********* service

The moment a person struggles financially there is a phone call received from multiple companies asking if they can "assist" by bringing your monthly instalments on your personal debt lower so that you can make it through the month, not to mention clearly stating how they protect you from being black listed.

So the year 2018 arrived and oh wait..... I received the famous call and advised the consultant on the other side that I will need to discuss this with my man before confirming anything. Withing a few days receiving activation as well as emails stating that I have now joined debt review. SORRY I FORGOT, WHERE WAS MY GO AHEAD TO START WITH???? Lovely consultant, beautiful pitch but obviously forgot to listen when clearly stipulated on a recorded line that there is NO go ahead as YET!

I call through and get told that I would require the time, date as well as the consultants name in order for them to pull the recording (now, I am so sorry that I don't walk around with a note book when receiving unexpected calls) that there is absolutely nothing I can do about it as once you are on their system you cannot be removed otherwise you will be black listed. SO THE FUN STARTS!

Here we go, paying each months instalments that (3 accounts in total) had come up to about +- R 4 200.00 (as far as I recall) helped as now its not 3 separate accounts to be paying. THINKING THIS WAS BRILLIANT AND TELLING PEOPLE HOW THEY SHOULD CALL THEM FOR ASSISTANCE!!! No more people calling for payments as well as knowing you wont be black listed, how can this go wrong??

P.S. I had multiple people warning me about joining debt review, I guess this was my lesson for being stubborn.

I think we all know when anything is advertised the key is NOT to slow down on the finer details e.g. YOU WILL NEED INSURANCE IN CASE YOU STUMBLE IN LIFE AND REQUIRE ASSISTANCE TO PAY A MONTHLY PREMIUM (being retrenched etc). Please lets keep in mind this was NEVER given the go ahead to start with nor did I even get a chance to read through the documentation emailed to me in order to see what I was up against, mentioning again BEFORE GIVING A GO AHEAD AS THAT WAS NEVER DONE!

Word of advice, teach your consultants how to pend a case and NOT submit it without the clients approval as well as advising them that if they pull back they will be black listed - HOW *********!!!

As the years went by, I paid and obviously this became a norm as my car was one of the accounts included in this "lovely" deal. Eventually an individual becomes more intrigued as time goes by and starts looking at the finer details of the monthly statements as to where exactly the so called instalment of funds get distributed as well as picking up the trend of how these accounts don't seem to be getting smaller??

September 2019 I had called them and explained that a good amount of staff was let go at a company I had been working for. Presented them with all forms required from the company as well as explained the situation so many times that my 2 year old started repeating it. Emails took forever to be answered from management or even the complaints department (FYI, complaints department happens to be my profession and apparently the SLA as well as turn around time for escalations are CLEARLY not a big factor for this company) I am guessing its due to the fact that once you there you cant get out!!! This was the ONE month that assistance was required... BUT THERE WAS DEFINITELY NO ASSISTANCE OR CLIENT SERVICE, and this didn't seem to bother them at all!!

The following month I was fortunate enough to find another job (so I thought) 1 month behind in instalments now. I had made arrangements to catch up the payments with a lovely consultant that assisted me so well. PLEASE MAKE HER A MANAGER OR AT LEAST A TEAM LEADER, SHE ACTUALLY HAS MANNERS, KNOWS ALL ABOUT CLIENT LIAISING AND CAN HANDLE DAMAGE CONTROL WHILE STAYING CALM! THESE PEOPLE ACTUALLY PUT IN EFFORT AND FOLLOW THEIR JOB DESCRIPTION!!

Account caught up in 2 months! Whooohooo!!!

December 2019, debit gets rejected on the 13th? Now majority of the corporate companies get paid early etc bla bla bla - surely if you have not received your payment (when setting the debit order earlier than normal) it should ring a bell to tell you the individual HAS NOT BEEN PAID?? Or is it above the systems pay grade to realise that?? So the client (me) will now use my airtime and wait on the line in order to try get the payment sorted... Keeps getting cut off or one of the LOVELY consultants are obviously tired for the day and will accept the call, however just not talk. Forgetting that they are not the only people that have worked in call centres, let alone been managers, but "hey" there is nothing you can do about it as the more you explain the less they listen and push the call for the next one - typical tricks of maintaining the call centres SLA to prevent penalties)

January 2020 arrives. Oh what a blast. I received no pay and had my new company advise me that there would be payment by the end of Jan?! Slight set back so early in a company, don't you think? So here we go again trying to make a phone call in order to explain what the situation is as well as CLEARLY HAVING THE PROOF THAT YOU ARE NOT ONE TO SKIP PAYMENTS FOR THE FUN OF LIFE. As expected, absolutely no interest, enthusiasm or professionalism received as well as requesting as many documents as possible.

February arrived - still no payment from my VERY NEW COMPANY I WORK FOR! Fantastic! Eventually get a letter stipulating that there is no funds coming through the company and BAM here we start again searching for a job. ONCE AGAIN the first thought in my head is to contact the famous debt review as I KINDA NEED A CAR AS WELL AS THE FEAR OF BEING TOLD HOW QUICKLY I CAN BE BLACK LISTED!!! The amount of times that their call centre do not answer the phones, bother to speak when accepting the call, cut you off or BEST ONE - transfer you around the entire nation until your airtime dies is brilliant!!!!

Eventually a person gives up and waits for them to call instead!

How convenient - the company now calls you (its a bit obvious that they are going to question instalment that has not been paid). The moment you answer they drop the call? At this stage an individual that hasn't received a salary in 2 months, is now expected to grow airtime from a tree in order to be transferred around the nation again to get.... NOWHERE!!!

Lock down took place in March, the entire nation falls apart BUT THEY WILL CONTINUE TO CALL AND DROP THE MOMENT YOU ANSWER (my best guess - most probably adding a note to the system that there was no answer when doing a follow up)

Silence for a while? What is coming my way?

June 2020, I received a phone call from a consultant working for Nedbank. This woman deserves a GOLD MEDAL!!!!! The amount of effort, follow ups and feedback received from her withing 3 days were more than I received from National Debt Advisors in 3 years!!!!!

I had been advised that I need to make a payment around the R 7000.00 mark, also being blessed with the bank willing to freeze the account 3 months prior in order to assist me with the situation. IS THIS REAL? THEY CALL ME TO HELP ME AND ACTUALLY HELP ME!!! WITH NO CATCH!!!!

THE BEST SERVICE I HAVE EVER RECEIVED AS WELL AS EFFORT PUT IN FROM ALL STAFF MEMBERS THAT CONTACTED ME! I DID NOT NEED TO MAKE ONE PHONE CALL OR WAIT ONE MINUTE AFTER THEIR PROMISED TURN AROUND TIME!!!

Why on earth did I join debt review when this is the service I could have received all along???? As I mentioned earlier: lesson learned!

At the end of this I was informed by the consultant that I have been removed from the debt review and can pay my normal instalments to them from July 2020.

HANG ON! I was told I would be black listed??? "Not at all, simply flagged as a slow payer HOWEVER, we will make sure to assist you and your credit score in order to get you back on your feet"

BLESSED!!!!!!

August 2020 arrived and I contact Nedbank as instructed by the consultant whom assisted me in June to confirm the amount due as no debit orders have been placed as yet.

I then get the MOST AMAZING treatment once again advising that I am still flagged with debt review on his system and will need to provide them with a document from the debt advisors in order for them to remove it. The consultant assisted with the payment that needed to be made as well as advised how they can assist STEP BY STEP in order to get my name on the "good side" again. IT IS AMAZING HOW A COMPANY CAN DO SO MUCH IN ORDER TO ASSIST A CLIENT - WHILE THE COMPANY THAT CLAIMS TO "SAVE AND HELP PEOPLE THAT STRUGGLE" CANT EVEN BOTHER TO PROVIDE THE SLIGHTEST AMOUNT OF EFFORT OR PROFESSIONALISM WHEN ASSISTING THEIR OWN CLIENTS - FORGETTING THEY ONCE UPON A TIME CONVINCED US SO WELL HOW UNDERSTANDING THEY TRULY ARE REGARDING OUR DAY TO DAY STRUGGLES!!

I then call the debt advisors and advised that I did not choose to add insurance to my agreement when I activated the debt review so therefore when I missed the payments my account got suspended. Sorry - Insurance? Was this mentioned in the moment of the initial pitch or in the documentation sent AFTER ACTIVATING MY PROFILE WITHOUT MY CONSENT?? I requested any outstanding payments for their service to be emailed to me directly while on the line which I was then told to search for the email sent a few months back for the total sum of +- R 450.00

NOW THIS IS WHERE I LAUGH AT MYSELF FOR BELIEVING IN THE GOOD OF A COMPANY WHEN I HAD ACTUALLY BEEN TAKEN FOR A GOOD LONG 3 YEAR RIDE!!! One of the accounts that I had on my profile was for a credit card: Statement date 2018-01-05 Balance: R 9 226.86 Today, while I was on the line I requested the outstanding amount due: R 5 021.73 OVER 3 YEARS OF PAYMENTS, ARE YOU SERIOUS????

I have paid interest more than anything else and to be told that the suspension will ONLY be lifted once I pay off all the accounts directly to the companies myself supplying them with proof from each company that the accounts are cleared. Not to mention as per the consultant this will occur in April 2023

So in other words I need to continue paying interest to a company that is technically doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, NOT ASSISTING WITH THE SLIGHTEST EFFORT AS WELL AS ACTIVATING AN AGREEMENT WITHOUT ANY APPROVAL FROM MYSELF - DISGUSTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to stress I guess ill pay you to sit back and watch me pay my own accounts off while waiting for a piece of paper so that you can tick a box off on your computer.