AfricaComplaints.com » Advertising » Complaint / review: MTN SA - False advertising, willful misleading, hiding behind E&OE | #336561

MTN SA
False advertising, willful misleading, hiding behind E&OE

In 2014 we had absolutely great service from Antonique Hopper at Cosmonet in Cresta. That legacy continued when she again assisted us in 2016.

That legacy came to an abrupt, unexpected and appalling end today 2021-03-31 at the MTN Cosmonet branch in Cresta. My Wife and I decided to upgrade to Note 10 Lite handsets, and I was to add a Galaxy Watch Active 2 as advertised in their March edition of 2021. Great! Two Note 10 Lites for R349p/m for 36 months AS ADVERTISED in the book, and a single Galaxy Watch Active 2 for R99p/m for 36 months.

Please note, dear reader, that the book DOES NOT INDICATE the size of the watch, only that it is available for R99 per month, for 36 months. This is the watch deal available FOR THE NOTE 10 LITE for the month of March 2021. And the fine print DOES NOT INDICATE ANYTHING about differing watch sizes. But oh yes, MTN dropped the little "E&OE" right there at the bottom of page 25. Slick, guys, real fucking slick, getting the Cresta MTN manager to hide behind that when actual prices and sizes became a dealbreaker!

So, here I was, all excited about our two Note 10 Lites at R349p/m for 36 months, and my Galaxy Watch Active 2 for R99p/m for 36 months, all as per the MTN book for March 2021.
And by the way, I struggled my ass off for the last two weeks trying to secure the phones and the watch, but was thrown around from Thuli and Jabu (both at MTN Cosmonet Cresta, and both trying to help, but also passing me around, going on leave, no follow-up etc.) until today where Sibonelo (at counter 11) tried to assist.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where the real fun started!
That is where Sibonelo (apologies if I got his name wrong) first informed me that the Watch AS ADVERTISED is available for R649p/m for 24 months, but apparently indeed for R99p/m for 36 months after checking with his manager. Sorted, you'd think? Oh no!

I inquired about why the watch would be advertised for R99p/m for 36 months though, and after another trip to his manager, he informed me that it is R99p/m for the 40mm watch (and the book HAD NO INDICATION of the size for this watch and deal WHATSOEVER, and also not in the fine print at the bottom) for 36 months, but after another couple of trips to his manager he informed me that the 44mm watch (which I would have to take as it is a male size and the 40mm will not fit me) was - wait for it - R260 p/m for 36 months!! What the fuck?! Almost 3 times the price! And no indication in the book WHATSOEVER that there would be a different price for the different sizes. All the while - and now get this nice piece of bullshit for advertising - the Galaxy Watch Active 2 is displayed in the book, on page 25, along with the Huawei Watch GT 2e (with no size indication), the Apple Watch SE size 40mm, again the same Galaxy Watch Active 2 (with NO SIZE INDICATION, on a different phone offering) and the Galaxy Watch 3 here with both 41mm and 45mm size indications. Each watch indicated with its specific advertised price for the specific number of months along with the either included or omitted watch size. And each watch relevant to its specific handset package.

And the manager of MTN Cosmonet Cresta just shrugged her shoulders (after numerous trips I asked Sibonelo to speak to the manager directly) and said sorry, MTN prints the little "E&OE" at the bottom of the page for LITTLE MISTAKES like this. So it is pretty obvious they can advertise whatever and then charge the customers whatever when we inquire or inform me oops, you cannot have the watch for the advertised price, its going to be R260p/m sir, not R99 as advertised because we did not feel like printing the sizes! And then hide behind the "E&OE"

On my question of whether the Galaxy Watch 3 (for instance, as they advertised it) would be R199p/m for 24 months for either the 41mm or the 45mm, she said yes, because they advertised it that way. And when I again asked "so what about the Galaxy Watch Active 2 that was advertised as R99p/m for 36 months clearly and blatantly excluding size" she stuck to her story that the "E&OE" will safeguard them from that LITTLE MISTAKE (or call it whatever the fuck you want - I call it a blatant lie) and that the sales assistant should have informed me about that. Well they didn't! Not Thuli, or Jabu, or Sibonelo, because THEY DID NOT KNOW! And it took Sibonelo numerous trips to find that out from her and inform me. Blatant lie and false advertising!

Once again, the MTN Cosmonet Cresta manager indicated that the sales assistants (Thuli, Jabu and then Sibonelo in today's case) should have informed me about that LITTLE DISCREPANCY, but THEY THEMSELVES DID NOT EVEN KNOW THAT, COULD NOT EVEN SEE IT ON THE SYSTEM and Sibonelo had to make SEVERAL TRIPS to his manager to finally get that shitty explanation! With no real explanation as to how or why the 44mm Galaxy Watch Active 2 can cost almost 3 times the price of the 40mm! And the unwillingness to try and accommodate MY NEEDS as well as understanding the fuckup MTN made by not printing that detail, all the while the other phones had that little detail of at least indicating sizes.

I believe I would be acting in a very fair, expected and entitled manner to claim false advertising, willful and negligent misleading of the public and unwillingness to serve the customer, while hiding behind "E&OE" even when the details of the products advertised next to it would have caught the editor's / reviewer's eye.

I will be expecting a 44mm Galaxy Watch Active 2 from MTN added to my new contract, for R99p/m for 36 months as advertised. But, looking at the other shitty reviews MTN SA got just for today 2021-03-31, I guess MTN does not feel a flying fuck for their loyal customers, so I might die holding my breath.

Date:

Company: MTN SA

Category: Advertising

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