SANLAM'S CLIENT DISSERVICE DEPARTMENT

There seems to be zero client service at Sanlam's Employee Benefits client service centre (SCClientcare). I have been in telephonic contact with them on a number of occasions during late November and December. I have sent documentation requested by them on more that one occasion. All with zero feedback. One of the auto responses I got in December, was that they will respond within 5 working days. It is now many more working days, and still we wait. I have documentary proof that emails were received and read by them. I eventually insisted on speaking with a manager in the department - a certain "Ruvendran" on the 9th Jan '24. He "seemed" most helpfull at the time, but he has also not responded to an email he requested, with all the necessary documentation related to my query and which I sent to him within minutes of our conversation of the 9th (I have a mailed "Read Receipt" for this). When I phoned once again on 16th Jan to follow up, I was told, after a long delay, that he was "on lunch" (at 11h15?!) and would phone me back on his return. I have yet to hear from him. Previously, I had exchanged emails with a number of people in the so-called client service department, all with zero feedback or result. The problem for the return being rejected, according to SARS, is that SANLAM's Employee Benefits Department, by way of one "Martin Muller", incorrectly referenced a SARS directive for an IRP 5 for R1,800! This pitiful amount is the single reason why we cannot submit a personal tax return to SARS on eFiling and we have now been incurring penalties plus interest since November 2023. R3,000 plus interest and increasing by R1,000 a month which the return is outstanding. I wrote to Mr Martin Muller on 29 November '23, with all the relevant documents attached, but have also yet to hear a peep from him.