Worst service by far!

To start I have had a contract with Vodacom for the past thirteen years.

My iPhone fell out of my pocket in a parking lot at my nearby supermarket and was driven over by numerous cars as I did not realize what happened at the time. It took me a few minutes to realized that my phone was missing and as I went back to see where I can find the phone, I found it in a pothole filled with water as it has been raining at that time and driven over multiple times. I contacted Vodacom on Tuesday 16 April to report the claim and was shocked to hear that my insurance was cancelled due to a Vodacom system error. The representative then informed me that the insurance will be reinstated with immediate effect as it was a Vodacom system error and that I will not have any problems with the claim. The representative informed me to go to my nearest Vodacom store and they will assist me with the claim.

On Wednesday morning the 17th of April I went to the Vodacom shop to submit the claim and get a new iPhone as the insurance was in place. Once assisted by a in store Vodacom consultant the lady informed that she cannot process the claim as the Vodacom system shows that the insurance has been cancelled and that no insurance was in place. The Lady informed me that the Vodacom insurance department must rectify the fault on the system. I then had to leave the Vodacom shop as they could not do anything for me. I contacted Vodacom insurance *** four times with a total call time of one hour and forty-six minutes only for them to inform me that there is nothing they can do to change the Vodacom system status and that I will have to go back to the store to book the phone in manually.

On Thursday 18th of April, I went back to the Vodacom shop to go and book the phone in manually. There I had to explain to the consultant what needed to be done and had to call Vodacom insurance again for their representatives to explain to the technician at the Vodacom shop that the phone must be booked in manually as the system does not allow for it to be booked in under the Vodacom insurance process. Constant humiliation from Vodacom insurance operator of having to be referred to back premiums whilst talking to the Vodacom technician on loudspeaker and other clients looking at me as if I am in the wrong. The iPhone was eventually booked in manually and I now had to wait for a quotation from Vodacom for the repair of replacement of the iPhone.

It took Vodacom thirteen days to complete and sent the quotation to me. I immediately sent the quotation to Vodacom Insurance on Tuesday 30th of April. I only got feedback from Vodacom insurance on the 2nd of May informing me that the claim was now referred to back premiums and that we will have to wait for feedback from the relevant department at Vodacom insurance. I had to follow up on the 6th of May via e-mail as I still had no feedback from Vodacom insurance since the 2nd of May. My e-mails were ignored, and I had to follow up on the 7th of May again via e-mail and a call to Vodacom insurance. Vodacom insurance then sent me an e-mail on the 7th of May informing me that I have to pay R3796.79, no breakdown of how the sum was calculated and no attached invoice. I then requested that they send me a breakdown of how the sum of R3796.79 was calculated.

My emails were repeatedly ignored, prompting me to follow up on the 8th and again on the 10th. Finally, on the 10th, I received a response stating that my claim was approved, and the payment of R3796.79 was waived. The phone was slated for repair at the Vodacom repair center. However, after not hearing back from Vodacom regarding the progress of the repairs, I reached out again on the 14th. Frustrated by the lack of communication, I decided to contact Vodacom insurance for assistance. Shockingly, I was informed that the phone was irreparable, despite waiting 13 days for a repair quotation. I was then instructed to visit my nearest Vodacom shop for a replacement. At the store, I discovered that my iPhone 12 mini 256GB model was discontinued. The representative informed me that the closest available option was an iPhone 14, but only in 128GB, which was insufficient for my needs. Insisting on 256GB, the only viable option was an iPhone 15, but this came with additional costs. Vodacom insurance demanded a betterment fee of R6298.60, along with an excess fee of R2536, totaling R8834.60. Unfortunately, I cannot afford this amount, especially considering I am barely able to cover the excess fee. It's disappointing that Vodacom insurance, as a prominent company, doesn't stock iPhone 13 or 14 in the 256GB model and expects me to pay such hefty fees.

"In summary, the Vodacom system is dysfunctional; they consistently fail to respond, prolonging this ordeal over 29 days. I've spent over 2 hours on calls, sent 14 emails, and made three in-store visits, all to no avail. Despite this, Vodacom insurance has not delivered a satisfactory resolution. Such subpar service is inexcusable from a company of their caliber. I am deeply disappointed and have decided not to renew my contract with Vodacom.