Being forced to schlep to a mobile store to access recording of telesales contract - Madness!

Entering a contract over the phone is mined with pitfalls, Wendy Knowler has warned numerous times on The Money Show.

Don't do it UNLESS you're able to make your own call recordings, she advises.

This week, Knowler focuses on telesales cellphone contracts and the fact that you can be told to go into a store to listen to the recording, when you're  disputing the terms of the contract.

Remember that in this case you don’t have a copy of the document, as you would when you sign a contract in a store.

The Consumer Protection Act falls far short in this instance she believes -  while it says consumers must be given a copy of a physical contract they sign face-to-face, in the case of telephonic mandates, suppliers are required only to keep a copy of the recording.

"The power imbalance of that - on top of the inconvenience of having to schlep into a store - blows my mind."

"There is nothing about consumers being entitled to their own transcript or call recording. Madness!"

Wendy Knowler, Consumer Journalist

Knowler recounts the trouble a Vodacom customer had to go to resolve her particular issue, which was not being able to cancel her contract without a penalty before emigrating.

Told by a phone consultant that she had to go to her nearest store to access the recording to prove her side of the dispute, the client requested via email that she be sent all relevant recordings and written proof.

Taking up the case with Vodacom’s media liaison team, Knowler asked this question:

“What possible justification could there be for Vodacom not to simply do a security check on Ellen - old-school background questions or biometric - before emailing a recording of the call to her?"

While Vodacom reversed Ellen's contested upgrade, the company reiterated that it refers customers to a store to listen to their call recording for 'privacy' and 'security' reasons.

"This also allows for controlled access to the recording and to ensure the recording is used for its intended purposes, and that it is not distributed,  accessed improperly or insecurely."

“Vodacom continues to review its measures to ensure ease of access while ensuring the protection and security of information shared within the call recording in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act..."

Vodacom

Just spare yourself the hassles and don't enter a contract over the phone, Knowler repeats.

For more detail, listen to the interview audio at the top of the article