Fuming at Vodacom and making a fool of myself

Last night my data bundle ran out unexpectedly. I use about a gig per month and I have just recharged my account with 2 gig a couple of days ago. So I phone Vodacom to ask for an explanation.

They do eventually answer their phone and look into my account. They tell me they can see that I recharged the account, but that I never converted my airtime into data. I have been using this system for more than six months and I tell them heatedly that I DID convert it to data and that it was a system failure on their side. They promise to look into the matter further.

This morning I see there was indeed an SMS from them saying that they found no record of me making a data bundle purchase. Now here in South Africa cellphone companies have a proud tradition of skinning their clients alive and using the skins to wipe their arses.

I sit the whole morning wondering if I should buy new data or whether I should wait for Vodaccom to realise their mistake and sort out the problem. In the end I buy new data and load it like I have done before.

This time I phone them to confirm that the data conversion was successful this time. It was not ... I ask the consultant how the hell she planned to fix this problem. I sarcastically ask whether she will just send me another damn SMS to confirm that I did not buy data. I refer her to the previous SMS which she then reads out in full to me. It ends with: "As a once-off gesture of goodwill I have credited your account with 2 gig."

One should read the whole communication and not lose one's temper after the first line and shout: "FUCK YOU" to nobody in particular.

I wanted to do the Baboon Scale today but after expending all that energy on nothing in particular I have none left.