Four Years of Broken Promises and Lost Opportunities: My Experience with Company Partners

I am writing this review with deep disappointment after four years of struggling with Company Partners to get the basic services I paid for. In October 2020, I opened my business and paid for company registration, VAT registration, and an import/export license. It is now 2024, and only this year did they manage to complete the VAT registration. Despite my constant efforts and countless emails, I have still not received my import and export license.

For four years, I begged and pleaded for updates. I was continuously promised progress, but all I received were more requests for submissions to CIPC. To add to the frustration, they refused to provide me with the login details for my own business registration. It took months just to gain enough access to add my business to eFiling. Whenever I called, I was always given excuses—the person I needed to speak to had just stepped out, they’d call me back (which they never did), and I was left feeling ignored and helpless. It was promise after promise, with no real action.

My business is not just about making a profit—I help women and children who have been affected by gender-based violence by offering self-defense training and tools. The lack of essential business documents has severely hindered my ability to provide these services. It’s heartbreaking to know that I could have helped so many more, but I’ve lost hundreds of thousands of rands due to the inefficiency and lack of professionalism from Company Partners.

In one particularly frustrating example, I was repeatedly sent to the police station for affidavits and certification, only to be told each time that SARS wasn’t accepting the paperwork. After four long years of empty promises, I decided to take my business elsewhere. I hired another company in August 2024, and within just 10 days, they secured my import and export license. This experience highlighted to me that Company Partners was never truly interested in delivering—they were only interested in getting paid.

I have emailed Company Partners multiple times, demanding a refund for services that were never delivered. My emails were sent to Cynthia Takawira (***), ***, ***, ***, and Zuko Malusi (***), yet no one has responded. Cynthia, who was always so eager to send me specials and ask for payments, has now disappeared when it comes to accountability.

Here are the emails I sent, which were ignored:

On August 21, 2024, I requested a refund for the import and export license fees, noting the numerous attempts I’d made since 2020 to complete the process. Despite my efforts, I received no feedback—only more documents to fill out, which were also rejected without explanation.

On August 26, 2024, I followed up on my refund request, stating that I had moved forward with another company.

On August 30, 2024, I reiterated my request, explaining that I had successfully obtained my import/export license elsewhere within just 8 days, further illustrating Company Partners’ incompetence.

Company Partners is a large company, and one would expect a certain level of professionalism, concern, and care for their clients, especially when the impact is so devastating for a small business. Despite being fully aware that my business aims to help vulnerable women and children, they showed no urgency, no empathy, and no willingness to right their wrongs. Their lack of response and disregard for the consequences of their inaction speaks volumes.

I am beyond disappointed. All I asked for was a refund for services that were never delivered, so I could move on. Instead, Company Partners chose to ignore me, leaving me no choice but to share my experience publicly. Their actions have had a significant, negative impact on my ability to grow my business and support those who need it most. I urge anyone considering their services to think twice—they may promise a lot, but my experience shows that they simply do not deliver.