Punishing clients for human error

<p>We have been clients of Impact Metering since 2007. Our account has never not been paid, or disconnected.<br />A few years ago my son moved into his own apartment in our complex, and opened an account with Impact Meter Services. He moved back home late last year, and cancelled his account. On 29/03/2017 my wife paid our portion of the account (R1700-00) and on 10/04/2017) my son paid his portion (R400-00) which he normally gives my wife.<br />Being a long standing client of Impact Metering he erronously used his old reference number when he made the payment.<br />We received a Discontinuation of Electricity notice today, and despite sending proof of payment through to their offices to 2 different people, we have to pay a reconnection fee or R220-00.<br />According to them the payment my son made did not reflect on our account, which is understandable, as it had a different reference number, although the name and complex name on both reference numbers is the same. Our surname is not that common that you could easily think we were not related.<br />If they had searched their records they would have seen that both reference numbers have the same name and complex.<br />They prefer to levy a reconnection fee, and load an already heavily burdened budget, than listening to reason, and seeing that an easily corrected error has occured.<br />I wonder how they can sleep at night, knowing that they are basically forcing people to pay for an error that was made out of force of habit.</p>