COTTON ON - UNAUTHORIZED DEBIT ORDER

I just got Hello Peter for the sole purpose of trying to illicit a response from Cotton On, after exhausting all other avenues.

I got a Cotton On store card after two in-store promoters paraded around with a little tablet sprouting “6 months no interest and no extra charges”. Sounded too good to be true. First month statement came and my installment was R100 more than the amount I owed. I sat on the phone for ages and turns out that despite signing forms picking the 6 month option, I was on the 12 month plenty interest pay back plan with a R55 monthly service fee, which was NOT pointed out as it should be as per the CPA as unexpected, additional costs should be. Anyway, let it slide thinking I’ll just never buy anything and close my account after 6 months...

Been paying via EFT, well before the end of the month, have at no point been late, and always email proof of payment to ********** - I did so and on the 2nd of May an UNAUTHORIZED DEBIT went off on my account for my installment amount, meaning that I had now paid double. I immediately emailed the above address and received the first of many automated responses promoting their self service app. No real correspondence or acknowledgment. I then decided to try and call in. I spent 16 and 14 minutes on the line, respectively, waiting, and not wanting to waste any more airtime I gave up. I called again last Saturday after 4 more emails. I got through to someone who assured me that i should not have been debited as he could see that my eft and proof of payment went through. I knew this, as I studied law, and I know that it is ******* to debit an account without express authorization. He told me to email ********** -which I did that same day. Still no refund and it has been 8 days since then. No response except “your refund request has been sent to our finance department for further assistance”. How gross? I’m so upset about this. How is this any different to *****ing? I don’t want to wait any longer. I want my installment paid back with the debit order charge, as a matter of principle. I also want to report this. I can see from Hello Peter that I am not the only person who has had an unauthorized debit order go off. I would not have noticed if I had not by chance had to print my bank statement.

What does one need to do to get CottonOn to take this seriously, or at the very least, a response????