Joburg Billing issues

costafonix

Is anyone out there experiencing Billing issues on their water/lights account?
I've been receiving ridiculous accounts from Joburg, my latest sitting at R15 000 !!!!
I've had incorrect meter readings and it seems like you're banging your head against a brick wall, with no resolution in sight in 3 months.
I definitely don't have that sort of money lying around, that's practically the price for a good guitar :-\

anyone else in the same boat??
did you manage to get it right??

Sean

Wet van Transvaal?

costafonix

Sean wrote Wet van Transvaal?

:roflmao:

domhatch

CostaFonix wrote Is anyone out there experiencing Billing issues on their water/lights account?
I've been receiving ridiculous accounts from Joburg, my latest sitting at R15 000 !!!!
I've had incorrect meter readings and it seems like you're banging your head against a brick wall, with no resolution in sight in 3 months.
I definitely don't have that sort of money lying around, that's practically the price for a good guitar :-\

anyone else in the same boat??
did you manage to get it right??

so ours reached the lofty heights of knock-knock-knockin on r80k. thanks to the perseverance of mrs dh, they finally came right after - give or take - 11 months. and then they finally added water and services (you know waste collection and sewage, etc). all in all, not a great year.

me wife's a good 'un. wouldn't trade her for nothin. also, wouldn't want to be anywhere other than in her good graces...

it's all about patience, and not threatening to murder anyone. and spending some time - say one day every month - at joburg, feeling like you could go postal at any time, but not actually going postal. and keeping a record of every name and every reference number, regardless of whether they mean anything or not.
dh

doc-phil

I work in the building next door to Joburg Council.. I was in the property department at my firm and was required to go and sit in queues and sort out people's billing errors. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.

However it was quite entertaining listening to everyone in the queue griping about how much the government sucks. If I were you, I would retain the services of a lawyer and get them to send a candidate attorney to do your dirty work, it's worth the extra $$$ spent.

aubs1

We switched to "Pre-paid" (electricity) some time back. Problem solved!

costafonix

I never realised how big this problem is and you never think it will happen to you, but when it does you really want to lose your cool with them.
I have found a website that is gathering info, that may be able to create a case against these guys www.mobilitate.co.za
Aubs I think I may go the pre-paid route, but I'll first try resolve this issue as I think multitasking is not one of their strongpoints...

V8

CostaFonix wrote I never realised how big this problem is...

You are not alone. My mate's elderly mum has been fighting in Jozi for at least a year over a R30k-40k electricity bill (it should be around 5k max) - has been impossible to resolve and when browsing mobilate I see she is already on there bugging the counciller.

Good stuff, make 'em accountable I say.

deefstes

CostaFonix wrote I never realised how big this problem is and you never think it will happen to you, but when it does you really want to lose your cool with them.
I have found a website that is gathering info, that may be able to create a case against these guys www.mobilitate.co.za
Aubs I think I may go the pre-paid route, but I'll first try resolve this issue as I think multitasking is not one of their strongpoints...

You won't be able to switch to prepaid until all of your account issues are sorted out anyway. It's very frustrating. We bought a house 2 years ago and it's only now that it looks like me may have made a breakthrough. TWO YEARS!!! And yes, it is very difficult not to lose your cool but take it from me, someone who's been through the process and have lost his cool on a number of occasions; It doesn't help.

The people with whom you deal are not the ones who are responsible for the mess, they are only the call centre agents or the municipal office customer service representatives. You are not the first irate customer they are having to deal with and they've had their fair share of furious red-in-face customers giving it to them. They may not be any good at solving account or service problems but they are amazingly efficient in shutting down the moment a customer gets angry. Try it once, raise your voice and see how quickly they go from little help to no help whatsoever.

costafonix

deefstes wrote
CostaFonix wrote I never realised how big this problem is and you never think it will happen to you, but when it does you really want to lose your cool with them.
I have found a website that is gathering info, that may be able to create a case against these guys www.mobilitate.co.za
Aubs I think I may go the pre-paid route, but I'll first try resolve this issue as I think multitasking is not one of their strongpoints...

They may not be any good at solving account or service problems but they are amazingly efficient in shutting down the moment a customer gets angry. Try it once, raise your voice and see how quickly they go from little help to no help whatsoever.

I havent yet, and believe me, it has been EXTREMELY difficult to remain calm and patient, but I hear you, its not worth pi$$ing these guys off, because one tick in the wrong place on the form and they could delay the process for yet another couple of months.

Ray

So the trick is to be submissive. Ya they like that.