South African drivers paying for e-tags they can't get
The South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) has confirmed that it would continue to accept payments for new e-tags despite facing stock constraints.
A MyBroadband reader recently informed us that they had made an online payment for an e-tag, only to be told there was no stock and that they'd need to visit a toll plaza.
Ag nee man, SANRAL, what kind of business is this now?
You people are taking payments for e-tags that you already know you don’t have in stock. How does that make sense, my bru? A person goes online, fills in all the details, pays properly, everything is mooi, then only afterwards you tell them, “Sorry, there’s no stock, you must go look at a toll plaza.”
Huh?
So the money can travel immediately, no problem, but the e-tag itself is standing somewhere next to an empty shelf?
That is mos not how a proper system is supposed to work. If there is no stock, then the website must say, “Out of stock.” Finish and klaar. You don’t let the customer pay first and then send them on a treasure hunt across Gauteng, driving from plaza to plaza, asking every oke behind the counter, “Excuse me, do you maybe have an e-tag?”
And the funny part is, the customer is probably using the same roads, paying toll fees and burning petrol, just to go and search for the little device they already paid for. Now who is paying for that petrol? Who is paying for the time? SANRAL? Nee, of course not. They will just say, “Please visit your nearest toll plaza.”
Nearest according to who? Maybe the nearest one also has no stock. Then what? Must the person keep driving until they reach Zimbabwe?
This is the problem with these big systems, neh. When they want your money, everything works very lekker. The payment portal is awake, the bank connection is sharp, the confirmation email comes through immediately. You will even get a reference number, an invoice, a receipt, the whole government orchestra.
But when it is time to give you the thing you paid for, suddenly everybody is confused.
“Stock constraints.”
“Operational challenges.”
“Please visit a branch.”
“Please contact the call centre.”
No, man. Speak normal English. You sold something you don’t have.
Imagine you go to a spaza shop, you pay for bread, and then the owner says, “Ja, sorry, there’s no bread. You must walk to another shop and ask them.” You will look at that man like he is not right in his head. But because it is a big organisation, now they use fancy words and suddenly everybody must accept it.
And why are new e-tags even available for purchase on the system when the stock situation is not under control? Surely the online platform can be linked to stock levels. We are not living in 1997. Even small online shops can tell you whether there are three items left, one item left, or no items available.
But SANRAL is accepting full payment and then giving people instructions.
That is not a purchase. That is a side quest.
The customer did their part already. They went online. They paid. They provided the address and information. The reasonable expectation is that SANRAL must either deliver the e-tag, provide a guaranteed collection point with confirmed stock, or refund the payment immediately.
You cannot take someone’s money and then make your stock problem their problem.
And please, this thing of saying people can go to a toll plaza is also not enough. Which toll plaza has stock? How many units are available? Can one be reserved? How long will the stock last? What happens when the customer arrives and the person behind the counter says, “Eish, sorry, they finished this morning”?
Then the customer must phone the call centre. At the call centre, they will listen to music for forty-five minutes, then the call will cut. When they phone again, a different consultant will say they cannot see the previous reference number. Now the person must explain the whole story from the beginning.
“Good morning, I paid for an e-tag.”
“Do you have a reference number?”
“Yes.”
“Please hold.”
Then the music starts again.
Haibo, guys. This is not customer service. This is an endurance test.
SANRAL must stop accepting new payments until stock is available, or they must clearly warn customers before payment that the e-tag cannot currently be delivered. Not after. Before.
The website should say:
“E-tags are currently out of stock. Do not make payment unless you are willing to collect from one of the following locations where stock has been confirmed.”
Then list the locations. Give the stock numbers. Allow customers to reserve one. That is how you handle it properly.
Because right now, the arrangement is basically: “Give us your money, then go find your own product.”
Aweh, SANRAL, you cannot operate like that.
You are not selling mystery boxes. This is an e-tag. Either you have it or you don’t.
And if you don’t have it, stop taking people’s money for it.
