Worst Network.

Vodacom is the worst ! July last year , I went into a Vodacom store in Chatsworth Centre to purchase a phone cash. A female consultant came up to me and ask how she could assist , i told her i would like to buy a phone cash , she asked me why do I want to buy it cash when I can just take a contract . So I explained to her that I have tried on numerous occasions to take a contract but did not qualify. She assured me that I would get a contract with vodacom I told her its impossible because I have tried before... she said she will see to it that I will get one today and I wont leave the store without one. So she took my details and began typing away on her computer , after a few mins she tells me I do qualify for a contract sim card so I explained to her i need a phone not a sim card , and there is no point getting a contract sim card when i have no phone. Then she said ok no problem i will check again on the system ... then she says I qualify for a phone but in order for me to get the phone I need to pay an amount of R505 , so I said no problem , I was excited instead of paying couple or thousands I just have to pay R505. Then I take out my card to pay and she tells me that they dont accept card for this sort of payment I need to pay cash so I went to the atm to withdraw the money. I got back to the store and then she tells me she cannot give me a receipt because their printer is not working, so I did not think much of it she noted it down for me on a page that i received with my phone. I trusted her so I said its fine.

Then within a month of having the phone I started having problems with it, the phone was heating up, so badly that I could not even hold it and it wouldnt charge most of the time and also the network will go off for hours and sometimes even days . I decided take it to vodacom store and spoke to the technician in the store he tested the phone with his charger and said it was probably my charger that is the problem and that's what's causing the phone to heat up and for the network to go off , he advised me to buy another charger with was R300 , I did not have the money for it at that time so I asked if I could possibly use another charger to charge it he said yes . I tried quite a few chargers but nothing worked I had to go back to the store , he said he needs to book the phone and the charger in for repairs , i was shocked , how can a new phone go in for repairs but there was nothing I could do I had to give it in. The guy at the store told me they will call me in 3 days to tell me the fault ,a week went by and still no contact from vodacom , so I called the store and the guy said that the phone was the problem and they are repairing it . He said he will it will be ready in about 2 weeks for pick up but he will call to let me know . After 3 weeks still nothing so I called again and he says that the phone is in the store I musy pick up. When I went to receive it, he switched it on and it was working but I noticed a lot of scratches on the back cover of the phone i showed it to him he said they will sort it out, it wont take long he will do it while I'm there but i must bring it back to the store another day. After some time when I was in the area I went to the store to change the cover , someone else tells me that I have to book in the phone and they will change it and it will take 2 to 3 weeks to receive it. I explained that the technician said it will be done while I am there at the store , she said no It cant be done. I was ****ed off ! I was not going to book the phone in again and not have it for so long again.

Another day while in the centre I decided to go to the store and told a consultant I would like to insure the contract . She took my details down and asked what cover would I like to take , I said a full cover. She did not read of the terms and conditions to me or even explain anything to me all she said was done , I wasn't even given any documents to sign. She said to me the debit will go off end of the month. Come end of the month , no debit went off I called the store they said end if next month the first debit will go off , so when the debit did go of I was double debited , I was very irritated , I did not accommodate for a double debit.

10 months down the line , I was held up and ****** for the phone! That phone was really a bad luck phone from the time I got it. I immediately went to the store to block the phone and they told me i need to report it and come back to them. I went to the police station reported the incident and went back to vodacom still shaken up after what has happened. I told them that the sim was not in the phone it was in the back cover ( because I was still having network issues with it , but my daughter used to use the sim on her tab for the data and it used to work perfect ) . They told me that is fine because the phone is insured not the sim so it does not matter whether the sim was in or not. So they sent through the insurance claim and said in 5 days they will let me know . After a week no response I was very angry because it always an expense to me phoning and taking an uber to the store. I called yet again and was told that the claim as been declined due to the sim not being in the phone. I was extremely angry and upset because I was told that it doesnt not matter because the phone insured not the sim. And when I took the contract the consultant did not even mention to me that I can not put another sim on the phone , it was my first time taking a contract how am I suppose to know all this if I wasnt told. I asked to speak to the consultant who offered me the contract and I was told she was fired for offering contracts and taking money in return, I was shocked to know that I have been one of those many people that have been ****med. I'm totally disgusted with vodacom and their staff , they are absolutely rude and not helpful at all. I am not prepared to pay hundreds of rands for something I dont have.