Is SABC TV licence collections yet another scam?

chrisc

chrisc

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Episode 1

My daughter left for the UK in 2008 and very carefully advised the SABC of the disposal of the TV set and provided proof that she had left and followed it up with a UK TV licence. This was acknowledged. All was well for 3 years, then I started to get demands to pay the arrears + a licence fee. Despite 4 affidavits, proof of UK residency, etc they (VMM attorneys acting for the SABC) take no notice and the latest bill, plus arrears, collection fees, is R 8450,00. Her name now appears on Transunion as a defaulter and has been renewed twice by them

Episode 2

In May this year the SABC decided that my wife needed a TV licence and sent her an invoice. Despite sending copies of my and her ID copies, our marriage certificate and my own current TV licence number which is valid until January 2016, they (VMM attorneys again) maintain that inadequate proof has been supplied. I am told to send them a copy of my TV licence. However, the SABC have not issued paper licences for 3 years. When telling VMM attorneys about this, they say this is one of their requirements and that is that. I explain that their demand is based on an impossibility and am told just to pay the fee + penalties and arrears, now R 515,50.

They call my wife at least once or twice a week and if she hangs up, call again. I once told the lady that they are perpetrating a scam, since I refuse to pay twice for the same product and she cut the call.
 
For your wife = just ignore them.

For your daughter = she must lodge a complaint with Transunion (and check the others), and if they don't fix the faulty record (within 20 business days aka a month) then lodge a complaint with the credit ombud. The process is here: http://www.creditombud.org.za/complaints_procedure.htm

The reason your daughter can dispute it is because the credit bureaus don't list TV licenses as credit is because its a license and they have stopped listing it since 2001 or somesuch.
 
chrisc4290 said:
... I am told to send them a copy of my TV licence. However, the SABC have not issued paper licences for 3 years. ...
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I just received my invoice from the SABC yesterday...it shows all the payments/debit order deductions. Surely this will be good enough for them?
 
supersunbird said:
For your wife = just ignore them.

For your daughter = she must lodge a complaint with Transunion (and check the others), and if they don't fix the faulty record (within 20 business days aka a month) then lodge a complaint with the credit ombud. The process is here: http://www.creditombud.org.za/complaints_procedure.htm

The reason your daughter can dispute it is because the credit bureaus don't list TV licenses as credit is because its a license and they have stopped listing it since 2001 or somesuch.
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Does that hold the same for SARS? That they can't list you on the credit unions?
 
Transunion were contacted. Their response was to say the matter should be taken up with VMM Attorneys, who issued the instructions.

A letter was sent to the Credit Ombudsman in June. They acknowledged the letter but nothing more

Wife is very upset as she does not like these haranguing phone calls. The trouble is that her friend had the same experience last year and eventually paid the sum demanded. But 10 months later they were on her case again, saying that she paid for the incorrect account. Her friend's name is Estelle Human and the SABC maintain she paid for Estelle Haman, so therefore still owes the money, plus penalties, etc

I am more positive than ever that this is purely a scam. Have written to Noseweek magazine about it
 
chrisc4290 said:
They call my wife at least once or twice a week and if she hangs up, call again. I once told the lady that they are perpetrating a scam, since I refuse to pay twice for the same product and she cut the call.
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Get criminal charges laid for harassment.

Get a protection order from court against VVM.

Report them to the bar.

The cops wont investigate, and the bar won't care, but if they contact your wife again they'll be violating a court order and you can take it further. You'll also have proof that you tried everything reasonable to get them to stop harassing her.

Or she could do like I do and make the call centre agent's life miserable. Scream, swear and insult to her hearts content. The more miserable the agents, the higher VVM's staff turnover, the higher their training costs and the lower their profit. They won't even think of laying crimen injuria charges, and if they do, just claim self defence and present the evidence of harassment.

Edit: Almost forgot, they bitch like hell when you demand that they fax, yes fax a statement of account to you. Oh, and ask when you can expect the summons. Scream, "I'll see you in court. Where's my summons?" I don't have any problems with any of these people any more, then again, I'm proudly an arsehole.
 
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You cant be listed on any Credit Buro for a TV license.
 
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VMM's listing on Transunion just states "Arrears debt" but does not state who the customer is. Since my daughter has lived outside SA for 7 years and the black-listing only appeared in 2012, and VMM are the SABC's collection agency, I can only assume that it is the SABC matter, since she has no financial interest in any other South African commercial entity

I doubt VMM will ever issue a summons. My friend in Newlands, who pays his TV Licence on the spot every year, has been receiving weekly phone calls for 7 years about an unpaid licence. Quoting the number, date of payment, has no effect whatsoever. Inviting them to send a summons so he can meet them in court has no effect. VMM's phone number appears on his phone as "Withheld" so the other day he gave it to me to answer and when I realised it was them, told them I was the house-sitter and he was overseas for 3 months. That at least shut them up.
 
Years ago, I paid my TV licence at Teljoy, and they never passed it on to the SABC. The SABC started harrassing me, sending me legal letters, etc. despite my providing my proof of payment. So I typed up a cover letter, scanned in my cover letter, and evened up with a 4-page document. I then sent it via fax modem to the SABC's fax address. One copy the first night. 5 the next. Then 10. Then 50. Then 100. After four nights of sending through 400 pages of fax, they phoned me and told me I was sending through duplicates. I told them it was because I wasn't sure they were getting them, and that I would stop when they resolved my problem. They resolved it that very day.
 
I Once said to them, it's fine, lets meet in court. Please give me the name of their representative for the court case. They left me alone for 2 years.
 
Claymore said:
Years ago, I paid my TV licence at Teljoy, and they never passed it on to the SABC. The SABC started harrassing me, sending me legal letters, etc. despite my providing my proof of payment. So I typed up a cover letter, scanned in my cover letter, and evened up with a 4-page document. I then sent it via fax modem to the SABC's fax address. One copy the first night. 5 the next. Then 10. Then 50. Then 100. After four nights of sending through 400 pages of fax, they phoned me and told me I was sending through duplicates. I told them it was because I wasn't sure they were getting them, and that I would stop when they resolved my problem. They resolved it that very day.
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This man, is the winner!!!!

That's brilliant, do they still have a fax nunber?
 
The trick here ladies and gents, never get a TV license in the first place and you will not be on the system. Sure I know you can't buy a new telly without a license, so either borrow a license, buy second hand or buy directly from a supplier. I can't name names but there are plenty distro's who don't ask for a license.
 
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