Vodacom is the largest Cell phone company in South Africa. As the most popular cell phone company with the most subscribers, it offers clients better service in terms of functionality, options as well as having the best network coverage, fastest and most reliable Internet access and overall more stable network.
You can call Vodacom customer care and block your lost or stolen handset by just calling 082111 as well as check your accounts and arrange almost any service.
When comparing Vodacom customer service with the other two mobile companies (CellC and MTN) the level and service options at Vodacom far exceed anything the other companies offer. Vodacom is also popular, which is surprising considering that the company used to belong in part to the horrible Apartheid era created fixed line operator, Telkom.
Telkom is still hated (not just disliked) by many consumers in South Africa as their service is pathetic (Telkom still thinks they are a government and not a business) Telkom also has terrible management and staff working for the company frequently find that listing Telkom as an employer on their CV’s frequently count against their employment.
MTN probably has the worst service of the cellphone companies, which again is surprising as it is the second largest cell operator in SA. If your cell phone is lost or stolen calling the 0831808 number does not help. There is nothing MTN can do for you as you have to physically find one of their shops. In the meantime, should your online banking or other service that uses sms for security purposes, contact your cell phone MTN can do nothing to block it. This means that MTN customers are at higher risk of Internet Banking Crime than Vodacom customers.
CellC is the most underdeveloped of the cell companies, the service offering is more expensive than Vodacom and you will frequently be placed on hold for exceptionally long periods of time. They are always experiencing high caller volumes (The same as media company DSTV) and the service is poor.
All in all, for cell phones: Deal with Vodacom and avoid MTN.
For fixed line you have no choice as the second fixed line operator, Neotel, do not provide the mass consumer services and Telkom still has a monopoly.