Client Services Choose to Ignore your Business Request

In March 2016 we sold our 1 branch (retail hardware), the new owners moved in on April 2016. I phoned Eskom in March asking them what the procedure is cancelling my account. The response was that I need to do a "move out" and provide my meter reading on the last day of March 2016. I did exactly that. The new owners did not have all their documentation ready for Eskom to be able to create an account and therefore my account could not be closed. The new owners then paid the electricity bill directly to Eskom with my account as reference. In July 2016 their own account was then only created. Issue 1 was then created - Eskom only transferred the meters on the 1 premise (premise = 2), which mean that my account can still not be closed. On my following months of Statements received from Eskom transfers was made (left to right without our permission) and I ended up owing Eskom R7000 (rounded the figure) and do I need to mention that my deposit showed suddenly a zero balance instead of R14 000.00 (rounded the figure). Customer care then said that my deposit was not taken and if I pay the R7000 I will get my deposit back. We then paid the R7000, just to get our deposit back at least, and then I queried the R7000 account issued to me. According to the new owners all meters from both premises has been transferred to their own account and any other issue I have with Eskom I need to deal with them directly because according to Eskom their account (new owners) was correct. Issue 2 - I phoned Eskom for my deposit only to hear that there is no deposit due to me??? The Customer Care line is a hopeless case because I'm based in Western Cape and they can only put my account query on request and Eskom will then phone me directly... Not happened after my numerous phone calls, using the reference numbers and all.

I then decided to go to my nearest Eskom branch where I saw a lady and she logged onto my account after I explained the entire situation. Her exact words: "what the hell did they do on this account? I don't understand". She then could determine the person who handled the account, also she saw that my move out date and meter reading was never entered after the information was given. After about 2 weeks she gave me the contact details of the person I should contact to get my account resolved.

Issue 3 - Mr Julie Jacobs (not sure what his position is at Eskom but if there is a department called Pathetic then he is surely in that department). As a client I was glad to have his direct contact number and email address, unfortunately Mr Jacobs is never available on his line neither respond to his email. At last I did get hold of Mr Jacobs, oh let me mention we are currently now in May 2017!, and after explaining the entire situation he assured me that he will investigate and get back to me. Mr Jacobs then (after about a week or 2) rep**** and said that they had made adjustments on this account and my deposit will be paid back to me. Now when I said my deposit will be paid back, it was only the deposit of R14 000 which Eskom on the first month due for re-payment did not load my credit and I had to wait another 30 days.

I then queried the R7000 with Mr Jacobs I had to pay to get my account closed (why was this due and also an detailed account to see how they did the allocations to get to the figure etc.) to be able to get my deposit back and his reponse was that all the allocations was done and there is nothing else Eskom can do, should I have any queries I should take it further up with the new owners that took over the premises.

Since today Mr Jacobs refuses to reply on my emails, when I do get hold of him telepathically he says there's nothing he can do and even ended the call. I only want my detailed account with the allocations, I mean whey can't I have it? And why should I pay so much money for not even using the electricity? The new owners also confirmed on a letterhead that they took the entire premises over from April 2016, but if I have an account query then I should take it up to them directly?

I can't even complain about the service, Mr Julie Jacobs has surely showed me there is no service when it comes to Eskom Customer Queries.