Inconsistency and incompetency

I have had a cellphone contract with Telkom for more than 5 years. I Have always opted for a debit order as a payment method. Since 2020 I have been going back and forth were payment is concerned. I went to Telkom shop to find out why they did not deduct the amount due, on the agreed date. I did not get a straight answer, I was just advised to make a manual payment and I was given the easy pay number. I have been doing that since last year. I make the payment on the 15th of each month. Along the way, the money was deducted from my account as agreed on my contract term. I then realised that the following month, the money was not deducted. I have been playing that game, I first have to check if the money will not be deducted from my bank account number on the 15th, and I will make the payment at Checkers.

May month, I made the payment on the 15th as usual, then later noticed that there was a deduction on the same day from Telkom. I then reversed the payment from my bank account, because I knew I could not go to Checkers and ask for a refund and since I have been paying there, I did not know why Telkom decided to finally deduct money from my bank account.

Fast forward to June, I received as I normally do before the payment date, what was strange is the fact that the due amount was R869.00 instead of R667.08. So instead, I paid R669.00. July month I still received the same message stating that R869.00 is due. I still did not understand because I always pay R667.08.

On the 15th of this month, an amount of R869.00 was deducted from my bank account by Telkom. So yesterday I went to Telkom at Kenilworth centre and I was connected to the billing department. I first spoke to a rude consultant who decided to drop the call without helping me or giving me the information I asked for, unfortunately I did not take her name. I then tried again, I spoke to Thembekile Molefe, I asked her why R869.00 was deducted. Her explanation was that because the money was reversed by me, Telkom got charged over R200 (difference of the money I was supposed to pay). I further explained to her the reason I had to reversed the money from my bank account, since they have been failing to deduct from my bank account for many months. I told her it is not fair to be penalised for what they have been failing to do, their deductions are inconsistent, even if they deduct this month, that does not guarantee that they will deduct the following month ( May they deducted, June they did not deduct, July they deducted).

Thembekile then asked me to hold, after I told her to check on the system the terms of the contract were payment is concerned. I told her that I have been making manual payments after I was advised by Telkom staff. She informed me that she spoke to her supervisor, Bianca Jacobs and she said that I can not get my money back because the policy states that when you make a manual payment, the money must be paid 10 days before the debit order date. I reminded her that the contract I signed, I agreed that they must deduct from my bank account, I never asked for manual payment and from their side they have failed to explain to me why they are not deducting the money as agreed.

She just kept on repeating what was said by Bianca, so I asked her to let me speak to her supervisor. She informed me that she has given my number to Bianca, since she could not talk to me because she was busy at the time I wanted to talk to her. She promised me that she would call me back, that was on Friday 16th July 2021, around 1pm. Today is Saturday and she has not returned my call.

I am not going to let this one slide, Telkom must take note of the following: 1. The contract I signed, I opted for a debit order. 2. Noone from Telkom managed to explain to me why I must make manual payment. 3. No one has ever mentioned the 10 days policy when making a manual payment (this was courtesy on my side because I am a good customer) 4. They can check my profile, on how I have been making payments since last year due to their inconsistency.

I want my money, R201.92 to be exact. I get charged R40 as well by my bank when I do a reversal, I do not go around making a big deal as unfair as it is. Telkom must not hide behind policies when it suits them.

I would like Bianca Jacobs to call me, I am still waiting.