How Do You Treat a 24-Year Client Like This — Especially at 79 Years Old?

I never imagined we’d have to turn to Hello Peter just to be heard. But after months of silence, stress, and financial damage, it’s clear that Clientele Life no longer sees the human behind the policy number — especially if that person is elderly and outside of South Africa. My father is 79 years old. He has paid every single month, without fail, since 2001 — across five policies with Clientele Life covering his wife and two sons. That’s 24 years of loyalty and not a single claim. In January 2025, he emailed Clientele to begin cancelling four of these policies. He’s older now, financially constrained, and wants to simplify his affairs. He explained his situation clearly: he lives in Lesotho where he cannot call 086 numbers, and international calls are too expensive. Email was the only practical method of communication — and he made that clear. Monica Mutati responded on 7 February. He accepted the terms and responded promptly on 10 February 2025 with this instruction: “Understood. Please cancel the four policies with immediate effect.” And yet — Clientele ignored him. They continued to withdraw money from his account. They did not cancel the policies. He followed up again on 28 February 2025 and — nothing. No reply. No action. No apology. Meanwhile, the debits have continued. These unapproved withdrawals have caused dishonour fees, bounced stop orders, and a negative record at the bank. He’s had to travel from Lesotho into South Africa, paying R100 for each trip, standing in queues for two hours as a pensioner — just to beg for his own money back. To add insult, my brother gave up after waiting endlessly on Clientele's helpline, never reaching a person. He’s been embarrassed, ignored, and financially destabilised — by the very company he trusted for nearly a quarter century. No one at Clientele seems to care that their actions have caused a 79-year-old man this kind of avoidable harm. The real question I’ve been asking myself is this: “How would you feel if this was your parent?” Imagine watching your father — who’s never missed a payment — reduced to this kind of stress and anxiety. Not because of misunderstanding. Not because he broke terms. But because Clientele simply couldn’t be bothered to act on his very clear and documented instruction. Their email said: “As our valued client, it is with great pleasure to be of assistance…” But their silence and continued debits say something very different: We don’t see you. We don’t care. What we’re asking for is simple: • Immediate cancellation of the four specified policies • A refund for any premiums debited after 10 February 2025 • Compensation for dishonour fees and border travel expenses • A formal written apology • Updating of the remaining policy to reflect correct standing

To any potential clients reading this: Clientele’s advertising will talk about care, about family, about being “there when you need them most.” But read this carefully — because if this is how they treat a faithful, paying client of 24 years, how do you think they’ll treat you when you're at your most vulnerable? If this resonates with you — if you've experienced something similar — please comment or share. Maybe if we raise our voices together, Clientele will finally start listening.