MTN 'trade in' - Device gone missing / no deduction

Brawler

Brawler

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A year ago I swore I would never get a cell phone contract again to deal with these sketchy companies. They are all the same. Yet here I am. Someone shoot me.

I took a chance and took the s24 trade in as it was a great deal. I would hand in my old device and get R400 off every month x36 (R14400 total) on a S24u.

I did the paperwork, they checked and accepted the phone and went on my way. Two months later I am being billed for the full amount and there is no trace of the old device or discount. I phoned 135 and they say they can't see anything regarding the trade and they told me to go back to the store.

I do have a trade in document signed by MTN store and myself as evidence.

Lets see what happens.
 
Update:

Went to the store on Saturday 20/04. They were understanding and polite. They scanned the documents and logged a ticket themselves and said it's usually resolved in 2-48hrs.

Yesterday 22/04 I receive an SMS "your request with ref####### has been completed". No further explanation.

Today 23/04 I phone 135. Sorry sir system is down. Tried again now and the guy checks and says he can see it's closed but there is no outcome description. He needs to log a ticket so that someone can trace the previous ticket and see the outcome. He said he will call me back today.

I'm not holding my breath.
 
Brawler said:
Update:

Went to the store on Saturday 20/04. They were understanding and polite. They scanned the documents and logged a ticket themselves and said it's usually resolved in 2-48hrs.

Yesterday 22/04 I receive an SMS "your request with ref####### has been completed". No further explanation.

Today 23/04 I phone 135. Sorry sir system is down. Tried again now and the guy checks and says he can see it's closed but there is no outcome description. He needs to log a ticket so that someone can trace the previous ticket and see the outcome. He said he will call me back today.

I'm not holding my breath.
Click to expand...
Sounds like an MTN employee has long fingers.
 
Update 24/04.
OFC no call back as promised.

Phoned again. Lady tells me the MTN store sent it to wrong dept and wrong dept closed the ticket.
She has FWD it to billing and I have a new Ref number.

So the circus continues.
 
Update 26/04
New ref number (which was an escalation number) was closed. The note on the closed ticket was refer to store.

So far it has been:
19/04 called 135 - referred to store
20/04 went to store - store created support ticket
22/04 - ticket closed with no notification
23/04 - system down
23/04 - created new ticket (escalated) as previous ticket stated wrong dept.
26/04 - escalated ticket closed no notification. Phoned 135 and the reason is the store needs to sort it out. Referred back to store
26/04 - store phone number doesnt work.

I will go to the store tomorrow. I will open a case with the Police if I am not sorted. End of the day they have taken a phone from me and not paid.
 
Ϲhristopher said:
MTN is brilliant when it works, but when any slightly unusual issue occurs then it all falls apart. Their call centre and support is completely and utterly useless unless they are selling you something.
Click to expand...
Exactly this, beyond useless when you have actual problems.
 
It's not only problems that are a PITA - try cancelling an expired contract. I think it took me 2 or 3 months to cancel last year.

I decided not to go to the store as I already had plans for tomorrow and decided to spam social media and email customer support instead. The social media person says they have asked the area branch manager to look into it.
 
Brawler said:
It's not only problems that are a PITA - try cancelling an expired contract. I think it took me 2 or 3 months to cancel last year.

I decided not to go to the store as I already had plans for tomorrow and decided to spam social media and email customer support instead. The social media person says they have asked the area branch manager to look into it.
Click to expand...
Be careful, the social media guys will tell you it's been escalated etc and string you along for weeks without actually doing a thing. From my experience the only way to make head way is to go into a MTN direct store.
 
airborne said:
Be careful, the social media guys will tell you it's been escalated etc and string you along for weeks without actually doing a thing. From my experience the only way to make head way is to go into a MTN direct store.
Click to expand...
Where someone's throat is within reach.
 
airborne said:
... . From my experience the only way to make head way is to go into a MTN direct store.
Click to expand...
+1 although even this isn't a guarantee.

Little did I know, when you phone the official MTN phone number and ask to sign up a new contract, they can and do transfer you externally to a 3rd party company and this is not made clear to you. You believe you are dealing with MTN and an MTN employee.

When things went pear shaped and I returned the devices to a physical MTN direct store, between the store and the 3rd party they lost track of the phones. It took 2 months to resolve whilst I was still billed and became a hot potato in a game between those two.

By the way it took making threats for them to reveal to me that I was transferred to a 3rd party.

So fully agree with:

Ϲhristopher said:
MTN is brilliant when it works, but when any slightly unusual issue occurs then it all falls apart. Their call centre and support is completely and utterly useless unless they are selling you something.
Click to expand...
 
Nobody Important said:
Little did I know, when you phone the official MTN phone number and ask to sign up a new contract, they can and do transfer you externally to a 3rd party company and this is not made clear to you. You believe you are dealing with MTN and an MTN employee.
Click to expand...
I think there is MTN direct, franchise stores and online. All three are basically different companies with f-all communication between them.
 
Those contracts are, as far as I know, handled by third parties under the MTN banner. I will never again enter into a contract with MTN online or telephonically.

My device also went "missing". Thankfully it was never activated so they never billed me.
 
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