get this resolved. Vodacom has left me no choice but to take this to social media. This is a personal issue with Vodacom which affects me directly. My son was so excited, Christmas went by, and next month is his birthday, and still no resolution 7 months later.

This deal was online for weeks prior to Black Friday and even after Black Friday. Vodacom claiming it was an error and passing the buck onto an employee who confirmed it on a call is unacceptable. The deal was confirmed online and via telephone more than once. I originally thought this deal was in error, but when it was confirmed twice on call, it confirmed to me it was definitely not in error. However, when the PS5 didn't arrive, they made the excuse that it was in error. All this after the 36-month upgrade was done and only after my second call to query did they send me a new contract document that did not include the PS5 bundle. So you tell me, how can the Vodacom employee be accountable for that, and why should I, the customer, be denied the deal?

I urge everyone to consider my experience when dealing with Vodacom. This is not just an isolated incident but a reflection of how they handle customer issues. Vodacom must honor the confirmed deal and provide the PS5, stop passing the buck and take corporate responsibility, and improve their customer service and internal communication.

This post will be shared on Hello Peter and all of Vodacom’s social media pages until this matter is resolved. Vodacom, it’s time to step up and do right by your customers and employees.