Telkom Data Confusion and Fat Payment Rejection Fee

[netstrider]

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 know Nedbank has charged me R150 for failed debit orders before, so not sure if they also charge the provider in that case. It may vary from bank to bank.

 

[netstrider]

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!

Yep, sounds right, see post number 21.

 

[Kvann]

I'm replying on an old post here. I'm the first to admit I forgot to change my banking details with Telkom and realized on payday that I needed to pay them. I paid my account on their portal on 27th Jan (they confirm it reflected on the 29th. On my Feb invoice I noticed they zapped me the R202.70 fee. I asked for an agent to call me. The agent explained the obvious (failed debit order). I can't my the copy of my contract so I am going to go to a Telkom store to see if I can get a copy mailed. On the standard mobile contracts I downloaded off the website (which I'm pretty certain is the same as the one I would've signed) it says nothing about a debit order rejection fee, it only mentions a reconnection fee if not paid before the due date. The only place the term rejection fee (as far as I can tell) is on the FAQ on Telkom's portal (gethelp.telkom.co.za) when you log in to query the fee. This is what it states "

Debit order rejection fees​

A Telkom debit order is a commitment between you and Telkom to take an agreed amount of money out of your bank account every month to pay for Telkom services

If your debit order did not go through as per agreed date, an admin fee will appear on your invoice because the debit order was rejected due to insufficient funds

There is a flat rate charge for this action"

This is NOT mentioned in the Terms & Conditions of the contract and by saying "an admin fee" they could make it anything.

I am a lay person but my understanding is that a signed contract is legally binding and that contract has to be amended for any changes to legal.

My statement reflects that I paid before the due date which was 31 January 2022.

I am going to lodge another complaint with Telkom, probably on Facebook, and ask for a reference number and then I will lodge a complaint with the ombudsman.

 

[Kvann]

The catch is that the rejection fee is not stipulated in the actual contract that you get a copy of. they're sneaky that way. If you look at a standard Cell C contract for instance, they mention in the contract whereas with Telkom , it's on a separate form you sign and one of the points is that the debit order rejection fee has been explained to you and you understand it. They then don't give you a copy of it. Between call centers and Telkom stores I'm struggling to get a copy of this. Signing the form is like accepting terms and conditions on software, you're excited to get your new phone and contract so you say yes and don't think there'll be an issue with a payment. It may not be against the law but I think it's highly unethical. What other companies (not include mobile networks) charge such ridiculous fees. Also, other companies updated their systems immediately when I changed banking details, Telkom can only change it in the next calendar month...Smells like government