m out of data.
2. On Sunday 22 November, I realised that the airtime I had had disappeared. I interacted with the Vodacom chatbot and found out that it had been used up by data. This shocked me as I had not lifted the lock on out of bundle data usage. So I contacted Vodacom on Twitter to find out who/what had lifted my lock and how I could recover my airtime. I also mentioned on my Tweet that I had recieved an sms that I had subscribed for Fun Chat, this was also disconcerting as I had NOT subscribed for this service. unsubscribed as soon as I recieved the sms.
3. The Twitter team first demanded proof that I had recieved a message that I had been subscribed for Fun Chat - this was not why I had primarily engaged them and I sensed defensiveness, but I obliged and sent them the screenshot. Next they asked if I had set my out of bundle limit to 0 - something I had informed them of already. I responded that yes previously it was set, and they asked for screenshots showing that my airtime was consumed by out of bundle data and I sent them to them. They said they could not help me further as they had failed to authenticate me and I should visit a Vodacom shop for assistance.
4. On Tuesday, 24 November, I visited the Nicolway shop. First the lady I spoke to (Dikeng) said that prepaid accounts had no functionality to set an out of data limit lock. Her colleague disputed what she said was incorrect and told her to call the call centre as they did not have the necessary system to assist me. She dialled the call centre on my phone for me and handed the phone over to me for me to speak to them. The first agent I spoke to asked me some authenticating questions and then hung up on me before assisting me! Next I knew I was being asked to rate service that I had not recieved, wow!5. The lady in the shop (Dikeng) then dialled the call centre on my phone again and this time I got Nonyameko Seshea on the phone. I shared my history with customer service and my issue with her, she wasnt having it, she was impatient, she was not interested in what I had to say, she asked me, " so what do you want". I told her my airtime was consumed by out of bundle usage, however, I had a lock on that so I would like to find out what/who removed the lock and get my airtime back. However, Nonyameko was not happy to assist me, noooo she wanted to know who I had spoken to in the shop, I said Dikeng. Nonyameko was not satisfied - she asked me is Dikeng Zulu or Sotho!!! I don't have a word within my limited English vocabulary to describe how I was shocked by this question. How did tribe come into play? I said I had no idea, I was speaking to her in English. Nonyameko was not happy, handover the phone to Dikeng she told me, so I like the obedient customer that I am, handed my phone over to Dikeng.4. Then drama ensued - Nonyameko and Dikeng shouted at each other for over 30 mins on MY phone. They insulted each other, they wanted to speak to each other's managers, they said everything to each other - what they did not do is help me. Eventually, Dikeng gave me back my phone and told me to speak to Nonyameko. Nonyameko was livid, she was shouting in Zulu, I informed Nonyameko that I could not understand her and to please use English. Then she asked to speak to my manager - my manager??? I came to Vodacom for assistance and now she wants my manager??? I said my manager is not here Nonyameko, I am the customer and I'd like assistance, she wasn't having it. I asked her for her name and she told me I am Nonyameko Seshea at Vodacom customer care. She told me to hand my phone over to Dikang, and I did. They had another shouting match until they hung up on each other. STILL I was not helped.5. Dikeng then called customer care with her own phone and asked me to speak to them. By then I was irritated, I told the lady in the call centre my issue and asked for assistance. But this one believed I was a fool who didn't know what she was talking about - she told me, "how did you set that limit lock?". I said that lock was automatically set when the service was introduced - she treated me like I was lying and didn't know what I was talking about. I told her I even checked this lock previously and she was there. Then I told her Twitter team helped me put back the lock after the incident with my airtime during the weekend . She said and how did you put this lock. I told her I dialled *135# and followed the prompts. She ridiculed me for this response. This lady was treating me like I did not know what I was asking for and I was irritated. I told her, I am tired of running from pillar to post to get service and I just want my money back. She said if you speak to me in that tone of voice I will not assist you then she hung up on me.6. I was completely frustrated by the lack of ownership and the unwillingness to assist by Vodacom. Last night I left my phone at the Nicolway shop, my reasoning was if Vodacom would like to take my airtime unjustly, then take the phone too then. Then we know Vodacom takes what it has no right to! If this was aimed at telling me that you are not interested in having me as a subscriber, then a simple sms would have sufficed surely, you did not have to frustrate me and disrespect me to achieve this. To my knowledge: you do not refer the customer, you refer the problem - why the people in the shop kept subjecting me to the rudeness of the call centre is beyond meyou investigate and ensure your product knowledge is complete first before insinuating that the customer is lying and does not know what she is talking about7. Now I contacted the Facebook team and asked them for the email address of an actual person because I would like to escalate my complaint. They asked me why. I summarised why, they responded asking for the name of the customer service agent in the call centre and not the email I asked for. It seems there is selective hearing/ reading happening at Vodacom as a culture. I am frustrated and I want someone to speak to. Not a random departmental email.