Formal Complaint – Unauthorized Debit Orders and Failure to Resolve Refund Request

To Whom It May Concern,

I wish to lodge a formal complaint regarding unauthorized debit orders processed against my bank account by MTN South Africa and the unsatisfactory customer service I have received while attempting to resolve the matter.

On 30 May at approximately 04:00, I received an SMS notification advising that an amount of R1,650.00 had been debited from my bank account. As this debit was unexpected, I immediately contacted MTN Customer Care on 083 135 and logged a complaint under reference number CAS BO***.

During the call, I explained that I required an urgent refund, as I manage my finances on a strict monthly budget. The consultant informed me that she could see an error on my account and that a credit of approximately R2,100.00 was due to me. However, she advised that the matter could only be investigated by the back-office team on Monday, 1 June.

Subsequently, I received an email from an MTN Back Office Agent, Noxolo Nyholo, requesting proof of payment. Although I found the request confusing, as the debit was processed directly from my account, I nevertheless provided a copy of my bank statement reflecting the debit transaction.

On the same evening, a further amount of R60.00 was debited from my account. I immediately responded to the email, advising the agent of the additional unauthorized debit. Within minutes, the case was closed, and I was informed that no refund was due to me, despite the earlier confirmation from Customer Care that an account error existed.

For clarity, I only have one month-to-month MTN Home Router contract at a monthly cost of R450.00. I do not have any cellphone contracts with MTN under my name. Furthermore, the reference attached to the disputed debit orders relates to a cellphone number and differs entirely from the reference used for my legitimate monthly router debit order.

Since then, I have contacted MTN Customer Care on approximately six separate occasions. Each time, I have been required to repeat the full history of the matter, only to be advised that a new case would be logged. Calls have often ended without resolution after lengthy waiting periods of more than 30 minutes.

In an effort to resolve the matter, I also visited an MTN store. After explaining the situation, I was informed that the store systems were offline and was advised to visit another branch, leaving me without any assistance.

As of today, five days have passed since the initial unauthorized debit, and I remain without a refund. This has caused significant inconvenience and financial strain, particularly as the funds were deducted at month-end when I have other financial obligations to meet.

I therefore request: 1. An immediate investigation into the unauthorized debit orders. 2. A full refund of all amounts incorrectly debited from my account. 3. Written confirmation of the outcome of the investigation. 4. An explanation as to how these debits were processed against my account.

Should this matter not be resolved within one working day of receipt of this complaint, I will have no alternative but to escalate the matter to the relevant regulatory and consumer protection authorities, including ICASA and the National Consumer Commission.

I trust that MTN will treat this matter with the urgency it deserves and look forward to receiving confirmation of my refund without further delay.

Yours faithfully,