Billing dispute

I would like to formally lodge a complaint regarding my account with Telkom and the poor handling of a billing issue that has resulted in my services being unfairly suspended.

I have an active account with Telkom, and my debit order is scheduled for the last day of each month. I receive my salary on the 27th of every month. On 27 March 2026, after receiving my salary, I logged into the Telkom online portal and noticed an option to make a manual payment.

Before proceeding, I contacted Telkom customer service to confirm whether I could make an early payment and ensure that the debit order would not still go through. I was advised that it was fine to proceed and that the payment would reflect within 5 to 24 hours.

Unfortunately, despite this assurance, the debit order still went through on the agreed date, resulting in a double payment on my account.

I then contacted Telkom again to report the issue. I was informed that it was not a problem and that the extra payment would be refunded. The refund was indeed processed and paid back into my account.

However, on 20 April 2026, my account was suddenly suspended. I received an SMS stating that I owe money, which is why my services were frozen. I immediately contacted Telkom to resolve the matter, but I was told that “the system is confused” and that I need to make a payment for the end of April before my account can be reactivated.

This situation is unacceptable for the following reasons:

1. am being asked to wait until the end of the month for another debit order to run before my account is unlocked.

2. This means I will be without service for approximately 10 days, despite having made payments in good faith.

3. The error is clearly on Telkom’s side, yet I am being inconvenienced and effectively penalized.

4. I believe I am entitled to compensation or credit for the period during which I am unable to use the service due to their mistake.

I request that Telkom:

* Immediately restore my services without requiring an additional payment.

* Correct the billing error on my account.

* Provide appropriate credit for the downtime caused by this issue.