Netstar Bullying or Bad Customer Service?

In January 2015 I subscribed for the Early Warning tracker with Netstar for a 36 months contract. Contract effective 23 January 2015 and expiring in January 2018.

Agreed upfront that I will pay via EFT an annual subscription amount for the equipment and installation which was initially R2 079, 00 to be paid throughout this period.

In January, each year, Netstar’s Finance Department would send me an invoice for the annual subscription amount due which I duly paid via EFT as per agreement.

The process continued until even after expiry of the contract i.e. 36 months where in January 2018 and January 2019, I paid annual amounts of R2 079,00 and R2 097,00 respectively.

During this period (including the period post the 36 months) no new equipment was installed in my vehicle i.e. no upgrade to either hardware or software or any maintenance was done.

The annual subscription amount charged for the post contract expiry i.e. January 2018 and January 2019 were R2079,00 and R2097,00 respectively despite having now fully paid for the equipment and installation as per the 36 months contract.

In January 2020, I received, the annual subscription invoice for an amount of R2,223.08 from Netstar’s Finance department as per usual.

I decided to query whether the subscription amount should not be lower now that the equipment and installation cost were now fully paid by the end of January 2018, which was the end of the 36 months contract. No feedback was provided to my query and only resend of the same invoice from different staff from Netstar’s Finance.

In February 2020, an ******* debit order for R R2,223.08 was sent to my bank account/debited without my authorisation of which I reversed due to having not received feedback on my query about the subscription amount.

Needless to say, early March 2020, I received a call from the Netstar Call Centre querying the returned debit order and after explanation of my rationale for the return of the debit order, I received correspondence from Netstar’s Sales department now providing me with options to consider for a new contract.

During my engagement with the sales staff, my direct questions were not answered instead my impression is that the agenda was to get me to enter a new contract and for everything else to be forgotten. These questions were (1) whether the subscription amount should not be lower; and (2) whether I would receive credit for the period 2018 and 2019 for which in my view I overpaid due to the equipment and installation cost already been fully paid off at end January 2017.

On 17 March 2020, I wrote to the Netstar sales person indicating that I do not wish to enter into a new contract with Netstar and again queried whether I would receive credit for the period 2018 and 2019 for which in my view I overpaid as the equipment and installation cost was already fully paid at end January 2017.

I only received feedback on my correspondence of 17 March 2020 on 22 May 2020, this after a follow up on 26 March 2020 and again on 21 May 2020. The response was as follows:

“Please note that cancellation on the contract is done. However, the account was on a month to month basis after the expiry date 2018/01/08. Therefore there is no refund due. Hope all is in order.”

Although I wasn’t happy about not being credited for what I still consider to be an overcharge post expiry of the 36 months contract period, I was relieved that the matter has been sorted.

To my surprise, in August 2020 I received relentless sms’ from a Debt Collector requiring settlement of an account in arrears with Netstar, the amount of which is similar to the invoice amount for the annual subscription for the period January/February 2020 - December/January 2020/20201.

On 20 August 2020 I contacted the Netstar Call Centre to query this matter. I also sent an email in this regard to request for the resolution of the matter. I received no feedback to my email of 20 August 2020. The sms’ from the Debt Collector continued.

I continued following up and after about 20 emails sent directly to the many Netstar staff I have engaged with on this matter over the eight months period and copying the *** and ***, and only on 18 September 2020 I received acknowledgment of my 20 plus emails and advising that the matter has been escalated to credit control with Case number: CAS-***-L0L6

On 20 September 2020 I received another email advising that the matter has been escalated to the Finance department with Case Number: CAS-***-X7N8. Note: Different Case Numbers for the same matter and that the MATTER IS NOW BACK TO FINANCE WHERE WE STARTED, 8 MONTHS AGO!!

On 21 September 2020, I received an email with the below messages from a Legal: Credit Controller from Netstar’s Finance Department:

“Good day, Below refers, please be advised that the account was cancelled, however the outstanding amount of R2,223.08 is not paid and you remain liable for it.” On the same day, 21 September 2020, I responded to the Legal Credit Controller’s email requesting to be provided with at least some clarification of the basis on which Netstar believes I am liable for the amount of R2,223.08, an amount which is equivalent to the full invoice amount for the annual subscription for the period January/February 2020 - December/January 2020/20201. Perhaps I have missed some fine print on the contract and all I a asking for is an explanation.

On 25 September 2020, I received from the same Legal Credit Controller, a response to my email which is the exact copy of the email she sent me on 21 September 2020. This did not answer nor provide clarity to my question.

The sms’ from Netstar’s Debt Collector have become even more relentless. In fact I notice that a new Debt Collector has now been contracted to chase me.

I am now exhausted, emotionally drained and really frustrated by this merry-go-around! I feel bul**** by Netstar and wonder how many more people are going through this. How mnay lives have been wrecked by the resultant “black listing” and denting of credit records because of such unwarranted conduct.