Vodacom review: Contract and upgrade

I have been a Vodacom customer for about 25 years.

The latest contract I took out with you was about two and a half years ago and has been an absolute nightmare.

I got an iphone 7 on a contract costing me about R700 a month. about 22 months after starting this contract, I called Vodacom to enquire about an upgrade, as I have done every two years for the last 25 plus years, only to be informed that I was not due for an upgrade for another year because this was now a three year contract?

Never before had there been a three year contract involved or mentioned.
After numerous calls, screaming matches etc over the next two months, I was told that my contract had ended and that I now qualified for an upgrade . I was also told that I was now on a month to month plan.

On going to the Vodacom shop in the Vaal Mall on about the 21st of February, I decided to do the upgrade that I qualify for. I explained to the assistant that the reason for this upgrade, (or lets say downgrade) was that I wanted to reduce my monthly cellphone fees, He was helpful and said that with a new Iphone 6s the monthly fees would now be around R360 a month. This was great and I said I would like to do the upgrade.

On taking a copy of my Identity document .the assistant then went to fetch my new phone...The store had none in stock .The assistant then said he would call me when they had got new stock and he said it should be on Monday the 24th of Feb. I asked him if I could pay the R150 upgrade fee and he said no only when I came to collect the phone next week.All he would need was my ID and the upgrade fee.

On Thursday the 26th of Feb, I was once again in the area and not having had any call from Vodacom, decided to again go to the store .At reception The lady said that they now had the iphone 6s in stock and I could now complete the upgrade process. The assistant that I had originally spoken to was not there and the store had no record of my pending upgrade .

I sat down with a new assistant and she again took a copy of my ID document and then brought me some forms to complete.. THEN she pointed out that There was still an amount of around R2700 outstanding on my I phone 7 contract. I LOST IT...As far as I know, my contract on the iphone 7 had finished in September after the 2 year period and I Had been on a month to month fee from then until now.

I stormed out of the shop and am extremely annoyed with Vodacom again.

What would have happened if I had signed the upgrade forms..? would I then be invoiced for two contracts?

The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing at Vodacom and people are being ripped off because of misinformation .

I have had enough now .I need to reduce my monthly fees and no one wants to assist in the matter . I am being left with no alternative other then to just stop paying and going to another service provider.

R.E.Halse

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