Swindled by Vodacom rep

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maincat007

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Hey guys, can anyone give some advice? I went into a vodacom shop on monday to enquire about an upgrade as my current Blackberry was giving me a few issues. The rep said with my spend no worries, I can upgrade. I said I was interested in the Blackberry 9900, but had heard that the battery life wasn`t great and that a big battery life was vital to me as I am a rep and my phone is very busy. He agreed totally and said the best option would be the 9360, recommending this as the best option. BIG MISTAKE!

The phones battery doesnt even see me past lunch, i charge it fully and it runs down before the afternoon. I have checked online and people with this phone have recommended turning the brightness, turning off the gps,etc. but it still does not last a full working day (3 o clock in the afternoon and its off!) This is not a faulty phone, others online have the same issue. My gripe is that the information provided by the rep was misleading. Do I have any chance of changing this?
 
You can take the phone back as it does not meet your requirements within 7 days.

(I've heard of people doing that with various phones, various ISPs).

Otherwise PM a link to this thread to VodacomData,
 
Venomous said:
You can take the phone back as it does not meet your requirements within 7 days.

(I've heard of people doing that with various phones, various ISPs).

Otherwise PM a link to this thread to VodacomData,
Click to expand...

Agreed. That's my understanding. Also, I think CPA allows for goods to be returned if they do not perform to spec.
 
McT said:
Agreed. That's my understanding. Also, I think CPA allows for goods to be returned if they do not perform to spec.
Click to expand...

Standard battery, Li-Ion 1000 mAh

This is the battery that the 9360 comes with and the info is available on gsmarena. The problem is, I think the phone and battery is perfoming exactly to spec. Dont know why Blackberry is giving such sh*t batteries with its phones. I really dont know why the Vodacom rep suggested this phone if the client told him that he has very high usage as it would have been clear that this or even the 9900 which comes with a Standard battery, Li-Ion 1230 mAh might not last him very long.

I would have suggest the 9780 rather....even though it is older and does not have OS7, at least the battery it comes with is 1500mAh.
 
Dont get a BB or Android phone if you want battery life IMO. Nokia smartphone with whatsapp. Not sure of the other windows mobiles... What oom oc said above... actually get the mAh rating of the battery and base your decision on that.
 
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MyDogHasNoNose said:
Dont get a BB or Android phone if you want battery life IMO. Nokia smartphone with whatsapp. Not sure of the other windows mobiles... What oom oc said above... actually get the mAh rating of the battery and base your decision on that.
Click to expand...

Why not?

attachment.php


Sony Xperia Play (Wifi only as I have no data on the Vodacom pre-paid)

It all depends on how you use your device, but as shown above you can get Android with long battery life so dont just blame the OS.
 
ocleroux said:
Standard battery, Li-Ion 1000 mAh

This is the battery that the 9360 comes with and the info is available on gsmarena. The problem is, I think the phone and battery is perfoming exactly to spec. Dont know why Blackberry is giving such sh*t batteries with its phones. I really dont know why the Vodacom rep suggested this phone if the client told him that he has very high usage as it would have been clear that this or even the 9900 which comes with a Standard battery, Li-Ion 1230 mAh might not last him very long.

I would have suggest the 9780 rather....even though it is older and does not have OS7, at least the battery it comes with is 1500mAh.
Click to expand...

Even if the phone does perform according to spec, the person was told it will meet their needs. It does not. The person can take it back & ask for an exchange for something that does meet their needs.
 
Venomous said:
Even if the phone does perform according to spec, the person was told it will meet their needs. It does not. The person can take it back & ask for an exchange for something that does meet their needs.
Click to expand...


I was not talking to you you silly woman! Speak when you are spoken to ne! tsk!

:p

Seriously though.....I am merely pointing out to MCT that the phone is performing as to be expected. The problem comes in with the consultant that recommended the phone to a client that told him that he is a heavy user. Another problem I am foreseeing is that nowa days to protect ourselves against claims like this and clients that is trying to use the CPA and "this phone is not what I actually wanted" kind of thing....we make people sign a form now that stipulates that they agree that the phone meets their needs blah blah blah. If the OP signed this form....then he might have a difficult time with the store. Sorry...I am just playing devils advocate hey.
 
ocleroux said:
I was not talking to you you silly woman! Speak when you are spoken to ne! tsk!

:p

Seriously though.....I am merely pointing out to MCT that the phone is performing as to be expected. The problem comes in with the consultant that recommended the phone to a client that told him that he is a heavy user. Another problem I am foreseeing is that nowa days to protect ourselves against claims like this and clients that is trying to use the CPA and "this phone is not what I actually wanted" kind of thing....we make people sign a form now that stipulates that they agree that the phone meets their needs blah blah blah. If the OP signed this form....then he might have a difficult time with the store. Sorry...I am just playing devils advocate hey.
Click to expand...

:p

/talks more

OK, so what happens if say..... (let's say I did)

I go buy a phone coz I speak to the rep. I think it's fine coz the rep says so, so I sign the form in good faith believing that the company employs people & offer them training on the devices.
In the first 3days I realise - Oh poop It does not serve my needs at all. Surely I can still take it back, CPA or no CPA, it's still in the first 7 days as stipulated before?
 
Venomous said:
:p

/talks more

OK, so what happens if say..... (let's say I did)

I go buy a phone coz I speak to the rep. I think it's fine coz the rep says so, so I sign the form in good faith believing that the company employs people & offer them training on the devices.
In the first 3days I realise - Oh poop It does not serve my needs at all. Surely I can still take it back, CPA or no CPA, it's still in the first 7 days as stipulated before?
Click to expand...

Still your fault, as it becomes a he said she said argument. The rep can simply say I asked the customer if she knows the device and she claimed that she checked it on the internet.
 
Venomous said:
:p

/talks more

OK, so what happens if say..... (let's say I did)

I go buy a phone coz I speak to the rep. I think it's fine coz the rep says so, so I sign the form in good faith believing that the company employs people & offer them training on the devices.
In the first 3days I realise - Oh poop It does not serve my needs at all. Surely I can still take it back, CPA or no CPA, it's still in the first 7 days as stipulated before?
Click to expand...

I am no CPA expert....but as far as I know...the 7 day return policy is still to be used for "Out of Box Failures", meaning the handset must be faulty for the OBF to be approved. In the OP's case, he could try and book it with the store with a reason being "Battery does not last" and see if Vodacare will approve it. But Vodacare is bound to test the battery and see that it is operating within spec and will send the phone back "No fault found"...but it is worth a try perhaps.

My motto has always been to not push a phone onto a client. Get a idea from the client what he/she is looking for...touch screen, or no touch screen. Android or Blackberry. Then after having a idea of what the client wants show them the specs on gsmarena and explain what the main things are...screen res, memory, camera res, battery (if available on gsmarena) etc. If the client is happy then go ahead. Most basis should then be covered.

I still think that people should take a bit of time and also do a little investigating of their own. Ask friends...check up on the net etc. Inform yourself. But I suppose not all people want to do this and this is where the consultant comes in...and if you dont want to inform yourself then you will have to take the word of the rep. I personally as a consumer dont feel comfortable with this. I am for example looking at bying a new laptop (see "Samsung laptop and Linux compatibility" thread in the Linux section of mybb. I am taking it upon myself to find out if it will work with linux or if there will be any issues.....even if just to put my own mind at ease.


Boy....I can really see this post backfiring....but this is my personal view....not in my proffesional capacity.

My advise to the OP is this. Go back to the store with the box and everything you got with it....and ask if they will try and do a OBF on it. Remember...the store cant resell that phone now as it has been used. The only way they can issue a new phone is if Vodacare approves the OBF and issues a credit to the store. With a OBF, the policy is that the phone will be replaced with the same make and model...but if you ask them they could replace it with a phone of the same value or if you want a more expensive phone pay in the difference. This is left to the discretion of the store though. Dont go in there guns blazing. The people that works there are only human and could get defensive if you go there shouting and screaming and demanding. Be polite, explain the situation in a calm manner. Consultants and people in general responds better this way.

I hope you get something sorted with them OP. Let us know please.
 
If you wanted battery life and excellent connectivity you should have gotten a Nokia E-series.
Its not vodacom's fault you were interested in the wrong brand.
 
Hi op. Unfortunately you're in a tough spot.

Firstly, the 7 day return only refers to faulty/broken hardware/software.

Secondly, the rep only provides recommendations on info you provide, with knowledge he currently has about the stated product (please, be very wary about assuming in-store reps are highly knowledgeable or fully informed regarding the product you're buying. Basically they only have enough knowledge to sell it, not fix/maintain/troubleshoot/make it serve you coffee ;D)
According to the rep, he was most probably providing you with the option that he understood would meet your need above the capability of the other products. Whether his understanding of the limitations of the product in comparison to the other products was lacking is sort of a moot point as product use and performance can vary greatly.

Thirdly, there will be A loser in this transaction. Either you will not be given a different handset and be stuck with a short usage time, or the rep will be forced to take over the contract (happens all the time in the cellphone contract industry).

Either way, these companies who we trust to provide us with appropriate service and products care too little about customer concerns and staff training for us to engage in a trusting open transaction with them.
 
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It's unfortunate, but that's what they do. I would say your best bet is to install as many apps as you can, and hope to get one of those app errors. Or just return it, say the software is faulty, and ask for a different handset, software is one of the more difficult OBF reasons to prove, so the odds are up from the start. I don't think the CPA is on your side in this case.
Oh and exactly what ocleroux sad, don't go in guns blazing, say there is software issues, and you don't want to risk it again with the same handset.
 
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A friend of mine recently had a phone that had a problem on the 4th or 5th day of use (MTN), and he took it back on the 6th day. They told him it was fine as there was a problem with it, and it was not abuse on his side. They also said that if he just didn't like it, then they wouldn't replace it, but as there was a definite fault, then no problem.
 
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