Formal Complaint Regarding RCS Payment Allocation and Customer Service

I am extremely disappointed and shocked by the lack of service I have received from RCS regarding a payment made on my CTM store account.

I regularly make card payments through the CTM store app to ensure that my account is paid before my debit order is processed. Historically, I have always received an SMS confirmation within a few hours confirming receipt of my payment.

On 20 August 2026, I made a payment of R1,462 through the CTM store app. However, I did not receive the usual confirmation SMS, and the payment did not reflect on my account. I contacted RCS to query the matter and was advised that the application had been experiencing issues since 21 August, which was apparently the reason my payment was not reflecting.

I was asked to provide proof of payment, which I promptly did by submitting my bank statement clearly showing that the payment was made on 20 August 2026.

Since then, I have contacted RCS several times in an attempt to have the payment allocated to my account before my debit order is processed. Each time, I have been told that the matter would be escalated to Finance via email. I was also informed that I could not speak directly to Finance because they do not take customer calls.

After repeatedly trying to resolve the matter, I eventually requested to speak to a supervisor/manager and was put through to Lauren.

Unfortunately, Lauren's response was extremely disappointing. She stated that the payment was made on 22 August, over a weekend, and therefore my debit order would still be processed. She further advised that RCS would not refund any unpaid fees that may be charged to my account.

This is particularly concerning because my bank statement clearly shows that the payment was made on 20 August, not 22 August. I provided this proof to RCS, yet no meaningful attempt was made to resolve the matter or ensure that the payment was correctly allocated before the debit order was processed.

As a customer who has made every reasonable effort to pay my account on time and has provided clear proof of payment, I find it unacceptable that I should potentially incur additional fees or charges because of a payment-processing or system issue on RCS/CTM's side.

What is even more disappointing is the complete lack of ownership and urgency shown by customer service. I understand that Finance may not take customer calls, but there should be an effective process in place for urgent payment-allocation issues. Simply sending emails back and forth while the customer faces the possibility of being debited and charged additional fees is not an acceptable level of customer service.

I am requesting that RCS:

Immediately investigate the payment made on 20 August 2026. Allocate the R1,462 payment to my account without further delay. Ensure that I am not charged any unpaid/debit-order fees or other costs resulting from this issue. Provide me with written confirmation that the payment has been correctly allocated. Investigate the handling of my complaint, particularly the response I received from the manager, Lauren. Explain why my payment was apparently recorded as being made on 22 August when my bank statement clearly reflects 20 August.

I have been a paying customer and have made every effort to ensure that my account is paid on time. I should not be penalised because of an apparent system or processing failure.

If this matter is not resolved urgently and fairly, I will have no choice but to escalate the complaint through the appropriate financial services complaint/ombud channels and share my experience publicly so that other customers can make an informed decision about the level of service they can expect.

I expect this matter to be treated seriously and resolved without further unnecessary delays.