TFG & BASH Customer Service

To whom it may concern.

I am reaching out to convey my feelings of being undervalued and diminished by your customer service, particularly regarding the mishandling of my complaint referenced as CS-***.

In my entire life, I have never experienced such treatment. The level of customer service and the way I have been treated has left me in dismay and in absolute despair. I am extremely frustrated and disappointed with the level of customer service and human support provided in my situation. It appears that there is a complete lack of care for your customers, and communicating with your organization has proven to be exceedingly difficult.

The absence of effective communication among your team members is shockingly unacceptable. I am tired of having to follow up with TFG and Bash when it is your organization that has placed me in this predicament. I wish to formally lodge a complaint against Garry Loggenberg, Kathy, and Chanelle, the Team Leader.

The individuals mentioned above have only added to my frustration and inconvenience. They have caused delays in resolving my complaint regarding poor customer service from TFG and *****ulent activities by Bash. Their handling of my complaint has been devoid of care, urgency, professionalism, and clarity.

I have had my complaint resolved not just once or twice, but on three separate occasions without my consent. This clearly demonstrates the incompetence and unprofessionalism of your staff; frankly, they have given the impression of being ineffective. I have been made to feel like nothing more than a statistic rather than a valued customer.

My original complaint was about a duplicate charge on my account following a purchase I made in October for R2,200, yet I was charged R4,000 and some change. This situation has negatively affected my credit utilization. It seems *****ulent to me, as I cannot comprehend how you can debit more than the agreed amount from my account without my authorization.

This raises concerns about how many other customers may have been overcharged without their knowledge, now paying double what they should be. Very suspicious and worrisome… I will be sharing this across all social media platforms and letting everybody know how I have been treated and will be cancelling my account with you and so will everybody I know, if my complaint isn’t handled professionally and resolved efficiently.

Despite my efforts, I called to resolve this issue; the first four attempts were incredibly frustrating as I spent an excessive amount of time on hold only to be disconnected by your representatives. On my fourth attempt, I finally connected with an advisor, but they seemed distracted, discussing unrelated issues such as bays not functioning. When they realized a customer was on the line, they exclaimed, "Ooh **** ****" and abruptly hung up. I am using my credit to contact the organization since there is no toll-free number, which has already been a source of frustration and inconvenience.

I had to call again, and this time I reached a helpful young lady who informed me that the issue would be resolved within 48 hours as she had escalated it to Bash. However, after waiting and checking, I found that the problem remained unresolved after 48 hours. I had to call again, feeling frustrated, and I lodged a complaint since the advisor, despite her best efforts, could not assist me with my inquiry. I then requested to speak with a manager to file a formal complaint.

As previously mentioned, my complaint has been inadequately handled, as the managers have made promises regarding actions that were not fulfilled, callbacks that were not honored on several occasions, and compensation credits (bill waivers) that were not app**** until my balance became overdue. I received a call from Sportscene asking to arrange a payment for my account, which shocked me as I had assumed the bill would be waived.

I had to follow up with the manager, Garry Loggenberg, who has not provided clear explanations regarding what transpired and why the credit was not app**** to my account. Eventually, the credit was app****; however, this does not change the fact that I now have a late or missed payment reflected on my credit report, which will negatively affect my credit score and options.

My grievance regarding Bash's handling of *****ulent activity, abuse, and misuse of credit has seen no advancement since they suggested a resolution that I chose to decline. I have explicitly requested that my complaint be escalated to Senior Management, as I find myself repeatedly pursuing updates on its status. There has been a complete lack of communication from their end concerning the progress of my complaint. If it weren't for the overcharging issue, we wouldn't be in this predicament, yet there remains no communication from them whatsoever.

I have made it clear that I wish for my complaint to be escalated to Senior Management, as I believe my concerns have not been addressed satisfactorily. I am genuinely distressed; the countless hours I have invested in trying to resolve this issue with you are exceedingly frustrating, and I still find myself compelled to send lengthy emails regarding the mismanagement of my complaint.

Questions: How much longer are you prepared to inconvenience and frustrate your customer? Will someone take responsibility for my complaint and manage it professionally until it reaches a resolution? Do you treat all your customers in this manner, or is it that you do not value me as a customer in particular? How do you plan to rectify my credit score report? What are the subsequent steps to address all my concerns?

Desired resolution: Compensation for the stress and inconvenience.

Bash: initially requested R1,000 compensation. (Due to additional inconveniences and delays in resolution caused by your staff's lack of communication regarding my complaint, along with the mishandling of my case, the time wasted in trying to resolve this, and the stress incurred, I am now requesting R2,500 compensation. This amount reflects what they would have charged me had I not raised my complaint, and I believe it is a fair figure, though I honestly feel entitled to more.)

TFG: I initially agreed to a bill waiver of R360, which was not app**** until my payment became overdue. This situation has the potential to negatively impact my credit score report. Additionally, the mismanagement of my complaint, along with the time and stress it has caused, leads me to now request a waiver for the next 3 months of my bill.

I would like to receive a letter of apology from both organizations. I expect an immediate and efficient response. I request email confirmation regarding the above desired resolutions.

NB: IF THE DESIRED RESOLUTIONS LISTED ABOVE CANNOT BE MET, I REQUEST A DEADLOCK TO ESCALATE MY COMPLAINT FURTHER.

I WOULD ALSO REQUEST MY ACCOUNT CLOSURE WITHOUT ANY COST INCURRED OR MAKING THE PAYMENTS WHATSOEVER.

I HAVE COPIED THE NCC AND OMBUDSMAN ON THIS EMAIL AND HAVE INCLUDED YOUR CEO, ANTHONY THUNSTORM, IN THE LOOP.

Your Very Frustrated and Dissatisfied Customer.

Michael Senior (CEO) Complaint Case Manager TalkTalk.

Sent from my iPhone