INCORRECT BILLING, MISREPRESENTATION AND INCOMPETENCE AT TELKOM

WE WOULD LIKE TO RAISE A CONCERN OF UNFAIR BILLING AND MISREPRESENTATION FROM TELKOM AND A FEW EMPLOYEES THAT WE DEALT WITH. AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 2018, WE CONTACTED TELKOM TO MAKE A PAYMENT ARRANGEMENT ON THE CONTRACT AS THERE WAS A SUDDEN PROBLEM WITH THE BANK ACCOUNT THAT TELKOM DEBITS FROM. THE MOTIVE OF THE PAYMENT ARRANGEMENT WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO NOT END UP IN ARREARS WITH THE CONTRACT AND KEEP PAYMENTS UP TO DATE SO THAT WE HONOUR OUR SIDE OF THE CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION. WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE NO PENALTIES THAT WE END UP GETTING TO BE CHARGED BY TELKOM. THE OTHER REASON WAS TO GET ADVISE FROM TELKOM ON THE WAY FORWARD ON HOW TO GET THE ACCOUNT PAID ,EITHER TO MAKE AN EFT OR TO WAIT FOR TELKOM TO DOUBLE DEBIT. WE WERE THEN ADVISED THAT THE BEST DECISION WAS TO MAKE AN EFT PAYMENT SO THAT WHEN THE DUE DATE COMES, THE AMOUNT WOULD HAVE BEEN RECEIVED BY TELKOM. WE DID THE EFT THE SAME DAY ON THE 28TH OF FEBRUARY 2018 AS PER THE ADVISE OF A TELKOM EMPLOYEE AS WE DID NOT JUST DECIDE TO DO THAT EFT PAYMENT FROM NOWHERE. WE WERE THEN ADVISED THAT THERE WILL NOT BE A DEBIT ORDER ON THE DUE DATE AS WE WOULD HAVE PAID. ON THE DUE DATE (4TH OF MARCH 2018), A DEBIT ORDER WENT THROUGH, DESPITE THE ASSURANCE THAT THERE WILL NOT BE A DEBIT ORDER THAT WILL GO THROUGH FROM A TELKOM EMPLOYEE. SO THIS WAS A CLEAR ACT OF MISREPRESANTATION. AROUND THE 5TH OF APRIL, SERVICES WERE DISCONNECTED ON THE LINE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT WE HAD PAID VIA EFT ON THE 28TH OF FEB AND IN ADVANCE BEFORE THE DEBIT DATE AND AT THAT POINT IN TIME, WE WERE NOT OWING TELKOM ANY AMOUNT DUE. ON THE 5TH OF APRIL, WE CALLED TELKOM CUSTOMER CARE AND WE WERE AT THE TELKOM SHOP IN SAUER STREET JHB CBD. WE SPOKE TO NTUTHUKO NTULI ON CASE NUMBER ********** 2. WE QUERIED WHY THE SERVICES WERE CUT OFF AND HE PROMISED TO GET THE SERVICES CONNECTED. WE ASKED IF WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE PENALISED AND HE ADVISED THAT THERE WONT BE ANY PENALTIES SINCE WE HAD PAID THE AMOUNT DUE VIA EFT. SO BASICALLY HE GAVE OUT WRONG INFO AND ADVISED US INCORRECTLY THAT THERE WONT BE ANY PENALTIES, BUT TO OUR SURPRISE, A STATEMENT CAME TODAY REFLECTING THAT WE LIABLE FOR A PENALTY. THIS WAS NOW THE 2ND TIME TO BE ADVISED INCORRECTLY BY A TELKOM EMPLOYEE. THE ONLY THING THAT NTUTHUKO MANAGED TO HELP WITH, WAS TO UPLOAD DETAILS FOR SIMELWEYINKOSI ON THE SYSTEM. THIS IS GROSS MISREPRESANTATION AND VERY UNFAIR CONSIDERING THAT WE DID EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO PAY TELKOM IN ADVANCE TO AVOID PENALTIES AND DISCONNECTION, BUT DESPITE THOSE ATTEMPTS FROM A LOYAL CLIENT, YOU PROCEEDED TO DISCONNECT AND CHARGE PENALTIES EVEN THOUGH WE CONTACTED TELKOM IN ADVANCE FOR ADVICE AND WE WERE UNFORTUNATELY GIVEN WRONG ADVISE AND WE SECONDLY PAID IN ADVANCE. WE WERE NEVER ADVISED OF THE 10 DAY ADVANCE PERIOD IF A PAYMENT WILL BE DONE VIA EFT AT THAT POINT IN TIME ON THE PHONE AND ITS AN ACT OF INCOMPETENCE. NTUTHUKO ALSO ACTED ***********LY. THE STATEMENT IS NOW SHOWING AN AMOUNT OF R905.88 DUE AT THE END OF THIS MONTH AND THE CALL CENTRE IS SAYING ITS R552.94 , YET WE HAVE TO PAY ONLY R352. WE HAVE LOGGED A DISPUTE UNDER CASE NUMBER ********** 0 AS WE ARE NOT PREPARED AND WILLING TO PAY R200,94 IN PENALTIES, AND CAN SOMEONE GET BACK TO US WITH FEEDBACK ASAP. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE 1ST ANGENT LOGGED THE QUERY ON THE SYSTEM AND ALSO GAVE US CORRECT INFO AND ACTED IN A COMPETENT WAY NOT TO MISREPRESENT ON THE BEST PROCEDURE TO TAKE REGARDING THE PAYMENT THAT SHE ADVISED US TO PAY VIA EFT. NTUTHUKO CONFIRMED THAT WE WONT PAY THE PENALTIES , SO WHY DO WE HAVE TO PAY THEM NOW, YET WE DID OUR BEST TO AVOID ALL THIS MESS FROM TELKOM. THIS IS POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, INCOMPETENCE, AN ACT OF *********** LOYAL CUSTOMERS AND MISREPRESENTATION WHICH THE GENERAL PUBLIC MUST BE AWARE OF. CAN SOMEONE CONTACT ME BACK URGENTLY WITH A RESOLUTION ON THE ISSUE TO SORT OUT THIS MESS.