Vodacom
Reviews and Complaints

I have been a loyal Vodacom customer (contract holder) for as long as I can remember; but with the treatment I got from them im not sure if I will stick around.

I have contacted Vodacom on the 11th of June @ 10am to order a phone online. Although I was not sure of the device I wanted, I finally opted for Samsung Galaxy 87. I was then told that I will receive the phone on Monday the 13 June. The name of the person who assisted me with the order was Pertian. The names in this letter might have spelled wrong but im certain that Vodacom will be able to get the details from the system and recordings.

On Monday, I did not receive the phone or any communication from Vodacom; as such I thought maybe its an opportunity to change the order; thus device and plan. I decided to call them on Tuesday the 14th June, I told the lady about my story and that I would like to change the order since no activity happened on the order yet; but the lady told me that Pertian is not around, she will tell him to call me.

Pertian did not call me, but to my surprise, I get a message that my order has been approved. @ 12:12 pm. Really now (the order which has been placed on Sa****ay; what happened to the following working day delivery promise”)

I then immediately got the message that the phone is awaiting to be dispatched to the courier company.

Okay I then called again and spoken to Shait @ 12;52 and explain to him the story. He told me that Pertian is not on his desk, but he advised that they cannot cancel the order because is out already; I should allow the process to happen and not accept the delivery. They will cancel the order and give me the new phone as soon as they receive the phone back. I then trusted him and did as he advised.

Delivery only took place on Wednesday.

I called them on Monday the 20th June @ 8;48 to check the process since no one called me from their side. They told me again that Pertain is not at the desk AGAIN. I talked to Sabiha again who told me that I have to wait for 14 working days to get everything back on track. And she promised that she will tell Pertian to call me immediately. Today is Friday the 24 June 2016, im still waiting for their call.

Today is the 19 July 2016, but no one ever called me to date

I am so sick of you people, I upgraded last week Thursday, my phone was delivered with a new simcard, and on Saturday morning when the new simcard wasn’t on yet I went to the Irene outlet, and the guy wasn’t very helpful he didn’t even listen to what I had to say or explain anything he just said he can’t help me with the simcard if it was ordered online i need to phone this number 082 111 and do a sim swap, ok so i got home spend almost two hours on the phone jumping from one department to the other, with "Guess What" no result, the lady at the call centre assured me that she will do the sim swap and i will receive a sms before end of day on Saturday, So by Yesterday when my new sim card was still not working I phoned again and after 30 min the lady told me that there is a error on their system because my current order for the new phone is still showing " Pending" which to her was weird cause on the system the cancel date for the order was the 16th and guess what yesterday was the 18th already ... She PROMISED me that she will look into the problem and phone me back before 17h00 yesterday afternoon, Well I waited and waited and waited until this morning still no call, so I phoned again, got through to a lady that clearly had a bad night last night cause she was so rude and sounded like she pulled a triple shift, Guess what this lady told me ... I need to go to a Vodacom shop, hahahaha hahahahaha... so now im back where i started on Saturday morning, I dont care that im swearing or rude you people are useless, I had endless problems just to get upgraded in the first place, and after two weeks of complaining i receive my phone which in any case i cant use... you can be so glad i cant post this to a billboard for the world to see !

This morning my contract line was soft locked by Vodacom. I did not understand why it had been soft locked. I called the customer care call centre to find out and was told that the system showed that my line was active and not locked. I was the transferred to the accounts department who then told me that my account was soft locked because I had reached a R 1000 limit. I then asked how this was possible as I buy airtime when my subscription airtime and data bundle has been depleted. I was then given a wishy washy explanation by a young lady who didn't seem to know what she was doing. I then asked for my line to be unlocked and was told that the accounts department is not able to unlock the line and was subsequently transferred back to the customer care line where I was told that they were also not able to unlock my line because the system showed that my line was active. I was then put through to the "team leader" who told me that his system showed that my line was locked but couldn't determine why my line had been locked. I then asked for my line to be unlocked and again I was told by this "team leader" that he was not able to because they could not establish why it had been locked in the first place. FYI this was now the fourth person I was talking to about the SAME problem. Anyway, the "team leader" promised that he would refer my problem to the technical department and get back to me r.e. progress made on rectifying this issue. That was at 10:00 this morning. I did not receive and feedback and called again at 15:30 and was told that his not around. The 5th person I spoke to assured me that she would give the "team leader" my number and ask him to call me back urgently. it is now 17:00, still no call. Nobody has bothered to give me any feedback and my line is still locked. I'm not able to make any calls or access the internet, even though I still have subscription airtime left and I bought a data bundle this morning. Bad service from Vodacom seems to be a recurring feature in my life, only God knows why I still use them as my network provider. They do not take their customers seriously but they very quick to debit money from one's bank account. I'm really tired of fighting with Vodacom all the time. Its soooooo frustrating, talking to 5 people and not a single one is able to provide you with any meaningful assistance, being promised two feedback calls and receiving none !

I cancelled my contract with Vodacom in 2015 and paid the early cancellation fee. Customer account number: I0918674-1. All of a sudden in May 2016 Vodacom started charging me for my phone again. The charge has gone through for 3 months in a row completely unauthorized - on a bank account that should not have been on file at all since the contract was cancelled. I have spoken to numerous customer service agents on the phone and via email and nothing gets done or responded to. I have sent all relevant documents. I am living overseas now and it has already cost me a fortune to do this follow up. I would like to walk into a Vodacom office and sort this out or throttle someone, but I am in the USA. I would like a full refund plus interest.
I wonder if anyone reads these complaints, or am I talking to myself again!

My phone broke during the holiday so I decided to upgrade my phone to a Huawei P8 Lite. They didn't have any more stock at the time so the sales consultant promised that it would arrive on Wednesday. When I got there on Wednesday, he said it hadn't arrived and that I would receive it on Friday- latest. I got there on Friday, and still no phone. I then told the sales consultant not to make empty promise if he can't keep it and his response was just that he was just a messenger and that it was not his fault, it was the warehouse's fault.
I then asked if he could courier it to Pretoria as that is where I attend school. He told me I had to pay for courier services- the Nerve of him! I do not care if he has a trophy on his table saying he is the best sales or whatever, it is Vodacom's fault for not delivering their services and making empty promises. They should deliver it without a second word because they did promise me the phone before I needed to leave.

Now I have to go to school without a phone and do my upgrade there. Did I mention that my contract is under my father's name and how much of a hassle it would be to get around without a car in Pretoria.

Next time they deliver such ### service, I will take it higher and I will move my ENTIRE family's contract over to MTN because clearly they offer better services and contracts!
They better sort their sales consultants' attitude before that becomes the cause of their failure.

On the 14th of July 2016, I called Vodacom Customer care to complain about their Recharge and Get Offers. One dials *123*1# and you have the option of recharging and getting bonus airtime. I was told that you need to first receive an sms before this function can be activated. Why on earth would one offer an function to see the offers and comply, when you still need to wait for a sms. Why offer people this functionality, whilst you still have to wait for an sms. This is truly misleading and another for Vodacom to rip off their customers. Truly disgusting!

I bought a contract phone from Vodacom 2 years ago, the contract came to an end on june 26, a month prior to this date, I phoned the Vodacom call centre to terminate the contract as it was coming to an end. My request was not effected and since then I have been trying to speak with the cancellation department, however according to them I failed the security test and could not be assisted. This security test consists of 4 to 5 questions. There is no way I could have failed those questions, I believe this is a scheme that they have put in place to drag issues and not assist customers with their complaints.

On 06/07 I took out a new contract through the online services, they where very fast in contacting regarding the new contract. Everything was arranged for a new phone and table. On 08/07 a lady from Vodacom contacted me to confirm the contract and details and said I can expect delivery from Friday. On Monday I contacted Vodacom and enquired about the delivery of my items and after having a lot of trouble finding the correct person to talk to they advised me that the phone is no longer being manufactured and she is glad I contacted them, how long would I have had to wait to find out that the phone they sold me is no longer available, she then said she would ask the rep to contact me to choose another phone, after hours of waiting and leaving messages for the rep I finally got hold of him, we arranged for another phone and everything was set, I phoned again on Tuesday to confirm if all was in order, the lady then advised that the there is no stock, after throwing a fit the rep finally contacted me and advised that there is stock and we await delivery, I phoned again today to find out if all is in order and when I can expect delivery and they said they do not know and will ask the rep to call me, needless to say no one phoned me, I had to phone again and spoke to another person who promised me that the rep will confirm delivery and contact me before the end of the day, and still no one has contacted me?

I think this is highly unprofessional and I do not know why I have to keep following up with Vodacom as I see if I do no contact them daily, nothing happens... I still have no idea when I will receive my items... day after delivery my foot, I have been with Vodacom for more then 20 years and I feel that this issue is not being taken seriously.

How difficult is it to confirm stock, confirm delivery and give the customer feedback... constructive feedback... not I will follow up and let you know?

Not happy...

Good day Shamiel Yusuf

I am still very surprised that despite my complaint and escalated phone call to Vodacom on the night of the 22nd April 2016 to the manager in charge - Nthabiseng Kupuni and I still have not received feedback.

I was assured that the matter would be looked into in the form of an investigation and that I would receive feedback from her or the technical team.

I have factual (screen shot) evidence that I purchased the data and that it was never credited to my account.

Please urgently intervene on this matter as I find it most deplorable that
1. I paid for a service/product and have not received the product/service.
2. escalated a complaint to management and have not received any feedback at all.

On the 29 June 2016 I logged a complaint on this site about Pathetic service from Vodacom Repairs - an insult to ones intelligence 2 days later a reply was posted saying that an agent would call me. On the 8 July 2016 I received an email stating I should call Vodacom. I am now on the phone with Vodacom who claims the complaint was never forwarded to them. The warranty on the phone expires in a month's time. Hence, since November last year I have not had a proper working phone.

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING VODACOM

I have never regretted my decision to move to Vodacom more than now!

To
Vodacom

Jul 8 at 1:29 PM

Please advise sms number we can sms in order to see when is our due time to upgrade.

As we are considering moving all our contracts, I am very uhappy with Vodacom since I upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy S5. End last year already. Was told I could Upgrade Vodacom Hartbeespoort this is good phone.

Got billed 3x months double due to the fact that I upgraded 3x months in advance. Was not aware of this.

Phoned them and went back complaining said I must do a Software Upgrade.

Took phone in for software update, and having even more problems now.

Was told phone was discontinued months before upgrade.

Phoned several branches all said nothing they can do

Shocking service!

Pathetic phone! Pleasing your customers and giving best service? No ways. We have 5x Contracts with Vodacom currently and will stop them all once contract is over.

I even asked to exchange the phone even if I have to pay in an additional fee to get a decent phone and was refused. Sorry nothing we can do.

I was away for a few weeks travelling alone no one could get hold of me and was about to contact the police to start looking for me.

Then I couldn't make any outgoing calls or send messages for weeks, woman alone. Does Vodacom care about this?

Had to upgrade software again now phone switches off whenever, you only realize it the moment you try to use the phone. Battery Life is even worse.

I pay R 842 a month on my 2x contracts a month and this is the service I get.

Keep on complaining and you get nowhere.

Really very Unhappy Vodacom Customer ( well not for long anymore)

Well Management are you willing to accommodate me in any way? Try to walk the extra mile or keep your so called customers happy?

Very disappointed !

I requested a settlement quotation on 30 March 2016; paid it on 13 April 2016 and sent through the POP along with the signed Premature Settlement Quotation and a copy of my ID to Retentions.[protected]@vodacom.co.za. In the e-mail I have asked if there is anything else that I need to provide to cancel my contract. I have received an email back with a reference number.

My number was ported out early in April 2016.

I have sent a follow-up email on 12 May 2016. On 6 June 2016 I have received an email indicating that 'Cancelaltion is processed as per documents received'. Since this correspondence I have received two invoices and no email or phone call indicating that my contract has been cancelled.

I have also phoned in multiple times where I have not received any confirmation that my contract was cancelled.

I cancelled one of my three contracts (number [protected]) with vodacom on 30 March 2016 because it expired ( I'm in possession of a copy of the cancellation request form ). I received a message on 04/04/2016 confirming that the contract with number [protected] was cancelled. I contacted vodacom immediately as I could not make any calls or search on the website. I was then referred to a vodacom shop as they couldn't help me via the phone. I then visited the Vodacom Data Store in Bayside Mall, Tableview and requested to speak to the manager who told me that he will try to sort it out. Since then I visited the same Data Store on five occasions without any success but the manager showed me emails which he send to customer care but that was also unsuccessful. On 29/04/2016 Vodacom deducted an amount of R6023, 75 which I reversed at the bank. On 08/06/2016 Vodacom again tried to deduct an amount of R6861, 76 but I had insufficient funds. On 30/06/2016 Vodacom again deducted three amounts of R2463, 59 which also reversed at the bank. In the process I lost money for bankcosts and don't have the luxury off using my free minutes of free data. I'm struggling because I'm used to the luxury of always having airtime and data available (being a Vodacom contract customers for more than ten years). I don't know what else to do and need your help very urgently

Hi there,

I have been a Vodacom customer since I have obtained my first cellphone, and am a loyal customer, however, this pisses me off:

I am constantly on WIFI, and not even using my phone (the phone is on the table). Yesterday, I received the SMS that states "you only have x.xx MB of data left". About an hour after that, I received another SMS to notify me that my data has been depleted.

How the hell am I using data if I am on WIFI and my phone is on the table?

This is enough to piss me off, as clearly this is a network making profit off something which isnt being used.

As mentioned above, I am a loyal customer, but this is enough to turn me away from Vodacom.

I am a loyal Vodacom customer whose bill ranges between R2000 and R4500 every month. I usually pay my bill on time and once in a while a couple of days after the 1st of the month but never later than the 7th (which is in my rights).

Yesterday I must have received in excess of 10 calls from Vodacom (automated calls) notifying me of my outstanding payment and asking me to commit to a payment. I am a busy person and found the incessant calls disturbing during my meetings and annoying in between. I have paid my arrear amount early this morning and just received another call from a Vodacom robot.

As far as I know, by law creditors and retailers are not allowed to contact you more than once a day. I have NEVER skipped a payment. And there as I am typing I get yet another SMS regarding my account which I paid this morning. I have to keep my phone on as I am in sales and cannot afford to not answer calls.

I find this offensive and a form of harassment. I am seriously considering changing providers after more than 20 years of being a loyal customer and supporter of Vodacom. And as I said my bills are pretty high.

This is unacceptable and poor form.

Regards,

Mia Street

On the 25th of May 2016 I booked in my Sony Xperia Z2 at Vodacom Shop Moffat on Main with Dunniel Coetzee who advised me that the repair centre is now situated in Greenacres so the device would have to be delivered there.  I completed all the necessary documentation which clearly indicated the fault I was reporting (the phone was NOT CHARGING), including a Vodasure claim form since the devices  warranty ended in March 2016, I was in the process of terminating my contract with Vodacom as I had no plans of renewing my contract  because of my past experiences and the poor level of service I have been receiving with the service  provider.

I received updates regarding the status and progress of my device during the first few days but somehow no further communication was made with me, I then went into the branch at Greenacres mall on 13th of June to find out whether it was ready for collection, I was assisted by Mellissa who was very helpful and efficient. Mellissa  proceeded to the back to find out from the engineer who was working on the device when it would be ready she then returned to the counter advising me that the engineer, Clayton Weitz said the phone would be ready for collection the following day he was just “putting it together”. I further asked Mellissa how much excess would I have to pay which she told me, she also gave me her contact details so I could call and find out before collecting the phone if it was ready. The amount was R150-00.

Tuesday, 14th of June I called in to find out if the device was ready as I did not want to travel and arrive at the shop without being sure, I was again advised that the device was not ready but it would be done by the end of the day. Wednesday morning  15th June I called the shop to find out if was ready, I did not get the details f the consultant who I was dealing with on the phone, however I was told that the device is done and ready for collection and told of the amount I needed to pay which I was well aware of for some reason I was placed on hold but I ended up going to the branch with the R150-00 to collect my phone.

I arrived and was assisted by two ladies who told me that Clayton Weitz is till busy with phone, again “putting it together” but he will be done by 11am and they would contact  when its ready. I left the branch, I did not receive that call after 11am or even the following day.

Firday 17th June I went to the branch and finally I was advised the device was ready and repaired, upon receiving the device I realised the battery was not charged, it had a new screen and did not have the dents it had at the time I booked it in, but I did not request to charge it in store since I have charger, I made the payment of R150-00 with Shadley, signed the receipt and a Cellsure Cellphone replaced form. When I arrived at home and attempted to charge the device, it just displayed a battery with a bolt and wasn’t charging at all I kept on trying and there was still no effort in getting the phone to charge, I then used my laptop and USB cable where after at least two hours of no response it eventually charged. The device switched on and when I attempted to unlock my screen, the screen was not sensing anything. At the time I realised all of this I was already late to drive back to shop and return it.

Saturday 18th June I returned to the shop and reported the matter and requested to see Clayton as I wanted to find out what exactly he repaired on the device because on the Job card the engineers Report reads A22-F2 PART-COSMETIC and under the parts required there is no indication at all that anything relating to a charging port was needed it is also indicated that there is no external damage on the device. Unfortunelty Clayton wasn’t in and I was advised that he had to attend to the matter and not the engineer who was on duty at the time. I told the consultant of how inconvenienced and unhappy I was about the matter explained to her that my mother is ill and was scheduled for an important medical procedure on the following Monday,  I am 8months pregnant without a reliable phone she then provided me with a phone that would enable me to at least receive and make calls when I needed to.

I received the messages for a few days again updating me on the progress of the repairs the last sms I received was on the 24th of June at 10h58 advising me that the spare had been received and the device was allocated to an engineer. On Monday I decided to go personally to branch to find out how far the repairs were, Clayton was at work and advised the consultant attending to me that the device was done and the oven it would be ready for collection later on the same afternoon, I am not quite sure what kind of oven is that. Again I waited for the call, nothing! Tuesday 28th June I drove all the way to the mall again frustrated and exhausted with the hope that I would receive my phone, I was assisted by another consultant who I advised that I was there the previous day and the phone was supposed to be ready  as promised by Clayton, she came back with the news that the phone was NOT READY . As I was expressing my frustration and level of unhappiness with the service I have been receiving to the lady for the first time, Clayton came personally to the counter did not even have the decency to apologise for all this convenience and told me was running the software on the device and it would take 30 minutes, I can come back tomorrow, which I refused and said I would come back. I came back just after 30 minutes and requested to see Clayton who told a new story that there has been a problem with the internet and the Sony computer since Monday the software was still running on the phone. I told him I will not be going back to any store to collect a phone I have been spending too much of my time, petrol and airtime running after Vodacom for a device that I have paid for and insured with them. He made another promise that the phone would be hand delivered at my door step or at work the following day which again did not happen, he did not even return my call as I had called but was told he was on lunch and left an urgent request for him to call me back. After this failed attempt and realising that I am not getting anywhere with this driving up and down I contacted someone at your customer care office, Zolelwa who contacted Clayton directly to find out what the delay and inconvenience is about.

Zolelwa called me back advising me that Clayton admitted to NOT repairing the damage which was reported on the device but he replaced the screen and frame just as I had noticed when I received it, not at once did that phone charge when it was Clayton because he did not repair it, he damaged it that phone was given to me on the 17th damaged and Clayton was well aware of it as he had not even repaired the charging port! Clayton claims that the screen was cracked and that is not true at all, he then made a claim which wasn’t even related to the reported damage, under my name which was a fraudulent claim. Not only that, he lied to my face making me a complete idiot assuring me that the device is repaired and he would arrange for it to be delivered. I have all the documentation that were signed by myself and completed at the time I handed the phone to Dunniel last month at Moffat on Main. I sent an email to the branch manager Darren Betts on the 30th of June alerting him of this incident, he responded and promised he would investigate the matter and contact me personally to ensure I " come back smiling",  that was the last I heard from him. He didn't even show much interest in assisting when I was at the shop to find out myself what was going on.

Today, 6th July over a month later I went to the shop. Assisted by a Nolumemo who called me to sher counter since recognised me from my previous visits to the shop regarding my phone, she personally went to the back quering about the phone and came back with it. I requested to make use of her charger and the phone again didn't charge but the screen was now working. She took the phone back to the Engineering Manager who also came forward at a later stage with a s on ny charger and plugged in and assured me that it was charging with no problems. Darren showed no interest at all in assisting me as I was questioning the warranty of the device since it was damaged by their engineer because I was concerned of what would happen if the phone gave me problems in future,  expecially with the screen. I requested a formal document stating that I still have a warranty for the device so that in the event of Any problems I could present that as is proof. He left the counter telling me that the lady who was assisting me would do it, he can't. Nolumemo advised me that she cannot give me such a document and Darren had given me incorrect information but she went the extra mile of emailing me confirmation of this warranty, something a manager failed to do. Not at all did I receive an apology from Darren during my visit at the shop, he was cold and irate throughout! As I type this now the phone is giving me problems with charging, and I purchased a new charger.  Vodacom refuses to accept responsibility,  their engineer applied for a false claim and not only failed to repair my device, but damaged it too.

On 08 June I cancelled my contract with Vodacom and switched to prepaid. On the 30th June I bought BIS and it didn't work. I called the customer care and was told that my BIS has been deactivated and that they will fix it. On the 1st of July the problem was still not fixed until today. I was told the problem will be solved in the next 48 hrs, how many 48 hrs have seen passed. Now they are telling that I've reached my monthly free calls to customer services and they gave me a number to call which am going to be charged without getting any assistance. The funny thing is when you don't pay them they are too quick to cut their services but now they are giving me the run around to sort my problem. What pisses me off is that they don't take any responsibility (customer care, pre-legal, accounts) they blame the system.

I have been with altech auto page till the beginning of the year until vodacom bought them over. I received a few mails regarding this change with all my details regarding that vodacom will debt my bank account every month.

the first month nothing happened until I queried them. I went to the branch in Irene village to fix everything. My line was up again after an hour or so after showing them the proof of payment.

Next month back to square one AGAIN! Go in to the Grove branch, and they tell me that they have no details of my debt order on the system. Here I almost blew a gasket! I was fuming because the same thing will be done now for the third time. I was ensured my alfred at customer care that this will be corrected and after another 45min wasted of my time and running around once again to rectify Vodacom incompetent staff's problem.

This month after the 5th my account was cut off again because of Vodacom uselessness! Debt order still not going off! Now I'm really pissed off !~!

I'm not going to waist another minute running after vodacom trying to fix their problem on my account!~!

I have had a 082 number through Vodacom for the last 20+ years. In January I've learned that they've also allocated this number to another client by mistake. Up until now this have not bothered me too much - except that every now and then I cant be reached on the network, or I random person answers my call.

However I tried to port network and this is where the trouble started. Since I dont "own" both numbers I cant be ported. I reported this in January and was told that they will correct the problem by assigning a new number to the other client. Since then I've made 40+ calls, got the direct email addresses of 5 Vodacom Business consultants and probably queued on the phone for 10+ hours - nobody gets past promising me to sort this out. The consultants I can mail directly simply ignore my emails.

Eversince the 2nd of June I have phoned Vodacom 23 times with regards to the below issue, everytime I'm told to wait 7 days. How many 7 days should I wait?

From: Lelanie @ Die Veldmuis [mailto:[protected]@veldmuis.co.za]
Sent: 07 June 2016 11:53 AM
To: 'vodacom4ucapegate.[protected]@vodacom.co.za'; 'vodacom4ucapegate.[protected]@vodadealers.co.za; [protected]@vodacom.co.za'
Subject: URGENT RE: PS KOTZE UPGRADE PLEASE ALLOCATE PROOF OF PAYMENT FOR ACCOUNT NA137315-6
Importance: High

Dear Vodacom

My account was carried over from Autopage. When Autopage switched me over they advised me by phone that my new Vodacom Account Number will be :

N0012456

So I made the first payment to Vodacom for the attached invoice on 29 April with this reference.

When I received my may Invoice I received a new reference:

NA137315-6

My last payment on 23 May was made with this reference, but now the account stipulates that the first payment on 29 April doesn’t reflect.

Please see attached my proof of payment with that reference as well as the Invoice from Vodacom I received after.

Please allocate the payment on 29 April 2016 reference: N0012456 to my account: reference: NA137315-6 ([protected])

Please try and assist me as soon as possible.

Mrs PS Kotze