The Voice - Consumer's Voice

They keep deducting!

Please help me resolve this issue I have. I cleared my loan on January 22nd this year and the lender deducted in February which I understand since payroll for the next month had already been processed. They refunded the money on March 4th. I then asked if they had closed my account to which they confirmed that they did.

To my surprise, they deducted again in March. I called them and talked to someone who acknowledged that it was a mistake on their part and promised that I will get the refund first week of April. Mr Richard, to this date I still haven't received my money, I have been calling their offices only to be met with excuses and empty promises. I received my pay slip today and to my dismay I found out that they have deducted money again for April.

I have stop orders that have been bouncing since February because of this issue.

There's a word that describes this. 'Incompetence'.

You were very reasonable when you understood that the deduction for February might happen because of payroll processes. However, the deductions for March and April are unacceptable and suggest that something is very wrong with the way this lender operates.

I contacted them but have so far not had a reply. I'll keep trying but in the meantime I think that NBFIRA, who regulate non-bank lenders, deserve to hear about this so they can ask the lender to explain themselves. I wonder also if readers of The Voice and the Consumer Watchdog Facebook group deserve to know who they are as well?

Must I pay it all?

I rented a car at the Airport and did not opt for insurance as I assumed the car should be insured given the nature of their business. I collected the car on the 7th April and inspection was done on the car before I left and the existing scratches were marked.

When I dropped off the car on the 11th, I was made aware of the new scratch that was in the car. We agreed that they will send the quotations through. To my surprise, on the 12th April, I got an invoice detailing how much I am supposed to pay for the repairs, P5,038.

I then phoned the owner, asking to share the costs since the car already had the scratches, which are going to be repaired in the process. He said that the existing scratches are not visible, that is why he did not take it for repairs. He said I should pay all the costs since my scratch is the one that's visible.
My request is for us to share the costs on a 50/50 basis, since the car had scratches in all the quoted areas and the same would have applied had the car been taken to the repairs initially.

Unfortunately, I have no good news for you. It was a serious mistake not to opt for the insurance the company offered when you hired the car. Without that insurance, you are responsible for all of the repair costs that you incurred when the car was damaged while you had it. If the repairs benefit the owner of the company, then that's his good luck. Whenever you hire a car, it's incredibly important that you take whatever insurance that the company offers. It's also essential to take pictures of the condition of the car before you drive it away and then when you return it.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Is this phone real?

I'm kindly asking for your assistance in this matter. I bought an IPhone 11 from a store at Rail Park Mall on November 30 last year. So day 2 I went to the store and complained about the phone being slow and they assumed it was my WiFi connection being poor. Okay fine I agreed with them and I travelled to Francistown so when I got there it happened that the phone freezed, I couldn't pick up calls or anything. I couriered it back to them at my own costs they told me I shouldn't update the IOS software because it's likely to crash. They told me to reset it whenever it freezes. I wasn't satisfied about the service and they brought it back with the issue unresolved. As time went on I realized that when taking calls people can't hear me and I can only hear them. Again I called them from reporting the issue they said and they said I should bring it back again and they will make sure I get assistance. I got there and they told me to leave the phone with them for 7 days and they're taking it back to their supplier. It looks like they don't want to refund me nor give me a new phone. The warranty is still valid until next month end. I feel they want to delay until the period expires and never assist me. I don't know what to do about this whole situation.

This store is hiding something from you. My first concern is that they sold you an iPhone that failed after just 2 days. That's not acceptable. Then they suggested that it's your WiFi that's' the problem instead of trying to diagnose the real problem.

Perhaps my biggest concern is that they told you not to update the operating system on the phone. That's a real worry. Why would they do that? It's possible that this phone has been "jail-broken", meaning that someone has overridden the security on the phone which can prevent later operating system and security updates. You also need to ask if it's a genuine iPhone? Whatever the reason, their suggestion is very worrying.

Whatever the situation, it's critically important that we make them understand that this phone is not acceptable, as required by Section 15 of the Consumer Protection Act which demands that products must be "in good working order and free of defects".

We must both contact this store and make sure they understand this.

Where's my couch?

I have a grievance with a furniture store. I bought a couch worth P11,000 on the 27th of December 2024 but after 2 weeks the couch started getting deformed and losing shape. I went to report this to them at end of January and was told that they will come and inspect it but it's been 2 months now and I still haven't gotten any assistance. I've been there 3 times now since reporting to follow up but I'm always being given the roundabout

I would really appreciate your intervention or assistance on this issue. I have the invoice and warranty.

This should be a simple one. I contacted the Regional Manager for this store and he lost his cool. He emailed the store manager and demanded "a clear explanation as to why we are offering such service". I've known this guy for years and when he gets angry with store managers it's not a good experience for them.

If only there were more managers like him.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Where's the permit?

I need your assistance with an issue as follows. In June 2024 I engaged a company for them to assist with work and residence permits for my helper. I paid all that was due from me in July/August. I have been following up with the company. Both directors who happen to be a couple have been throwing me from pillar to post giving different kinds of excuses including the immigration system being down or the immigration office is asking for a document etc.

Now last week I asked for help from someone who works for Immigration and they confirmed that the application I have been following does not appear on the system which means it was never done. The immigration officer advised me to ask for receipts from the consultant and as usual they have been giving excuses. On Friday they didn't answer my calls and today the lady cut my calls. Is there a way you can assist in this regard? I paid them a total of about P8,000.

I think this situation might be difficult. Mainly because this person clearly has no care for her customers. She's taken your money, failed to do anything for it and then lied to you.

I contacted her but she's not willing to talk to me or offer any explanation. I think the next step is to complain about her to the Competition and Consumer Authority. And then go to the Small Claims Court for an order against them to get your money back. Readers can also comment about this in the Consumer Watchdog Facebook group so this company understands what we think of their behaviour.

Has your Facebook profile been stolen? Or did you give it away?

The number of Facebook profiles that have been 'hijacked' is surprising. Several times every day members of the Consumer Watchdog Facebook group try to post what appear to be links to pornography.

The worrying thing is that the profiles trying to post these links aren't fake, they're real, they belong to real people, often people who've been on Facebook and in the Consumer Watchdog group for a long time.

So who are these people trying to post this material? The bad news is that they're you and me, or people just like us. On every occasion we've investigated we've found that the profile has been hijacked by someone that appears to be in Vietnam. However, internet locations can easily be faked or disguised but clearly it's someone who shouldn't be accessing these genuine profiles.

How did they get control of these Facebook accounts? The victims often claim that they've been 'hacked' but it's not that simple. In most cases it's because the victims gave away their Facebook password voluntarily. They usually did this when they responded to a competition on Facebook thinking they'd won a prize and, in order to win it, they were sent a One Time PIN that they were asked to send to the scammers. In fact, that OTP is a Facebook password change OTP and as soon as they've given it away the scammer can change the victim's Facebook password and take control of their account.

The secret is simple. Never, under any circumstances, give anyone an OTP that was sent to you. It doesn't matter who they are and how well you think you know them, anyone who asks for an OTP wants more than just the number, they want your identity.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Was my phone new?

I bought an iPhone 11 pro at a store in the Main Mall on 12 March 2025. I returned to their shop the same week to complain about the battery. Now the phone screen is blinking and the mouthpiece is giving me problems. I have to shout for the other person to hear me. I went to them yesterday to return the phone and the people working there were so rude to me telling me I should go to the police and report. They didn't even apologize, my money is gone just like that?

Here we go again.

The first thing to understand is that it's very strange for a store to be selling an iPhone 11 Pro as new in 2025. That model was first released by Apple in September 2019 and discontinued in October 2020. The current model is the iPhone 16 so this phone is five generations old. Obviously there will be older phones still on sale but from five generations ago? Is that realistic?

Of course it's possible that this is a second-hand or refurbished phone and there's nothing wrong with that. So long as the store is open and honest about it. The law demands this. Section 13 of the Consumer Protection Act says that goods that aren't new must be displayed with "a label on the goods that indicates that such goods are used goods" and by "placing a notice on the invoice issued to a consumer".

Then there's the failure to sell you a phone that works. It doesn't matter if it's new or refurbished, the phone should work properly. The best thing to do is to take it back and insist that they offer you what the law demands: a repair, replacement or a refund.

Where's my refund?

I need your help here to name and shame a catering company. I was hosting a birthday dinner on the 8th of March and she failed to deliver as promised and failed to communicate but I paid her deposit amount of P1,000. We tried calling her but she's been ignoring them, or switched off the phone. She leaves my WhatsApp texts on read, I've communicated with someone whom I want to believe it's her house mate but she said she's not in Gaborone at the moment. Later on she sent me messages telling me that she had a migraine and she apologizes for not delivering but she will refund me. Up to date she's not responding to any calls or texts. Please help me get my money back.

The sad news is that many of the people who work in those industries that support our weddings, funerals and birthday parties are useless. Yes, there are many who are hard-working, reliable and high-quality and who deliver the very best but they are let down by the useless ones.

Frankly I don't care if she had a migraine, she should have made a plan, either with her colleagues or with another catering company.

What you deserve starts with a top-of-the-range apology. It doesn't fix your problem but it would certainly help emotionally. And then you deserve your money back. Without any fuss and without any delays. I can contact her for you but I also think you need to give her a deadline when you want payment. If she ignores that deadline then it's worth a trip to the Small Claims Court for an order against her.