Disappointed

I am not a person who likes to complain. However, we find ourselves in stressful times. Everyone is battling to deal with the physical and emotional strains placed on us due to this pandemic. Financially, most people are struggling to cope. I have a Woolworths account. A few years back I became unemployed and I was unable to meet the commitment of paying my account. However, upon securing employment, I made arrangements to pay my account which at this point had been handed over to attorneys representing Woolworths. I have done this since 2018 and I have not missed a payment. I have made no purchases. Now, some 2 and a half years later, we find ourselves in a pandemic with most people receiving only a portion of their income due to losses companies have had to suffer. I approached my creditors to request a statement for what is still owing. All except Woolworths responded. All advised that my record had been coming down nicely and I will be done with them in the near future. Woolworths did not respond. In order to get a response, I had no choice but to send a complaint requesting my statement. They then sent it. When I perused it I found that after 2 and half years, only about a third had come off my balance. I have made almost no progress on this account despite paying for an extended period with no purchases. When I asked Woolworths to consider relooking at my account by perhaps reducing the interest, taking into consideration my record of paying and also the fact that I am receiving only a portion of my salary, their response was that they are not allowed to. I understand that it is a business. They can apply whatever rules they want, whatever interest and costs they want because they are a big company and I am one little individual living in a country of millions. They do not need my business. They do not need me to be a happy consumer. I expect nothing from them. I only want to make people aware of Woolworths, uncaring about their consumers during a difficult time. They may have a reputation of being a retail store with great quality but many reviews have shown that their reputation is slowly but surely deteriorating.