Repeated debit order failures, contradictory explanations, and unresolved billing dispute

I have been dealing with an unresolved billing dispute on my Telkom Mobile account since June 2026, and the experience has been extremely frustrating.

My account is debit order based, with a stated debit date of the last day of each month. My invoice states "Pay on or before the 31st." However, I was later told that manual payments must be made 10 working days before the debit date to avoid a rejection fee a requirement that is not clearly stated on my invoice, and which Telkom itself has since acknowledged is not written into my signed contract.

Despite making manual payments in June, July, and August, my debit orders were still processed and rejected, resulting in R202.70 rejection fees being charged multiple times, plus late payment interest. My bank has confirmed that Telkom attempted to debit my account on 20 August 2026 a date that does not match the "last day of the month" debit date I have been told repeatedly by Telkom's own consultants.

I have also received conflicting explanations from different Telkom agents about who is responsible for reversing failed debit orders, and my account was handed over to a debt collector (NuDebt) over fees I formally disputed. I continue to receive collection SMS messages despite being told the account is "out of collections."

I have requested escalation to a senior consultant multiple times and have not received this. Each response I receive is a generic, repeated explanation that does not address the specific questions I have raised in writing.

I would encourage other customers to keep careful written records of all manual payments and communications with Telkom, as I have found the debit order process and fee explanations to be inconsistent and poorly documented.