******* charges

Dispute with Telkom mobile.

After receining March invoice on 06.03.2020 I noticed that the March amount to be higher than usual.

I have tried to get hold of Telkom on numerous occasions since receiving the invoice to query the invoice amount but without any luck. I finaly got hold a consultant on 17.03.2020. A day after my acount was debited.

My cell phone debit order runs on 15 of each month. On 15 February the amount was returned unpaid. on 21 February my acount was successfully debited for the same amount.

When I saw the invoice amount for March I had assumed that they had accidentally added February's amount as well. After I called Telkom consultant named Akhona, she said that it wasn't a double debit but that the charge is actually "a penalty for late payment."

On a very odd occasion when a late payment has happened I was never charged a rejection fee. The rejection fee is not part of my contract with Telkom and no update was received form Telkom prior. I don't even think that this is legal.

My bank penalises me when my debit order bounces and that is alright as this is part of the agreement and genral understanding with a bank as they are the onse that facilitate the transaction. But a service provider, Telkom, adding penalty charges is unheard of in my experience and never happened before!

The penelty charge was 100% of the amount paid late. This is not intrest that has been added onto an overdue account. The account has always been is up to date.

This was a penalty charge for one late payment even though it was paid with in the same week and month. This has never happened before. Considering the above stated, I refuse paying any penalties and expect the full refund that was debited from my bank account without my consent.