Derrick
ლ(ಠ_ಠ )ლ
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
- Messages
- 5,085
- Reaction score
- 5
I’ve avoided cellphone contracts like the plague because of horror stories that I’ve seen circulating but I decided to take the plunge and signed up for a Blackberry contract with Vodacom.
Signing up was a very pleasant experience but from there on out it’s been nothing short of a nightmare.
The nightmare begins
My first payment was due in May and I received an SMS telling me my account had been suspended.
I phoned the call centre and was told that my debit order bounced. “Impossible,” I scoffed ”I’ve just been paid!” So the agent took my bank number and did the necessary checks.
I was told the problem was on Vodacom’s side and that it was now fixed.
Part 2 of the debacle
On the 17th of June my account was suspended again. This time on the 19th of June I got a call from Vodacom.
The call centre agent failed to solve the problem and kept on blabbing that I needed authorise payment immediately. After a bit of thinking from my side and a few ponted questions I figured out that they had the wrong bank account number.
The agent then very briskly informed me that she could only activate my account again on Monday and I would receive no refund for the lost days nor could she tell me if I would be compensated for the bounced debit order although they had ‘sorted it out’ in May. No apology was forthcoming.
Activation day
Monday came, no Blackberry. I called 082 155 and they then activated the account. The payment had been made so one can only wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t called. I was told 4 hours max before my emails would come streaming through on my Blackberry. Monday came and went and still no emails.
Eventually Tuesday morning I took the initiative and called – twice – and I was told that my account is active and the payment had been received on Monday.
Well, it’s now lunchtime and I still don’t have an active account with Vodacom and at this point I just want to call it quits but I’m locked into this service for another 22 months.
I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I will pay for a service that I won’t receive, in fact I don’t even carry my Blackberry with me anymore. I’m prepared to pay the few grand just to never hear from Vodacom again about this account.
But what really irks me is that every month I’m going to be charged R35 by Standard Bank for giving Vodacom permission to debit my account on a monthly basis only to have it bounce because they can’t get a simple contract right. I’m going to get snotty SMSs and calls every month telling me to pay up or face the chookie.
Guess I should call 082 155 again …
Signing up was a very pleasant experience but from there on out it’s been nothing short of a nightmare.
The nightmare begins
My first payment was due in May and I received an SMS telling me my account had been suspended.
I phoned the call centre and was told that my debit order bounced. “Impossible,” I scoffed ”I’ve just been paid!” So the agent took my bank number and did the necessary checks.
I was told the problem was on Vodacom’s side and that it was now fixed.
Part 2 of the debacle
On the 17th of June my account was suspended again. This time on the 19th of June I got a call from Vodacom.
The call centre agent failed to solve the problem and kept on blabbing that I needed authorise payment immediately. After a bit of thinking from my side and a few ponted questions I figured out that they had the wrong bank account number.
The agent then very briskly informed me that she could only activate my account again on Monday and I would receive no refund for the lost days nor could she tell me if I would be compensated for the bounced debit order although they had ‘sorted it out’ in May. No apology was forthcoming.
Activation day
Monday came, no Blackberry. I called 082 155 and they then activated the account. The payment had been made so one can only wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t called. I was told 4 hours max before my emails would come streaming through on my Blackberry. Monday came and went and still no emails.
Eventually Tuesday morning I took the initiative and called – twice – and I was told that my account is active and the payment had been received on Monday.
Well, it’s now lunchtime and I still don’t have an active account with Vodacom and at this point I just want to call it quits but I’m locked into this service for another 22 months.
I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I will pay for a service that I won’t receive, in fact I don’t even carry my Blackberry with me anymore. I’m prepared to pay the few grand just to never hear from Vodacom again about this account.
But what really irks me is that every month I’m going to be charged R35 by Standard Bank for giving Vodacom permission to debit my account on a monthly basis only to have it bounce because they can’t get a simple contract right. I’m going to get snotty SMSs and calls every month telling me to pay up or face the chookie.
Guess I should call 082 155 again …