Complaint - Charged for insurance on previous phones

I sent my first email regarding this issue on 3 June and I'm still struggling to get any useful help or a solution to my problem.

In summary:

I upgraded my phone and contract on 12 April 2022 at an MTN store.

I clearly stated that I didn't want to continue with any device insurance, but see that on my subsequent invoices I was being charged and subsequently got deducted my old insurance policy amount (R235.67 ex. VAT) for my previous phone (Samsung S10e), plus upon closer investigation, the same has been happening since my previous upgrade on 28 December 2019, but this has gone unnoticed because of the smaller amount of (R67.55 ex. VAT) for the Nokia 5 I had previously insured with MTN.

I have subsequently sent numerous emails over the last 3 months (3 June, to MTN Customer Care and various other contacts I got referred to contact to sort this out - but every time I hit a brick wall and need to start explaining the issue from A-Z again and again.

Firstly, I've got told that the onus is on me to provide the signed contracts and prove that I cancelled the insurance on my OLD phones when upgrading. I did visit MTN at Ferndale on Republic in Randburg to try and source the contract, but got told that because of change from MTN Direct to franchise, these docs are not on file (this is not my admin problem, but MTN’s). I also sourced my latest contract from MTN Parys, but this is only the subscriber application form, and not the initial form where a box was ticked for NO INSURANCE. It comes without saying that I did communicate this and signed contracts to that effect, which only authorises the agreed contract amount + insurance (2019 upgrade only for insurance on S10e phone) and for only contract amount during 2022 upgrade as I did NOT want to take out or continue insurance.

I suspect that the above 2 policies that just rolled over and continued, have something to do with the anomaly on my invoices that indicates that the policies will run until 30/12/9999 – so it must be a system error that prevents any request from me the client or the consultant in store to actually stop any insurance policy – totally ridiculous!

I want these 2 insurance policies (MTNAR421028 and P***) as listed on my billing account BA***, cancelled with immediate effect, PLUS ALL the overcharged amounts, which now sit at approximately R3 500.00 (I expect a full audit of these charges – I’m not MTN’s accountant!) refunded into my bank account (not credit on my MTN account) ASAP.

Secondly, I want to authorise a revised DebiCheck against MY Absa bank account of my actual signed for monthly contract amount of R435. At the time of the upgrade I was told that it is standard practice for me to approve the FULL credit limit amount that MTN qualified me for (R11 718), but this has enabled MTN to debit whatever they want from my account (i.e. the extra insurance charges) even though I took out a top up account tp prevent exactly this – unexpected (********) charges that are noy authorised by me. If this is not done – I will cancel this authorisation and manually pay the R435 I owe each month via EFT – seeing that MTN feels it is legal to deduct unauthorised amounts from customers’ accounts.

If this does not get resolved, my next step would be the Ombudsman…

Get this sorted ASAP!

Your very unhappy/frustrated customer Werner Nell