WARNING: Sleepmasters Layby System Is a Mess

I am extremely disappointed in Sleepmasters not only for their lack of knowledge about their own online layby system, but also for their complete lack of accountability.

On April 27th, I opened a layby via their online portal and paid a deposit. I made another payment two days later on April 29th. All seemed fine until August, when I attempted to make another payment, but the online portal was no longer working. I called in and spoke to Yvette Leshoeli, who confirmed my payments and outstanding balance after I provided the SON (Sales Order Number). She advised me to make EFT payments going forward and emailed me the company's banking details on a formal bank letter.

On September 6th, I made an EFT payment and immediately sent Yvette the Proof of Payment (POP), requesting a statement to confirm the updated balance. She never responded. I followed up a few days later and was told to wait until the 7th, as that’s supposedly when statements are sent out. To this day, I have NEVER received a single statement from Sleepmasters — not for this layby or any previous ones.

I asked Yvette to at least check my account manually, since they clearly can verify layby balances when we call. Again, no help. No response.

I then tried the WhatsApp bot, hoping to get some assistance there. I eventually got through to an agent named Thato Matsoele, who requested the SON and asked me to email all proof of payments, which I did immediately. I followed up today, and was told the issue has been escalated and that they are still awaiting feedback.

My question is: Why is it taking so long to track simple payments made into your account with the correct reference number? It's not rocket science. The money was paid, and it was referenced properly.

This entire experience feels like a **** as if they are deliberately delaying or avoiding reconciling payments. They are duping customers who use the online layby system, and I strongly advise anyone considering it to think twice.

Sleepmasters needs to be held accountable for this shocking service. If they can’t manage online laybys efficiently, they should not be offering them at all.