My YEAR LONG NIGHTMARE WITH MTN

My YEAR LONG NIGHTMARE WITH MTN

Hello,

I trust you are well. Please see below My Year Long Nightmare with MTN.

It began in late 2024 where I was going through some financial difficulties and I didn't pay my MTN account. Rightly, I was handed over to a debt collecting company. I promptly settled the outstanding balance with the debt collecting company, brought the account up to date in terms of payments and I received a settlement letter from the Nudebt Debt Collecting company. I then took on the arduous task of getting my number unblocked on the MTN network which took the better part of 4 months. MTN kept saying I owed them money, when I didn't. Nudebt said I had paid up all outstanding balances and there was nothing that they could do. It took countless trips to MTN stores and numerous calls to the MTN call center. That alone is nightmare inducing as very few people at the call center are actually willing to help. The call wait times are extremely long and once you get through to someone, they usually say you've come to the wrong department and they transfer you, but the call gets cut and you have to start over. Anyway I spoke to an extremely helpful agent named Shati Serakwane and I clung on for dear life as she was the only person in 4 months willing to help me. Eventually, we had the issue resolved after a few weeks and I had my account cleared with MTN.

Sadly, my nightmare did not stop there.

Also note that I've been paying my MTN account all these months and I've never gotten to use any of the free minutes or the data that I was paying for. My intention was to cancel this contract as MTN have proven time and again that it's a nightmare to deal with them.

So my number is active for a few hours at the very least. It then gives me "Your number has been RICA barred" voice message every time I try to make a call. I've had this number for between 15-20 years and I definitely had it RICA'd. I try calling the helpline and the voice prompts instruct me to go to a store with my relevant documents. I do that. No luck. They create ticket after ticket for me. Escalation after escalation and my number is still RICA barred. Remember I'm still paying my MTN account up to this point. My number eventually gets un-RICA barred in December of this year. The only reason it got cleared is because an MTN agent called me to ask me to make payment on my MTN account. I explained the situation to her and told her I would not be paying this account until this RICA barred issue was resolved. I asked to speak to a manager. She said that a manager would call me back. I'm still waiting for that call. I thought that would be the end of my nightmare, but wait, there's more!

As soon as my number gets un-RICA barred, I have an open line for a few hours, and then my line is cut again due to failure to make payment.

My intention was to cancel this contract and save money but MTN and their inability to fix any issue timeously has led to me paying for a service I was not allowed to use for a year.

I would like to have my contract cancelled and the number handed back to me so I can take it to a more reliable network. I would like to be refunded for all the payments I've made to MTN for this year for services that I was not allowed to use, due to MTN themselves. If you wish to end my nightmare and fulfill my requests, then I thank you in advance for acknowledging the nightmare I had to endure for the better part of 2025 with MTN.

I initially sent this to MTN complaints department on the 15th of December 2025 and I made the mistake of not stating which MTN number I was having this issue with. I left my contact number below my signature at the end of the email. A consultant by the name of Bryan rep**** to my email on the 28th of December 2025, stating that my number - which I left below my signature - "is active on prepaid." I rep**** saying it was my mistake that I forgot to state which MTN number of mines I was having the issue with. I gave him the correct number and I have not received a response yet.

I then sent the same email to MTN complaints department on the 13th of January, including the number I was having an issue with. No response from that either. I see that my sim has been loaded with lots of Data and Minutes, and my contract was due to terminate on the 7th of January this year. I have no idea whats going on.

I wanted to cancel this contract a year ago. I do not want the data or the minutes. I only paid this contract even though I couldn't use the sim, to avoid being blacklisted. I just want a refund for all my payments and I would appreciate it if somebody could call me to have this issue fixed. Thanks.