Wrong debit order date

Vodacom suspended my account due to “non-payment,” but the issue was caused by Vodacom processing my debit order on the wrong date.

Vodacom informed me that my debit order was rejected because there were insufficient funds in my account on 27 October. This was incorrect. The consultant insisted the payment failed because there was no money in my account, and when I questioned this, I was simply told to “make payment arrangements.” No investigation was done, and during the call I was disconnected without any call-back, despite requesting one.

I then contacted my bank to verify what actually happened. My banker confirmed the following:

The debit order was processed on 22 October instead of the agreed date of 25 October. At the time on the 22nd, there were insufficient funds, which caused the debit order to return unpaid. A penalty fee of R115 was charged but has since been refunded.

This confirms that Vodacom attempted to debit my account three days earlier than the agreed debit order date. Had the debit gone off on the correct date (25 October), there would have been sufficient funds, and I would have received a bounce-back notification if there was any issue but I didn’t, because the error was not on my side.

I am now being threatened with a double November debit order even though this entire situation was caused by Vodacom’s incorrect processing date. I was unaware of this issue and did not budget for a double debit due to their error. I am requesting that Vodacom correct this mistake, reinstate my account, and ensure that I am not penalised financially or otherwise for an error that was not mine. Can someone assist me as this is going to affect my credit score, I payment history is UpToDate and I have never missed a payment.