Incompetence Company in South Africa

Dear Telkom Customer Care,

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding the repeated service interruptions and poor handling of my wife [Joelene Archary] early upgrade on her cellphone number ***. We have two devices under this single contract, and the service we have received over the past two months has been unacceptable — causing unnecessary stress, financial loss, and inconvenience.

Background

On 10 August 2025, we processed an early upgrade for my wife’s device as her previous phone was damaged. Although the contract was due for renewal on 31 August 2025 — just 21 days later — we were still charged an early upgrade penalty of approximately R1500, which we accepted in good faith and agreed would be billed with the September 2025 cycle.

Given that we were penalized despite being so close to renewal, it is only fair that Telkom now honor its responsibility by compensating us for the days of service we were denied.

Problems Experienced

1. Disconnection in August 2025

Our debit order was processed as normal on 25 August 2025.

On 26 August 2025, my wife received an SMS from Telkom stating her services had been suspended for non-payment — yet my number ***) on the same contract remained active.

I immediately checked the Telkom app, which confirmed the account was up to date and active.

To restore her service urgently (as she requires her phone for work), I made an immediate manual payment using the app. Despite this, her service remained disconnected for the entire day.

We had to visit the Telkom store after work, where the service was mysteriously restored with no proper explanation provided.

2. Ongoing Issues in September 2025

Despite our debit order being set for the 25th of each month, my wife again received multiple “unpaid account” SMS notifications in September — just like the previous month.

On 16 September 2025, her number was again suspended, leaving her without service and unable to use her phone at work the following day.

After visiting the store on 17 September 2025, we were told the account was in arrears by one cent (R0.01).

Consultant Trisha confirmed that the credit limit on our account had not been updated by the consultant who handled the upgrade — which directly caused the suspension.

She escalated the matter to her manager, Mr Nhlanhla Mchunu, who assured us the issue would be urgently resolved.

Suspending a customer’s service over a one-cent discrepancy — especially when the fault lies with Telkom’s own staff — is unreasonable, unjust, and unacceptable.

Inconvenience Caused

My wife uses her phone for work and was left without service for over 24 hours during both incidents.

We wasted time, fuel, and after-hours travel to Telkom branches to resolve what were purely administrative failures.

Despite these disruptions, we have continued to be billed in full, receiving no consideration for the periods of downtime.

Our Request

We formally request the following:

Compensation/credit for all downtime experienced in both incidents — either as a credit on our next bill or a direct refund.

A written explanation of why a one-cent discrepancy resulted in full service suspension.

Confirmation that the credit limit has been corrected and no further disconnections will occur.

A commitment that Telkom will review its internal processes and properly train its staff to avoid this type of negligence in the future.

Given that we were charged an early upgrade penalty with only 21 days remaining on the renewal date, it is only reasonable and fair — in line with TCF (Treating Customers Fairly) principles and the Consumer Protection Act — that Telkom compensates us for the service that we paid for but did not receive.

If we do not receive a favourable resolution within 48 hours, we will escalate this matter to Telkom Senior Management, ICASA, and the Consumer Goods & Services Ombudman for intervention.

We have been loyal Telkom customers for years and expect better service. We look forward to your urgent response.

Kind regards,

Angelo Naicker ***