MTN has been charging me for insurance I waived and now my account is locked

I have been with MTN for 6 years now, but in November 2019 I upgraded my contract to a new phone costing R299 per month. I was asked if I wanted insurance, I said no, and signed a waiver there and then, and went home. The first month I was charged R440, I checked my contract and figure it was part of the 'once-off' upgrade fee, so I paid it. Next month it was the same. In January I went to query this at the Knysna branch in Woodmill Lane and they informed me that the extra R141 was for insurance. I showed them my waiver and asked why I was being charged for something I didn't ask for and they said that they would cancel my insurance for me, but I would still have to pay the R440 one last time for that month because they have a 30 day notice period. I was irritated, but agreed. They cancelled the insurance and I received an sms in store to confirm.

The next month the same thing happened. I inquired again at the Knysna branch and they said that my insurance wasn't cancelled the last time and I would have to cancel again, once more paying the R440 because of the 30 day notice period. This is now the third payment for insurance I've made even though I waived my right on the day I got the phone. The month after that I went in store to make my monthly payment as my account was still showing a balance of R440. The nice employee (Ashley) said that he cannot understand why this hasn't been rectified and prompted me to pay the R299 that I signed for in my contract and they would sort the rest out on their end.

A week later my phone line gets suspended because my account is 'in arrears' by R141. I complain in store and they reactivate my line for me. for the next two months I continue to pay R299 because that is what I signed for in my contract. My account is now 3 months 'in arrears' and my line has been suspended for three weeks. I have emailed customer care over 20 times, getting a different reference number each time, and have been told that they acknowledge a mistake has been made and the insurance department is working on it and processing a refund for the 3 payments of insurance I overpaid in the beginning (otherwise they would have suspended my line sooner) but this was over 6 weeks ago. However, they cannot reactivate my line because my account has been 'locked' due to my account showing arrears for the last three months, which is wrong, and they cannot simply reactivate my line for me.

I have also been told that it's unlikely that I will get a refund because technically for those first three months I was insured and did have coverage - even though I specifically said I didn't want it and waived it. They said that if the refund is processed, that I will have to use that money to pay the arrears on my account to get my line open again.

I cannot even begin to describe my anger with MTN right now. I have never, ever paid below the (signed for) amount of R299. A contract I specifically chose because it was more affordable. And yet my account is locked and I am in arrears without a working phone for the last three weeks in lockdown because of an insurance amount I WAIVED AND NEVER ASKED FOR. It was my 25th birthday two weeks ago and I couldn't receive calls or messages from family members I can't see because of the lockdown, I cannot reach my loved ones and my family, and it is making me absolutely IRATE.

Since February, my credit score has dropped 14 points, and as a young person who has never missed a payment for anything in her life and duly pays for bills every month on time to build up this credit score so that I can one day apply for a home loan, I feel this is incredibly unjust and frankly, disgusting. MTN owes me a measly R423.69 AND the reactivation of my account. It's so simple, and hardly a fortune. I cannot fathom how this issue is still ongoing six months down the line. It has gotten to the point where customer service doesn't even respond to my emails anymore. I've supp**** copies of my contract and waiver on every single email and yet nothing gets done. It's as plain as day to see the fault here and yet it's six months later and I still cannot make phone calls even though I pay my account 12 DAYS EARLY every month. It's reached a point where the employees at my local branch throw their hands in the air when I walk in because even they can't understand why such a simple issue is still not fixed.

The only reason I am writing this is because, in my last conversation with them on the 6th of May, they assured me my account would be back up in 48 hours. is two whole weeks later and still nothing. I've emailed twice since then and still, nothing. This is pathetic, MTN. Fix YOUR mistake and give me my money back!