******** charges and poor customer service on settled varsity account

I was recently contacted by Vericred regarding an alleged outstanding balance for a PhD programme at the University of Zululand. During our initial conversation, I made it clear that I do not owe the institution any fees and subsequently provided a paid-up letter as proof of settlement.

Despite this, I was informed afterward that I now owe interest and collection fees amounting to R635.10. I requested a detailed breakdown of these charges, as they were unexpected and did not align with the original account status. Vericred provided only a brief summary, stating that the account was settled on 2 May 2023 and that they received the account on 5 May 2023 as the official handover date. In the same communication, I was offered a 50% discount.

I then questioned why an account that was already settled would be handed over for collection and be subject to additional fees. I pointed out that this seemed ******** and unjustifiable. Since raising this concern, the Vericred representative (Lulama Mkorwana) has ceased all communication and failed to respond to further emails.

I am deeply dissatisfied with this lack of transparency, accountability, and poor customer service. I request urgent clarity on this matter and the immediate resolution of these charges, which I believe were wrongly app****.