Warning: there are better counsellors out there

I tried to be financially responsible by placing myself under debt review as I had over indebted myself. I barely had money left after my creditors would debit my account. While debt review might scare most, it really is an honest and responsible way to get your financial situation back on track. However I should have done more research when I trust Vantage Debt Management. The process started off really smoothly. My creditors were almost immediately notified and the consultant who assisted me Ronewa confirmed that my debit orders had also been cancelled, as I had expressed to her that the debit orders were leaving me with nothing left after I get paid. A week before I was to get paid I followed up just to ensure everything was still on track and that I would not get any shocks when my salary came in. Once again, Ronewa confirmed it was cancelled. A day before I was to get paid I noted my debit orders still appeared active on my banking app. She once again assured me that it was cancelled and that it was normal for it to appear there. I had no reason not to trust her at that point. The day I got paid, the debit orders went off to my utter shock. Once again I found myself in a troubling financial position I was desperately trying to get out of. I entrusted this company to help me get out of that cycle, however they forced me back into it. Ronewa advised that they will refund me the debit orders as they rightfully should not have gone off. I sent her all supporting documents she requested to ensure a smooth refund process as I could not afford to be without money: for rent; food; travelling expenses. I followed up the next day and was advised she would get back to me. She did not. I then continued to follow up every other day after that to the same response. After a week I asked what the cause of the delay is, she still could not provide me an answer and instead referred me to their onboarding team. Unfortunately Vusumuzi from that team also could not provide me with any information. Not evenany indication of what step in the process my refund was. Some transparency would have allowed me to understand whether they are handling the matter accordingly. But instead they pointed fingers at the next person. It has been some time now and I still have not received one ounce of clarity. It’s as if I am just a number to them. I have since lodged a complaint with the NCR. If you are considering debt review then certainly there are better options out there. Companies that value their customers. After all, most of us did not mean to be in financially strained situation, however we should not be suffering when we’re actually trying to do better.