Telkom Data Confusion and Fat Payment Rejection Fee

What do you think of Telkom's Payment Rejection Fee of R 202.70?

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aalwees

aalwees

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Two Telkom Gripes:

1. Telkom's app tells you you have data left while at the same time Telkom sends you SMSes telling you your Data Bundle is finished and you've been switched to out-of-bundle rates. The Bill So Far nicely given in the app continues to mount while the Data remaining remains at ... in my case 98Mb. A call to Telkom gets you nowhere, until you phone again and get an agent who is jacked up enough to inform you that Telkom supplies different 3 kinds of data: general internet data, Whatsapp and suchlike data, "LIT" data (something I don't understand because it comes in quantities too small to be of any use. I suspect it's just a baited hook.)
The upshot of it is that my one kind of data ran out while the LIT remained. The fact that the app doesn't make the distinction leaves one unable to easily know how much data you have left. My solution has been to set my additional spend to zero but that doesn't help with managing your data usage to last the month. There is still the confusion because of the different kinds of data which the app doesn't distinguish between.

2. My monthly debit order payment was rejected due to circumstances beyond my control. About 2 days later I made a manual payment. Thankfully there was no break in my service. However, my latest bill has and item called a Payment Rejection Fee of R 202.70 and this has me dismayed and angry. Is that even legal?! Can anyone point me to the spot where it is buried in the T's and C's? I was not informed of this when I made my deal. I find it unacceptable. A payment can misfire for a number of reasons and even if it is a negligence on my part I find it unacceptable to be fined this much and in this way and despite the fact that I paid my bill only a few days late.
 
It was there as a R200 before VAT increase, you'll find it eventually.
I had it bite me 18 months ago, since then I do eft monthly
 
aalwees said:
2. My monthly debit order payment was rejected due to circumstances beyond my control. About 2 days later I made a manual payment. Thankfully there was no break in my service. However, my latest bill has and item called a Payment Rejection Fee of R 202.70 and this has me dismayed and angry. Is that even legal?! Can anyone point me to the spot where it is buried in the T's and C's? I was not informed of this when I made my deal. I find it unacceptable. A payment can misfire for a number of reasons and even if it is a negligence on my part I find it unacceptable to be fined this much and in this way and despite the fact that I paid my bill only a few days late.
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There is no law against it, so yes it is.
 
Okay, so I phoned Telkom about this and the agent explained very nicely to me that the reason they charge that fee is that the banks charge them that when the debit order fails. So the banks, in all their typical shiftiness are shifting the dirty business of fining their customers for RDs over to Telkom.

Of course, this also raises the question of how much the banks actually charge Telkom. Anyone here have any idea?
 
I was charged the R200 rejection fee for 4 months in a row while I fight a never ending fight to get my debit order date changed from 25th to the 1st which was not an option and eventually got changed to 5th. So come 26th the debit order fails as my money I have left end of the month is in the savings pocket which i only use if I really to. Failed debit + R200. So I pay it manually via card on the website and next month same store.

Lost over R800 like this and after 5 case numbers I have given up fighting a credit note on this even though I have a recorded call with confirmation from the agent that the debit order date has been changed and when it will take affect and guess what they did not care. No credit note no refund.
 
I sent FNB a query about this. Will post when I have an answer.
 
cavedog said:
... and guess what they did not care. No credit note no refund.
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I'm beginning to regret getting my phone on a Telkom contract. Fibre is coming soon here. Going to close my landline and ADSL with Telkom and throw a party. When this contract is up I'll throw another and it's goodbye Telkom forever.
 
Most companies are going to klap you if a debit order bounces. Next time you know you're not going to be able to meet your obligations arrange for a temporary overdraft with your bank.

Also, Telkom freezes my data when my bundle has expired, that's their default, If your's isn't then you might have inadvertently changed it. You should check on that
 
cavedog said:
I was charged the R200 rejection fee for 4 months in a row while I fight a never ending fight to get my debit order date changed from 25th to the 1st which was not an option and eventually got changed to 5th. So come 26th the debit order fails as my money I have left end of the month is in the savings pocket which i only use if I really to. Failed debit + R200. So I pay it manually via card on the website and next month same store.

Lost over R800 like this and after 5 case numbers I have given up fighting a credit note on this even though I have a recorded call with confirmation from the agent that the debit order date has been changed and when it will take affect and guess what they did not care. No credit note no refund.
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Sounds like you really needed to use it? :confused:
 
bwana said:
Sounds like you really needed to use it? :confused:
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Yeah but it required me to make at least a double payment of R529 * 2 + R202 which would have probably finished the last funds I had left for the month especially on the 25th of the month and I obviously did not expect to have to fight that long to get the debit order date updated and so ended off having to fork out R200 extra each month... The invoice was so messed up one month with all these charges and payments that the consultant was confused and could not tell me what exactly I needed to pay to avoid them attempting a debit on the 25th.

Great simcard but billing and support is a total joke. Also the fact that Telkom DOES NOT accept cash or eft as payment methods is shocking. I mean my R1k Vodacom account monthly is on cash payment so I just eft each month when my salary reflects. No worries when public holidays get involved wondering when they will debit you. If your debit date falls on a Saturday then Telkom tries to debit 1 day before instead of the first working day after and that is not fair from their side.
 
I just tried and had no luck cancelling the debit order for EFT. They won't allow it.
 
aalwees said:
I just tried and had no luck cancelling the debit order for EFT. They won't allow it.
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Have then shift the debit order date to 2nd or 5th of month. Do an eft 5days before the debit order date you've setup so they don't debit you. That's how I got my debit order to vanish. If I do forget to do the eft, it'll go off again
 
So I asked FNB about this and they denied charging Telkom a fee. I was told this:
"As your bank, FNB may charge an unpaid debit order fee on your account should you fail to honour a debit order on your account, but the service provider that processes the debit isn't charged by us. "

I'd raise this via HelloPeter but Telkom does not respond there. Even if you ask HelloPeter why they have Telkom listed as a company that responds when in fact it never does, you get no response!
 
aalwees said:
So I asked FNB about this and they denied charging Telkom a fee. I was told this:
"As your bank, FNB may charge an unpaid debit order fee on your account should you fail to honour a debit order on your account, but the service provider that processes the debit isn't charged by us. "

I'd raise this via HelloPeter but Telkom does not respond there. Even if you ask HelloPeter why they have Telkom listed as a company that responds when in fact it never does, you get no response!
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Facebook.. lets see their response then
 
The most you can do is add your voice to the complaints about this on HelloPeter. When my contract is up I'll be leaving Telkom. Telkom is fine until something goes wrong. When that happens it's like you land on the big snake on the last block of Snakes and Ladders and go right back to the beginning. You lose every advantage you've gained from being with Telkom, and more. It's not worth it.

maikeru86 said:
Going through this same Shlep now. Freeme is great, Everything else is horrible
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Hy I've got a massive problem about my contract deal it's been two months while they rejecting my debit order after I bought the phone??
 
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