Unfair customer service and assistance

This is the worst query, even sent it to MTN as well so let me just copy and paste.

Hello I am Busisiwe Mazibuko speaking on behalf of my mother Nokuthula Mazibuko who is/was the client of the contract phone she gave me.

This is a complaint that needs resurrection from you guys.

In 2014 round about the 16th May 2014, my mother Nokuthula Rina Mazibuko, decided that she would by me a phone for my birthday which was later on that month, I was with her when we purchased it at Melrose Arch Mtn,number ********** 586.

It was a 24month contract for a Z1 Sony Xperia phone. She was making direct debit payments via her Nedbank account every 15th of the month.

In 2015 in July I unfortunately lost the phone, me an my mother went to MTN in Jabulani mall to notify that my phone was lost, unfortunately there was some strike going on so we could not get any assistance.

My mom is not good with these processes of customer service and talking over the phone, we tried numerous times to contact MTN and notify them of the lost phone but we still got referred to a branch.

We went to a branch in Johannesburg Braamfontein to try also cancel there we still could not get assistance, it was pretty frustrating.

We tried numerous other branches for the rest of 2015, Park station, Maponya Mall, even West Gate but we still could not manage to get assistance and bear in mind we just wanted to notify that I nolonger have the phone it has been lost.

In 2016 I moved out of home so I could not help my mother much and with lack of knowledge because I was still 19 and my mother did not know we thought the contract will end on Month it started which is May.

I noticed when I went for a visit home and helping my mother out with her banking that MTN was still deducting money from my mother's bank account. We tried calling in numerous times but due to the consultants wanting my mother to talk and she could not even understand anything over the phone we once again went to the park station branch, and other branches trying to get assistance for the contract to be cancelled because the phone was long lost and The contract had ended, the frustration started getting worse because I am was not allowed to speak for my mother over the phone, we kept going to branches and we kept on getting sent back to call in where we did not get anywhere, I was not around home much so this deductions without my mothers consent kept on happening. We have no phone, the contract had ended but there was still unauthorized Payments being taken.

Last year 2018 I noticed that there were still amounts being deducted from my mothers account, we did once again for numerous times tried calling to cancel, but our enquiries felt on deaf ears because we still did not get any help!!!!!!!

We kept on being transferred and consultants kept on telling us if we called in before to cancel we should have reference numbers to prove that, which showed no empathy what so ever!

Finally in December 2018 when we still noticed that you guys are still deducting from my mothers account when I was helping with her finances, we went to a branch in Johannesburg CBD next to Fox street, we were really irritate because we were sent back to calling which we have been doing for 3years, I wanted to complain and escalate the matter further, then only then did they call in tge retentions department on our behalf were I we talked to a girl who was really rude, not empathetic and not helpful, I wanted an escalation because my mother wanted a refund for all the times we paid for a phone and a contract that should have ended 2016 May, all this consultant did was just give me a reference number for an immediate cancellation, did not escalate my query and was really rude!!!! The reference number ********** 91.

We still demanded an escalation and I was given a retention email which does not even work! So please MTN my mom is the only bread winner at home, I am not always at home to see things over an help her with this long overdue query which no one seems to be taking serious!

We need compensation for all the amounts taken after the Contact ended, I now understand a contract is 24months and payment is due whether the phone is lost or not, but we have paid amounts for more than 48months with no help when we needed it, our time was wasted when we tried communication with MTN on numerous occasions.