********* Practices by The Foschini Group Against Account Holders

How does it work that I owed Mr Price R6,000 and I owed The Foschini Group (TFG) about R13,000 and at the end of 8 months the Mr Price account is paid off and The Foschini Group Account has remained approximately the same even though I was paying both accounts at the same time without purchasing anything?

I have loved The Foschini Group range of stores and products, however I am sadly disappointed by how the Accounts Department have treated me. In April 2020 I was retrenched due to covid-19 but happily I am now working again. In the time I was unemployed, I was handed over to collections departments (Mr Price and TFG included) and I tried as much as possible to pay the minimum amounts requested even though my children and I were depending on handouts.

It was a relief to clear Mr Price at the end of the year, however I carried on with the TFG account without checking but trusting that all was well and that it is being reduced. When I started working in April this year, it was a relief when I got the monthly call to be able to say I will pay the R664 I was being asked to pay as a minimum month end when I was paid. On 26 April, I proudly paid R800 instead. I was then surprised when on:-

1) 13 May (2 weeks later) I had a text message saying I was in arrears by R217 and I must pay R273 immediately. I had the money, so I went and paid R275 immediately. 2) 14 May (the next day) I got a call saying I was now in arrears by R277 and it must be paid that day. I asked how that was possible when I was asked to pay R664 but I paid R800, then the day before I got a text saying I was in arrears by R273 and now I am getting another call? The young lady quickly cut the call and sent me a text message saying I must pay. 3) I was also sent an email in which I responded by asking for clarification. I copied the Customer Care email address from the website and the Accounts Department email address. 4) The Accounts Department email address does not work so I am not sure why it is on the website. 5) I received a stiff response from someone called Cindy from the Collections Department basically saying “Please note whilst an account shows a arrear amount our normal collection processes will be enforced and collection related costs will be added to your account as set out by TFG Terms and Conditions.” And saying that if I paid R810 consistently for 3 months they will reinstate my account and I must call the Call Centre to extend the account to a 24 month account. 6) I rep**** asking if it meant that when I pay R800, the whole amount goes to collection related costs. I said I was keen to clear the account and would like clarification but I received no response. 7) On the 29th of May I went to the Nicolway branch and asked if it was possible for me to get a reconciliation of the account to see why in a year the account had not moved. They printed a mini statement for me which was a revelation for me. The mini statement showed charges for:- o Subscriptions for Value Mag R19.99, Fit/Ballife Mag R51.90 - THESE MAGAZINES ARE NOT SENT TO ME AND I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG THE CHARGES HAVE BEEN ACCUMULATING ON MY ACCOUNT ADDING TO THE INTEREST. o Club Magazine Fee 39.20 – WHAT CLUB MAGAZINE? AGAIN THIS ACCUMULATES ON MY ACCOUNT. o Service Fee – R22.00 I am not sure what this entails o Phone call fees at R20 each – which is why the young lady could call even after I have paid. o Collection Letter Fees at R20 each o SMS fees at R2.80 which is why they can get sent 2 days in a row on top of phone calls even when I have paid. o April Interest R220.16, April payment R800, May interest R210.86 WHAT IS THIS INTEREST BASED ON? o Amount due R12,792 yet on the 19th of May I received a statement saying I owe R13,067.00

8) Clearly after seeing these charges, I asked if I can speak to someone about reconciling my account, removing the magazines I don’t receive, discuss unfair practices with phone calls etc. They kindly called the accounts department and we were told that the collections department only work during the week so I must call Monday. 9) Monday 31 May, I went back and they called on my behalf. I spoke to a lady who seemed very understanding but was again urging me to extend my payment period to 24 months. I said I don’t mind paying the full monthly installment of R1380 BUT I would like to pay it knowing what I am paying for and knowing that the account will go down as so far 1 year of payments accomplished nothing. She said she would ask her supervisor to email me. 10) Same day in good faith I paid the full month installment of R1380. Today is the 4th of June and I still have not heard from the supervisor so still no reconciliation. 11) Lastly, I also had a Big Buy Account with TFG. This had a debit order on my bank account. On the 19th of May, I received a threatening statement saying the account was overdue and I must pay R272.69 to avoid a bad record at the Bureau. They debited R447.21 from my account and NOW OWE ME MONEY BECAUSE THAT ACCOUNT IS PAID UP.

Now that I am working, my priority is to improve my credit rating but it is quite disheartening that accounts such as my TFG account are shrouded in mystery and include things that they do not deliver and unfair practices which add to the interest and make it hard to clear the account when I am willing. Doors are shut when you enquire and you must just pay whatever they say.