Vodacom cancels my debit order, then hands me over to lawyers

A week or so ago I receive a letter from Vodacom confirming that I am being handed over to their Lawyers, Burnard Raaff & Associates, with regards to my overdue contract with them.

It turns out that I have not been paying my account for the last four months, even though it was a debit order which was set up on my contract last year September 2017.

The lawyers, Burnard Raaff & Associates are now in contact with me and demand a +/- R 2000.00 payment (bearing in mind, my contract is for R 109.00 a month). I inform them that I did not cancel anything and they inform me to go to my bank (ABSA).

So we play along, and we go to ABSA who confirm the following:

- There is no debit order in place on ABSA system. - The contract is between client and Vodacom, ABSA is seen as a third party. - The debit order was set up by Vodacom.

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I then send the Lawyers the following email:

Dear: Zelda de Klerk

As per your request, me and my husband went to ABSA Bank this morning, please see their response below:

- There is no debit order in place on ABSA system. - The contract is between client and Vodacom, ABSA is seen as a third party. - The debit order was set up by Vodacom.

In light of the above response from ABSA, we now know that for some or other reason Vodacom cancelled the debit order without informing me, and therefore the case/contract went into arrears.

We elected to have a debit order set up on my account on our contract signed with Vodacom, and therefore have or had no reason to check to see if the account was still being debited as this is not a new contract, this contract has been coming on for almost a year now.

This in my eyes is unfair business practice and I will therefore not be liable for any legal costs incurred due to Vodacom's negligence.

I do however understand that I am liable for data which has been received and will gladly pay any outstanding amount/s with regards to months missed.

Kind regards Mrs JS Bird

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Zelda calls me almost immediately and speaks to my husband. She confirms that they will have to contact ITC or something to that effect and has a fine cheek to offer to pay a lower the amount (If that's not an admission of guilt then I don't know) to which I say no.

I blame Vodacom for this mess, and want this issue sorted out.

Kind regards Mrs JS Bird