Altech Netstar client service the worst I have ever experienced.

Altech Netstar client service the worst I have ever experienced. 6 December 2017

I After numerous emails and telephone calls each month by me, F L Oosthuizen the mother of L C Oosthuizen, Altech Netstar could not sort out a problem in eleven months’ time.

Problem number 1. My daughter was retrenched from her job so her money could only last for a few months. She made arrangements with Altech Netstar, regarding Contract No. ********** 2, that Debit orders will be rejected sometimes but as soon as funds are available again she would pay them. She personally notified Altech Netstar of her new address and where her vehicle will be stationed. Without my daughters knowledge Altech Netstar kept on sending post to her previous address in Roodepoort, Johannesburg. Since my daughter left SA I have been trying to resolve a dispute between my daughter and Altech Netstar. On 23 January 2017, I on behalf of my daughter gave Altech Netstar notice of her new Banking details for the Debit Orders. Altech Netstar informed me via email that the details has been updated.

Problem number 2. Me, the mother who tries to solve the problems also have an Altech Netstar Tracking device Contract No. 778612 in my car and also signed a Debit order on my own bank account for Netstar monthly premiums. The same bank account is in use for the last 5 years.

On my bank statement of February 2017 I noticed the Debit order for Altech Netstar did not go through, the same happened end March and end April. I then phoned Altech Netstar and asked whether they requested payment from my bank and was assured payments was up to-date. At the end of May 2017 again no Debit order for Altech Netstar went through and I immediately made contact with my bank and they told me that Altech Netstar definitely had not requested any payments for these specific months. Question: Who paid my premiums? Altech Netstar nor my Bank could give me an answer.

I then contacted Altech Netstar again and the agent told me they do no longer have my banking details on their system since March 2017. Disaster! How did this happened? I was told I requested the banking details to be removed, which I never did, for what reason? I gave the consultant my bank details again and the consultant said the next Debit order will go off on the 1st of June 2017. What are these people doing to me?

Problem number 3. During February 2017 I received a notice from Altech Netstar that I as a loyal customer may upgrade my tracker device with a more modern technology device free of charge. I took my car in to one of their branches and had it fitted. The branch assured me they had tested the signal and that all is in order. On 27 March I received an email from Netstar stated the test results was unsuccessful. I then went back to the branch who fitted the device and they tested the signal again and I was told there is nothing wrong with the signal. In the case of an insurance claim, was the tracker unit activated, would the insurance pay a claim?

The names of consultants with whom I corresponded with: ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** Mr. Chinada Tel. ********** I am not sure of the spelling of his surname, could be Chinara Mr S Nkosi

Back to problem number 1. Now this is when my daughter and I started to smell a rat. Debit Orders for Altech Netstar went off my daughter’s personal bank account on 2/2/2017, 3/2/2017, 4/3/2017 and 5/2/2017. The money deducted these months correspond to the monthly premiums of the mother which is less per month than the monthly premiums of the daughter who had two cars covered on her Contract with Altech Netstar. A bit obvious that it is the same months her mothers’ debit orders didn’t show on her bank statements and Altech Netstar assert they have received for the mother’s contract. I claimed copy statements/reconciliation from Altech Netstar on my daughters’ contract for the months they never received payment as well as statements they did receive payments for and requested they mail statements monthly to the mother’s email address so I can keep track of the two contracts. I have not received one monthly statement or a reconciliation as requested.

On 19 May 2017 I put the following questions to Altech Netstar in an email: 1. Why communication was still posted to my daughters previous address 2. Towards which account/contract was the money obtained from my daughters Debit Order account allocated to 3. Is the tracking device in my daughters vehicle still active 4. Why was my banking details deleted from their system 5. Why does Altech Netstar not send monthly statements to customers (Had they done that we would have notice the outstanding balances and reacted quicker.)

On 22 May 2017 I received the first explanation to some of my questions from Altech Netstar. a) The opening line was I will receive feedback from Lydia Mdlala. Up until today 5 December 2017 still nothing.

As to my Daughters contract: b) Debit payment was now on EFT/Cash only. c) Billing was stopped on this account, last invoice generated was in January 2017 and account is outsourced to a Collection Company on behalf of Altech Netstar. d) Payments were received from October 2016 to January 2017 e) I must contact the Collection Company to make arrangements to settle overdue account and once brought up to date the account will be monitored directly by Netstar. f) The contract for this vehicle will end in January 2018 (Are we getting somewhere?)

I made contact with the Collection Agency, ITCBA Tel. ********** requesting a detailed statement so this matter could be solved. I received a statement indicating R503.45 was still outstanding up till July 2016 plus R251.72 for December 2016 plus R 259.50 for January 2017 which total to the amount of R1, 014.67. I added an extra premium amount of R259.50 and paid over R1274.17 on the 28/06/2017 into ITCBA bank account. I never heard of ITCBA nor Altech Netstar again, not even a receipt for the paid amount.

On 27 September 2017 I decided to make contact with the Creditors department with the hope that will get better response from them. On the telephone line I was put through to Mr Mohammed Rezak from the Creditors department who then looked into the matter and explained to me what has to happen now to set this matter right, he mailed me a final settlement statement. I had to pay an outstanding amount of R435.12 plus make an upfront payment for the next 11 months, up and until end August 2018, in the amount of R2519.00 in total R2954.12 to reinstate the contract. I paid the money into the Bank account of Netstar. I mailed proof of payment to Mr M Rezak. Why I had to pay for 11 month in advance if the contract ends end January 2018 I still don’t understand but I decided to just pay the money and get it over and done.

On 23 October 2017 a lady named Asnath phoned me and requested me to mail proof of payment to the Manager for attention Asnath and I asked her to please mail me proof as soon as the contract has been settled and reinstated. I have not received any response.

Ever since I made the final payment I regularly receive phone calls from Credit works, asked me if they could talk to my daughter regarding the outstanding balance. I, not once but numerous times explained to them that she could only be reached on WhatsApp call or WhatsApp message or by sending her a email and gave them her email address. Afterwards I even emailed them her email address to make sure they have written down the address correctly. My daughter said she had not once received a email from either the Collection Agency, Creditors Department or Altech Netstar Agents/Consultants. Sometimes I received two calls per day from different consultants. During November 2017 they phoned me 29 times. I once told a consultant I am not speaking to anybody regarding this case anymore they should contact Asnath who finalized this account. On Wednesday 29 October 2017 after I received yet another call from them I phoned Mr Mohammed Rezak at Altech Netstar Creditors department again and asked him why they are still trying to collect the money, he explained to me they are not in a possession or allowed to do so and he had a look into my daughters profile and confirmed that the contract has not been reinstated yet. He promised to look into the matter and will inform me later that day. On 5 December 2017 I haven’t heard a word from him yet.

On 30 November 2017 I phoned Retentions Department (Tel. ********** ) and the consultant named TJ told me the contract had been suspended and I asked him to transfer my call to Mr M Rezak. Mr Rezak picked up all the payments made towards the account as well as the payment made in advance and he promised me he will look into the matter again and will phone me back just now. I never heard of him again.

6 December 2017 I phoned Altech Netstar to check the signal of my daughter’s vehicle. The lady told me because I am not the owner of the vehicle she can’t test the signal without my daughter’s approval and that my daughter must send an email to ********** in which letter she must state that she approves to that her mother have the signal tested. I phoned Mr Rezak again and asked him if the contract was reinstated. He asked me if I had the signal tested yet and I told him what the outcome was when I tried to do so during the morning of this day. He then asked my daughter’s name and contract number and I could only give him her full names and Account number and he rep**** he will get back to me. When??????????

Altech Netstar does not deliver Client Service, they cannot respond to questions asked other than what they can see on their computer, when they tell you they will get back to you it means… end of the story. Information given by their consultants differs from one to another. Consultants do not have the knowledge to direct you to the correct person or department who could probably help you solve your query if they themselves can’t help you. The manager is never available to whom you could talk to or report your complaints. After 9 months I still don’t know if the contract was reinstated or if Altech Netstar will in the case of the vehicle get ****** and get recovered that there will not be any penalty fees.

In the meantime my daughters vehicle has to stay locked-up in a garage because I am to afraid to drive it out on the road, the insurance won’t cover any damage without a active tracker. The oil and pipes, tyres and who knows what else could get damaged on a vehicle when it stands stationed for so long.

Netstar expects their clients to have their devices tested twice per year. At one time I had my own vehicles device tested and when a lady reported the results back to me she said she was not allowed to tell me where my vehicle was at the time all she can tell me is that the signal was picked up by a tower between Soshanguwe and Wonderboom. Soshanguwe is about 30km away from where my vehicle was stationed. Why am I the owner of the vehicle not allowed to now where my vehicle is? Useless!

I am at one’s wits’ end, please Peter help!!!!!!!!!!!

There is no way I will recommend Altech Netstar to anybody! I really hope other people ask questions before they decide to have an Altech Netstar tracking device installed in their vehicle.

Regards

Miss F L Oosthuizen

E-mail: **********

For Further information and correspondence please contact Frieda Oosthuizen **********