**** and ********** activity on my mobile account

I have been an MTN client since 1999 using the same mobile number for all these years - on contract. If one were to trace back my account history one will see I have always been a “small spender” who generally sticks within a budget of mobile monthly limits and have never missed a payment and or debit order. On average and most recently my mobile phone account usually sits at around R599-R699 per month. I have never missed a payment or ever run into debt on my account.

On 18/02/2021 I had a terrible ****/*****/theft experience on my MTN account. I have attached the affidavit to this e-mail and have opened a case at the Police station IR***. (All the details regarding the **** and my immediate actions are in there)

Since reporting the case to MTN on 23/02/2021 - to e-mail address *** and again on the 01/03/2021 to both *** & *** after receiving threatening sms’s from MTN that I would not be able to remain linked on my mobile device until I settle the outstanding bill or R12000. I also continuously receive sms’s that I have successfully renewed the x12month internet bundle links to my account… which I have never signed or agree’d to. The one and only reference number I received for reporting this *****/******** activity on my account was *** (received 01/03/2021).

I have also been in to my local MTN SHOP where I have been helped by staff there to note this query and also be advised on what to do. However despite all of the above on 01/04/2021 I received notification that MTN had debited R12000 from my bank account linked to my monthly contract. I am more than happy to be paying my monthly contract which I have signed up for…. however I am not willing to be paying the R12000 MTN have billed me for. I immediately reversed the debit order and the money was moved back into my account. I went in to the MTN shop again where I reported this with a reference number: *** which was linked to my account - so as to notify the accounts department that I am querying this bill.

I need to note that there have been numerous red flags for me when phoning in to MTN and speaking to consultants which have raised my suspicion that this **** is in favour of MTN. At the end of the day as a loyal long-term customer I feel as if I have not been protected/assisted by MTN as one should be. MTN benefits from this **** by insisting that I settle this massive bill, so why would they want to resolve/help the client. In a way they seem to be guaranteed the payment, while their client never rung up the bill, and at the end of the day the **** has not cost MTN the billed amount. I really feel strongly that this is not constitutional. - First calls to the client centre on the day of the incident - no-one was interested in stopping the activity on my account or even reversing the data share. (What is data? it is created by MTN themselves? it’s not a tangible object. So surely when something like this is reported within minutes of it happening it can be reversed? Of the 3 people I spoke to in the call centre… not one of them were supporting this) (Only the 3rd person I spoke to was interested in the phone numbers that had called me, in the numbers added to my account - so as to try and “protect and report” this ******** activity) - I was reprimanded numerous times for giving out a OTP - however on 01/03/2021 I called to speak to a consultant again about the sms’s and bills I was receiving from MTN. After spending a long time explaining my case the call dropped. Surprisingly the consultant called me back at 9:05am from the phone number *** and during the conversation I was asked to read back a OTP in order to accept my bill of R12 000 that had just been sent to me…. (This is a red flag again as someone working at MTN should not be requesting OTP’s from clients and obviously having been caught by a **** I refused to continue with the discussion. The referent number for this call was ***)

I have also reported this case to the Ombudsman as a matter of principle the reference number for this being N*** (09/04/2021)

As of Friday 16/04/2021 my account has been suspended and I am unable to use my phone services. I paid for my MTN account in person at the Garden Route mall on 01/04/2021 in order to ensure I still continue to pay for my usual contract as per the signed deal I have with them. (R699.50)

At this stage my subscription with MTN has expired and I am due to renew/upgrade a new contract - however at this stage I will not re-sign with MTN based on ethics/the lack thereof of this company. As you know the mission of changing one’s phone number is massive, as a result I was hoping that MTN would respond and protect me as a client from this incident. Should they be willing to do so I will consider keeping my number with MTN. However if not I would be looking to cancel my relations with them moving forward.

The problem here is that this **** which MTN are completely aware of is actually in their favour ... in a way for each person ****med they are "guaranteed" to treat the client as I have been and to demand and bully the client to pay the bill that the ********/********** have rung up. Various things which have happened during my dealings with this case and reporting it telephonically in every way possible has made me question whether this is not internal doings within the MTN umbrella.

As a client I feel abused, unprotected and have yet to hear a word other than sms threats from the service provider.