R4,000 Router Charge After Poor Service and Zero Accountability

I’ve had a long, frustrating experience with VOX Telecom that I feel the public — and hopefully someone senior at VOX — needs to know about.

I originally had a VOX fibre line installed in a business I owned (a pub at 12 Marsh Street, Mossel Bay). When I sold the business in 2023, I sent a formal cancellation request via email. Vox acknowledged this request but failed to guide me properly on closing the account or returning the router.

Later, I had to take the business back because the first buyer didn’t pay. I reopened the pub and asked Vox to reactivate the line, which they did. During this reactivation, a technician came to the premises — but instead of collecting the existing router, they installed a second one. I was never asked to return the old router, nor did anyone make an attempt to collect it, despite a VOX office being nearby.

After I sold the business for a second time, I once again tried to transfer ownership of the account. I emailed Vox the new owner's details and asked them to handle the transfer. Vox opened a support ticket and sent back a long list of business/RICA documents, which I couldn't legally obtain on the new owner’s behalf. They never followed up or offered help — and without warning, they sent the account to collections for R6,000+, including a R3,998 router fee.

I’ve since paid the entire service balance, including interest, to settle this matter in good faith. But they continue to chase me for this inflated router charge — for a device they failed to recover when their own technician was on site, and which I never refused to return. Vox's staff let this case go dormant for almost a year. Where do they expect me to find the routers since the same address had had two new owners since I cancelled the second time.

VOX’s communication has been awful. Emails go unanswered. I get stock responses from their pre-legal department that feel more like stonewalling than customer service. I have now logged multiple service requests, but no one will take proper responsibility.

I’m willing to return or even replace the router myself — but I will not pay R4,000 for VOX’s own failure to manage their hardware or their process.

This is not how you treat a paying, cooperative customer. I’m now preparing to escalate this to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud and the Credit Ombud.

I’d love for someone at VOX who actually cares about customers to step in and resolve this professionally.