Formal Complaint: Poor Service and Account Mismanagement – MTN Carnival Mall

I would like to formally lodge a complaint regarding the extremely poor and *********** service I have received from MTN Carnival Mall, which has resulted in financial loss, stress, and potential damage to my credit record.

In January 2024, I purchased a home router from MTN Carnival Mall and was assisted by a consultant named Bella. Upon getting home, the router failed to function properly due to poor network signal and connectivity issues. As the product was not fit for purpose, I returned it to the store within the grace period, as advised at the time of purchase.

On the day I returned the router, Bella was unavailable, and I was assisted by another consultant, Catherine. She processed the booking-in of the router and assured me that the month-to-month contract would be cancelled.

Despite this, three months later, I noticed that my account was still being debited. I returned to the store and was advised that the debit should be reversed, as the router had been returned and the contract cancelled. Unfortunately, the debits continued for a further two months before eventually stopping. I informed Catherine via text message once the debits stopped, and she confirmed that this meant the contract had finally been cancelled.

Fast forward to November 2025, when I visited the same MTN store to upgrade my devices, only to be informed—much to my shock—that I could not upgrade because I allegedly owed approximately R2,500, and that my account had been handed over to legal collections. I was never contacted, called, emailed, or notified at any point about an outstanding balance or legal handover. This was the first time I became aware of this issue.

The store manager attempted to escalate this matter with head office over a period of three weeks, without success. As a result, I missed out on Black Friday deals that I had been looking forward to. Eventually, due to desperation and concern about my credit record, I felt forced to consider paying a bill that I strongly dispute.

I was instructed to contact 135 for assistance. After spending over 30 minutes trying to reach a consultant, I was finally assisted, only to be told that the consultant could not confirm the outstanding amount and that I needed to contact Nudebt. Upon contacting Nudebt, I was informed that my details do not exist on their system, leaving me completely stuck and back at square one.

I am extremely frustrated and disappointed by MTN’s handling of this matter. I fulfilled my responsibilities by returning the router and requesting cancellation within the appropriate timeframes. The fact that this was not correctly processed reflects serious incompetence on the part of the staff involved and internal system failures. I have been a loyal MTN customer who pays my existing contracts on time, yet I have been subjected to unacceptable service, lack of communication, and potential reputational harm. This matter requires urgent and thorough investigation, including: Confirmation that the router return and cancellation were properly processed

Removal of the incorrect legal handover

Rectification of any negative credit record impact

A full explanation of how this failure occurred

I believe I have been far too patient and lenient in this matter. MTN’s failure to resolve this issue timeously is unacceptable, and I expect immediate corrective action