Formal Complaint: Bonitas – R4,047 Refund Delayed Due to Bonitas' Error

I am extremely disappointed with the way Bonitas has handled what should have been a relatively straightforward administrative issue.

For the sake of clarity, here is the sequence of events:

6 August: My scheduled debit order of R4,047 did not go off. I contacted Bonitas and was advised that there had been an issue with their debit order run. I was specifically instructed to make a manual EFT payment, which I did immediately. I also submitted my proof of payment.

7 August: I received an SMS from Bonitas advising me that the debit order would nevertheless be processed that day. I attempted to contact the call centre to clarify the situation, but after being on hold for approximately 20 minutes, I gave up.

8 August: I contacted Bonitas again and was advised that a refund request would be created, as I had now effectively paid my contribution twice.

11 August: I followed up because I had received no confirmation that the matter was being dealt with. I was given reference number ***1 and told by the agent, Kwanele, that the matter would be escalated. I was also given the email address of the team leader, Lindelo, and requested a call back with an update. No call back or update was received.

12 August: I contacted Bonitas again and was told by Lesego that it would be simpler to reverse my EFT. I subsequently confirmed with my bank that this was not possible because the payment was made correctly into the correct account. The EFT had cleared and had been allocated to my medical aid contribution.

18 August: After yet another call to Bonitas, during which I spent 34 minutes on the phone, mostly on hold, I was eventually advised by Katlego that my refund had been approved.

However, I was then told that my R4,047 would only be paid between 24 and 28 August.

I explained that I found this unacceptable, given that this situation arose because of an error in Bonitas' debit order process and not because of anything I had done.

I was told that Bonitas has set payment dates.

I asked what process I needed to follow to request an exception given the circumstances. I was told that there is no process for an exception.

My response was simple: your internal processes are not my concern. I am a paying member who has been financially inconvenienced by an error that was not mine.

I then asked to speak to the agent's manager. I was placed on hold and, while I was waiting, the call was terminated.

At that point, I decided I would not spend another hour repeatedly calling the call centre trying to get someone to take responsibility for resolving this.

R4,047 is a significant amount of money to be without for weeks. I did exactly what Bonitas instructed me to do. I made the manual payment when their debit order failed. Bonitas then processed the debit order anyway, resulting in a duplicate payment.

I am not disputing that the refund has now been approved. My complaint is about the unacceptable delay, lack of communication, repeated need for me to chase the matter, and the complete lack of ownership of an error that was not mine.

I would like Bonitas to explain:

Why was the debit order processed after I had been instructed to make a manual payment? Why must I wait until 24–28 August to receive money that was taken as a result of Bonitas' error? Why is there apparently no mechanism for an exception where the circumstances clearly warrant one? Why was my request to speak to a manager effectively ignored, with my call being terminated while I was on hold?

I have been a Bonitas member for many years and this is the first time I have experienced this level of frustration with the organisation.

I am not asking for preferential treatment. I am asking Bonitas to take responsibility for its error and resolve the financial inconvenience it has caused me in a reasonable and timely manner.

I expect this complaint to be properly investigated and would appreciate a response from someone with the authority to actually address the matter, rather than another instruction to simply wait for the standard payment cycle.