Telkom has no intention to cancel my account

On 12 December 2018 I wrote the following email to Telkom:

Hi Telkom Support

I've now used R20 to go to an internet café to email you, as I just used up my airtime trying to contact Telkom on 10210 & 081 180 to sort out the issue I am experiencing regarding the cancellation of my account with effect from 16 March 2018. Please note that I will not be able to eat breakfast or lunch for a week, as this R20 was for bread for a week.

For the record, I lost about 10kg, and at the age of 47 I'm almost the same weight as I was in Grade 8/9 (I was never fat). I am unemployed since 2016. I am applying for jobs - my last invite for an interview was in February 2018. Nothing again. I am now depending on help from the church and friends.

Let me start from the beginning: I emailed cancellation documents to Telkom - using the email address: ********** - on the 16th of March 2018 and I got an email back from Telkom stating that Telkom did receive my cancellation (for the record: Telkom's reply was attached to my email).

Earlier this year I was still fairly online and on 9 May 2018 I received an invoice with a balance of minus R34,08 (for the record: this invoice was attached to my email). I immediately knew that my Telkom account was cancelled.

In July 2018 things turned for the worse. I had my suitcase packed to move to the nearest squatter camp. Luckily it didn't go that far and now friends from my church are trying to help me as far as they possibly can.

On 9 November 2018 I received a "Letter of demand" stating that I own Telkom R1 943,83. I was shocked to the core! Telkom NEVER cancelled my account!!

How am I going to pay this account? I thought. I don't have any money!

So I took the little bit of money I had on me - someone from church gave me to buy personal items - and I bought airtime. I phoned Telkom and spoke to Juanita on 9 November 2018 - Juanita gave me a reference number which I wrote down for future communication. Juanita also said that I should call back after 2 working days.

You see, I do not have money for airtime and internet and data and all those nice things. I was totally unaware of the invoices Telkom sent me month after month after month.

I had to beg for money and I finally called back on 14 November 2018. This time I spoke to Ayanda. I was in tears! Why didn't Telkom cancel my account? Where am I going to get the money? I do not have money. I do not even have a job. Ayanda said that I should get an email from Telkom within a week regarding the progress of the dispute.

On 17 November 2018 I went to the internet café just to check my emails. In my inbox was an email from Telkom stating: "Welcome to your new Telkom Fibre Plan". I went totally numb. I didn't apply for anything. So I called and spoke to Juanita again. She tried to cancel the Fibre Plan, but it gave an error. She ordered me to call 10213. Well, I couldn't. Why not? Because I did not have money for airtime.

Today, instead of buying bread and a tomato with my R20, I popped in at the internet café, noting that there is another invoice at an amount of R2700 odd, and an email from Telkom regarding the Fibre Plan.

I bought airtime instead of bread and called this morning. I spoke to René. She tried to cancel the account and notified me of a "mobile data account" with Telkom. What? First it was a Fibre Plan - which I did not apply for - and now all of a sudden Telkom just added a Mobile Data Plan onto my account without my consent!!! And then René still had the audacity to tell me that I will receive a 'Final Bill'.

I am unemployed, I have no income, I am hungry as I'm typing the email...

I am begging Telkom to cancel this account as of 16 March 2018. I am unemployed, I do not have income, I do not have any money. I cannot pay Telkom.

Please stop adding more and more features onto my account - I am unable to pay Telkom.

Please just stop everything and remove me from Telkom's database permanently. I am tired, I'm hungry, I have tears in my eyes and I'm feeling depressed as I know for a fact that I will not be able to pay this bill at all.

Thank you kindly.

I always do the right thing and abide by the law. I am honest and sincere. Give me a job and I will work hard. Without a job, I am hungry. I will never apply for something when I know for a fact I cannot afford it. I will never make credit, when I know for a fact I cannot pay for it. I am unemployed, I have no income, I am hungry, I do not have any money to buy even just a bread. I took my last money to email Telkom, instead of buying a bread.

Regards...

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I received an auto-responder stating the following: Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups: ********** The e-mail address you entered couldn't be found. Please check the recipient's e-mail address and try to resend the message. If the problem continues, please contact your helpdesk. ********** The e-mail address you entered couldn't be found. Please check the recipient's e-mail address and try to resend the message. If the problem continues, please contact your helpdesk.

Only 2 things can happen now: I will most probably only be able to phone Telkom next year again if I do not get any further setbacks OR they can bill me and add more and more features onto my account as it pleases them. I'm tired. I am unemployed, I do not have income, I do not have any money. If they cannot understand this, they seriously have a major problem. I am not the only person in SA that's unemployed, 27% of the population are unemployed - to make it better understandable: about 15 million people that need a job right now. Just think... I'm one in 15 000 000 people that desperately need a job this very second and Telkom feels nothing. They just add more features onto my account and the bill heaps up. Ironic, isn't it?