Woolworths Financial Services PLEASE REMEMBER THE TCF PRINCIPLES AND TCF LEGISTLATION

Woolworths Financial Services - I think YOU owe me money now - need an URGENT reconciliation of payments to my Woolworths Instore and Credit Card accounts and an up-to-date statement for both Dear Woolworths and Woolworths Financial Services

My family and I have been customers at Woolworths since my grandmother worked in one of your stores in Rosettenville, Johannesburg. We ate Woolworths food every day, we were dressed in Woolworths clothes growing up. I opened my own account when I started my first job - which is over 30 years ago.

In 2019 I ran into some financial difficulty and was not able to keep my store card and credit card payments up to date. I did make payment arrangements with WFS and then the (many and varied) lawyers and debt collection agencies that I was handed over to.

I tried my hardest to keep to those repayment arrangements and admittedly had some hits and misses, but was always in contact with the WFS team. Early in 2020 I was able to settle the outstanding repayment arrears on both accounts. I was told that on settling the InStore card arrears that I would be able to continue using that account. Turns out I was not able to do that and my account has been closed down. To reactivate it I need to open a new account. I also advised Woolworths Financial Services of what looked like a credit due to me on the InStore account - but was told it was money still owing, an amount of that showed on a slip as -R1 440). I duly paid that amount, only for my statement to show an amount of -R2 999. So this does seem to me to be credit on my store card - but to date I have not been able to get this refunded to me.

As an example of just 1 day's attempt to speak to anyone who could help on this matter: I went into the instore financial services counter at a Woolworths branch one Saturday morning. They were the ones who told me that I still owed that money and that it was not a credit. We then had to phone WFS as I did not agree, rather that this is was indeed a credit amount. WFS could not assist and passed me onto their legal team. The legal team is not available on Saturdays. On the Monday, I phoned this number I was given **********, was referred to the Credit Centre on **********. Called that number, no-one could help me, was referred to Nationwide Credit Management on **********. Spoke to Samaya at that number and was told that I should send an email to ***********. I sent the email and could see from the delivery and read receipt that it was definitely delivered to and read by someone. This was on the 27/10/2020, no reply. I sent another email requesting feedback on the 05/11/2020, to date still no reply as of writing this review.

Would appreciate some clarity on this with immediate effect. If indeed it is an amount in credit then we can have a discussion about interest owed to me as well on that amount since both payments were made - quid pro quo for the way every retailer handles their financials and outstanding account payments.

The upshot here is that I can't use that account as it has been closed down - to access that credit balance I need to open a new account (??) which I am not prepared to do after the awful customer experience I've had. Would rather spend my hard earned money at Woolies competitors now.

As for my credit card - once I had settled the arrears with the relevant attorneys/debt collectors as detailed to me in early 2020, I was told that the new balance was approximately R45 000 and the required monthly payment was now R2 400, to be paid directly to the Absa account into which normal payments would have been made to.

I have been paying this amount as directed into the Absa account every month for the past year - I have received no further communication or documentation regarding outstanding amounts / arrear payments so assumed that this was all in order. However, lo and behold and much to my surprise - on the 31st December 2020, I received an email from MBD Attorneys - apparently I have been handed back over to them regarding my credit card????? Since then, as anyone who has had the misfortune and misery dealing with the MBD call centre, I have been contacted on a daily basis - including 7 am calls over the weekends, spoken to many call centre staff, explained the situation to them, requested to speak to a manager at MBD (apparently there are none and the call centre staff don't actually speak to any human being in the MBD heirarchy EVER - one has to wonder then how the business is run - perhaps by telepathy????). I did manage last week (11/02) to be contacted by a lovey man who is definitely the exception to the normal verbal harassment and bullying by MBD call centre staff. He told me that what his colleagues had been saying about having no managers to answer to or account to for their days' work is ******* - he has a manager, he gave me her full name and said he would request that she phone me to try to sort this out.... still waiting but not holding my breath for that call. I have however continued to be called at all hours of the day and night, sometimes multiple calls a day from MBD, to say the same thing over and over again to them and request for assistance - every day is Groundhog Day with them and this is going nowhere fast.

I would very much like to know from you - WFS - why I was handed back over to MBD in December 2019, after getting no such calls or emails since I paid back the arrears last year and have continued paying the amount of R2 400 which I was told was the new repayment amount to settle the outstanding balance, EVERY MONTH FOR A YEAR NOW. I haven't even had a statement to show me what is / may be still owing on this account since this time last year... OR my InStore account for that matter.

I am fed up as hell with this whole thing and damn angry!! Life during 2020 was not easy with the impact of Covid-19 on our families and friends, loss of loved ones, people's livelihoods and jobs, without additional stress being added on a daily basis with multiple phone calls from MBD. I would think Woolworths, with all its advertising and push marketing strategy (I still get emails telling me about all the specials and opportunities to participate in customer satisfaction surveys) to its "valued clients" may just want to rethink their debt collection strategy.

Please could an actual person at WFS with some authority to deal with this and sort it out contact me as a matter of urgency. I also would like to put you on notice that I will not pay any more instalments on my Woolworths Credit Card until this is sorted out and I receive an up to date statement showing what is still owing... or not owing.

Lastly, your preferred attorneys and debt collectors MBD can go to hell - one more phone call from them and I am going to lay a charge of harassment against them.