The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Must I pay the bank?

I am currently experiencing an issue with my bank account and would kindly appreciate your assistance. I opened the account in September 2025 and only deposited money during that first month. Unfortunately, I lost my job shortly thereafter, and the account remained dormant from October until now. When I recently went to the bank to close the account, I was informed that I needed to settle the accumulated maintenance fees amounting to P470, which reflected as a negative balance. I paid this amount in full. However, when I proceeded to close the account, I was told there was still an outstanding balance of P339. The consultant assisting me mentioned that there may have been an error where some charges were doubled and assured me that they would investigate and get back to me. Unfortunately, I did not receive any feedback.

Yesterday, I received three SMS notifications from the bank indicating that a total of P298.58 had been debited from my account. As a result, my account balance is now -P557.32. I am confused about how these charges continue to accumulate, especially after I had already settled the previous amount. I kindly request your assistance in resolving this matter, as I would like clarity on these charges and guidance on how to stop further deductions. Thank you in advance for your help. 

Unfortunately, as many people have discovered, bank charges are often a mystery.

Banks display their charges in a variety of places, in particular in their branches, but also on their website. But that doesn't mean they're easy to understand. As you discovered, this account includes a monthly maintenance charge, and that has accumulated over the last few months when you weren't using the account. However, that should've stopped after you gave the bank an instruction to close the account and you paid off the balance you owed them. I suggest that you don't pay anything more until we've both had a chance to talk to the bank and find out what's going on. 

Why won't they cover me?

I bought a TV from a furniture store in November 2024 by hire purchase on a 12 month period. I finished paying in November 2025 and in December I lost it through a house break in. Now they are telling me that since I finished paying I'm not covered by insurance which I feel is very unfair. What can I do?

This really is extremely bad luck. Almost always a hire purchase contract will include some sort of insurance policy. This usually covers you and the store against the item being stolen or destroyed or damaged by fire. However, as you discovered, and it is explained in the contract you signed, this insurance only lasts as long as the repayment period. So in your case, it only lasted a year.

This is a very good example of how important it is, if you can afford it, to have your own household insurance policy. This would cover everything in your house in case of damage, fire or theft. The most important thing to understand is that your own policy would certainly be much, much cheaper than the insurance included in your hire purchase contract. If you'd had your own policy, you could've told the store that you didn't want to take their insurance, you already had your own.

I know that times are tough for all of us financially, and a household insurance policy can seem like an unnecessary expense. However, we only fully understand the value of insurance when we need it. It's worth talking to a trustworthy insurance broker to see what sort of policy might be best for you and most affordable.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Why won't they pay him back?

We need assistance regarding unauthorized deductions made from my husband's salary. In September 2024, my husband received a salary of P0. This came as a shock to us. Upon investigation, we discovered that deductions had been made by two microlenders, claiming that he had taken loans from them. However, in August 2024, my husband had only applied for a loan with a bank, with the first deduction scheduled for October 2024. He never applied for or received any loans from any other companies. We followed up with both institutions. The first acknowledged the mistake, stopped the deductions, and refunded all the money. Unfortunately, the second has not refunded the amount deducted, which totals P10,000. They stated that they are waiting for police investigations before issuing a refund, as they do not believe that the documents used to process the loan were stolen or fraudulently used.

However, it is concerning that they approved a cash loan to someone they had never met, using WhatsApp, without proper account verification before disbursing the funds. We submitted a claim form as requested, and we were assured that a refund would be processed. To date, no refund has been made. I know that police investigations take a long time but the money remains withheld unfairly from us, despite the fact that they have full details of the account into which the money was paid and can easily trace the recipient. We therefore kindly request that they urgently refund the P10,000 that was wrongly deducted from my husband's salary.

There's bad news for you and for all of us. This sort of crime is becoming increasingly common. So far this year I've heard of several identical cases. Somehow, fraudsters have pretended to be real people and have applied for loans in their names. Once the loans are paid out, the crooks quickly withdraw the money before the person they impersonated realises, before they start to repay the loans taken out in their name.

I'm glad that the first lender repaid your husband in full but the second lender isn't behaving properly. They admit that money was taken from you improperly but this is a matter between them, the police and the criminal who stole their money. They need to stop punishing you. I contacted them and asked them why this is taking so long.

Is this device new?

Please help me out. I bought a tablet around September 2025,then in October the tablet could not read the SIM card, so took it back to the shop. I was told that it's been taken for repair because it was still on warranty. OK fine. Then they failed to repair it and was given another one which was on display since they said it's the only one left.

I took the tablet, but when I tried to install WhatsApp a message appeared saying there are chats on this device which are not allowed and the number is blocked. Then after a few days when I was trying to install again certain chats with people's faces appeared on the phone. I deleted them, then after three days WhatsApp was blocked again with the same message about the chats with are not allowed. I tried searching through the phone to find out what the problem could be, so I found out that the device has an administrator. These people sell us used phones and claim that the phones are new. Please help me.

I agree. This store seems to be selling used devices. Of course, there's nothing wrong with selling used, refurbished, or second-hand goods. They just need to be honest about it. They need to tell us before we pay for something and the receipt or invoice they give us must also say this. This isn't just what I think, it's what the Consumer Protection Act says.

I've already contacted the store and asked them what they plan to do about this situation. They certainly need to do something.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Will they repair them?

Can you kindly assist me? I bought a bed and TV both with hire purchase in September 2024 and I'm still paying for them. The mattress is no longer comfortable and the TV screen broke accidentally on the road from Kasane to Pandamatenga when I was moving to Francistown.The TV screen broke, I was holding it the road is bad honestly..

I long reported for my bed replacement in October 2025 and TV 2 weeks ago but they are not assisting me. I also sent them an email but no response and I am expected to continue paying.

I might have some good news. But I might also have some bad news.

Normally, when people buy things on hire purchase, the warranty lasts for just one year. If this was true in your case, you'd be out of luck because both the problems you reported happened more than a year after you purchased them. However, the good news is that the hire purchase agreement you sent me shows that you bought an extended warranty for these items. This lasts for the whole period you're paying for them, three years. It looks to me like the bed is still covered by the warranty, so I hope the store can do the right thing and fix it for you.

However, you might be out of luck with the TV. The insurance that comes with a hire purchase contract usually only covers things like theft and fire and probably doesn't cover accidental damage while you were moving house. Another problem is that the agreement says that you must inform them if you're changing your address. It's important to remember that with hire purchase, the items you thought were yours actually still belong to the store until you've made the last payment. You might think you were moving YOUR TV from one house to another, but in fact you were moving THEIR TV.

Nevertheless, I'll contact them and ask how they can help you.

Where's my money?

Please help me. I was to take a bed from a furniture store in Francistown on hire purchase. So I paid a deposit. That was last year October.

I wanted for them to deliver the bed but they never came. I went to them in a week time after paying the deposit but they said the deal was not captured well so they want to capture it again. In a month time, I decided to call to get my money back. They said they will do the paper work to reverse the money. I waited but the money never came. Then they said they are capturing it as a laybye to make the money to come back. Till now I had no positive response from them, they keep on saying they long sent the mail to the head office.

I'm still sometimes surprised by how useless some stores can be. This store must sell hundreds, if not thousands of items every year so there's no excuse for making mistakes when capturing a customer's details into their computer system. Is it really that difficult? And now they're talking about converting this to a laybye in order to refund you? That makes no sense to me but if that's what they need to do, then they need to do it and not bother you with their silly internal procedures.

I'll contact the store and see if they can treat you like a customer whose money they've taken.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Is this device new?

Please help me out. I have a complaint regarding a cellphone store in Molepolole. I bought a tablet around September 2025, then in October the tablet could not read the SIM card. I took it back to the shop and I was told thar it's been taken for repair because it was still on warranty. OK fine.

Then they failed to repair it and was given another one which was on display since they said it's the only one left. OK fine I took the tablet but when I tried to install Whatsapp a message will appear saying "there are certain chats on this device which are not allowed and this number is blocked from using Whatsapp". Then after a few days when I was trying to install again certain chats with Indian faces appeared on the phone. I deleted them, then again after three days Whatsapp was blocked again with the same message about the chats with are not allowed. I tried searching through the phone to find out what the problem could be, so I found out that the device has an administrator.

I went back to the shop and was told to come back again later. I went there and was told the manager is not there, but he's the one who told me come back to the shop on Monday. These people sell us used phones and claim that the phones are new. Please help me.

The owners of this store obviously don't read The Voice because if they did, they would know about the Consumer Protection Act and what it demands from suppliers. Or perhaps they just don't care? It's not the first time we've had complaints like this about them. In case they're reading The Voice for the first time, I'll explain it to them very simply. Section 14 of the Act says that consumers are entitled to products that are "free of defects and are of a quality that consumers are reasonably entitled to expect". Section 15 also says that we can expect "goods which are of good quality, in good working order and free of defects". In simple terms, products should work properly.

However, we all understand that problems happen and the Act says that if an item is faulty, the consumer can return it within 6 months for a repair, replacement or refund. However, the Act does NOT say that the store can replace the faulty item with something inferior. Finally, Section 13 of the Act says that a supplier that "offers used goods shall inform a consumer" that they're not new. This device is obviously not new.

Well done to this store for breaking 4 different parts of the Consume Protection Act. I'll let them know.

Where's my money?

I had a policy with an insurance company paying P250. The agreement was it will not increase installment so when seeing that they increased I went to them and they said they is no how the policy can't increase the installment. They refused to give me all that I had already saved but it was a savings policy. My question is why they said the time phase didn't allow me to get my money back. When I called them they said it was an investment not a savings policy, so in the first two years it's their money and mine starts on third year.

Is there any help I can get?

I think this is a case of what they call "front-loading" of commission. When an agent sells an investment policy, they earn a commission payment. However, the investment policy might last for 5 years, 10 years or even longer. Instead of the commission being paid over the lifetime of the policy, all of it is paid in the first year or two. There's nothing wrong with that but it means that in the first 1-2 years, the commission can be as much as the premiums you pay into the policy. That means there's nothing saved in that period. You only start accruing money and interest after that period is over, sometimes not until the third year. The problem is that agents don't always explain this, even though they're meant to.

Realistically, there's not much that can be done, this is how these policies work but I'll ask the company to call and explain it to you.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

They're both broken!

I need your advice. Last year in February I did a laybye for a bed which was on promotion at a store in Selibe Phikwe. The total cost was P4300 and I paid P1000 so I was left with a balance of P3300 to finish off the lay bye within 4 months. I decided to finish off the lay bye before the agreed time because I desperately needed the bed, only to find out that the sales person who was assisting committed an error somehow on the computer and entered details of a different bed instead of the one I wanted. So I had to pay extra P200 to get the bed I wanted because of the mistake made by the sales person. What hurt me the most is that the manager and the sales person did not apologise, they simply said I should pay extra P200 because the bed was no longer on promotion the price has increased or if I don't pay the extra cash I should be refunded. Out of desperation I paid the extra money because I really needed the bed.

I went back to the store to report the bed in September because the mattress was bad and is giving funny noises. I had also purchased a fridge and the door was not closing. Till now they have not assisted me. They said I should wait for 3 weeks but they keep giving excuses

Till now they have not assisted me the guy who was helping me yesterday was very rude he said he will not give me another fridge as for the bed he said there's no way he can help me.

This store deserves recognition for three things. Poor products, poor service and poor complaint handling.

I know that mistakes happen, but minor mistakes that cost P200 out of a total of P4,300 shouldn't be made your responsibility. It wouldn't have made any serious impact on their profits and it would have demonstrated that they put your needs first. And an apology wouldn't have cost them anything at all.

And then when both items are faulty they ignore you and say that they can't assist you? No, that's really not good enough.

But there's good news. I contacted their Head Office and they assured both you and me that they will bring a new fridge the next day and they'll order a new bed which should take 2-3 weeks.

Where's my wardrobe?

Hello, Richard. I have bought wardrobe from a furniture and clothing boutique last year. I finished paying the wardrobe in March last year cos it was laybye. From last year till today I didn't receive my wardrobe and they don't want to refund me. The owner says she doesn't have money to refund me because the business is down. So please I need help.

You are the sixth customer who has contacted us in the last few years about this company and on every occasion the problem has been exactly the same. They take customer's money and then fail to deliver what was paid for. The customers are then forced to fight for their purchases and also for any information on when they might be delivered. The excuses have also always been the same. We don't have money.

Clearly the people running this company need some simple lessons on how to run a business and in particular, how to manage their cashflow. We all know that mistakes happen and occasionally companies have supply chain problems but this company has way too many of them.

I contacted the supplier (again) and they responded, saying that you can have a different wardrobe immediately or a refund at the end of January.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Must I pay so much?

I'm a government employee having a loan which is currently deducting P12,000 monthly, but when I sought for a settlement its even higher than the loan balance. I'm currently going through a rough phase of life, I just wanted a resolution. Can't they help me with installment reduction or revisit they way they calculate their installments?

My loan balance sits at P607,000 and the settlement was estimated to P649,000. I started the loan in 2022 and I cleared a bank loan of P249k with it. I took topups in between and now I'm struggling.

Mainly I really need their help with installment reduction to P2,500 so I can care for my child and be able to pay rent I've sent them a message on Facebook and pleaded with humbleness that they help me.

They said that I should go to the nearest branch and meet the manager. When I got there I laid my case. The manager told me the loan needs restructuring but by the look of things I have to pay P30,000 to reduce the loan balance to be able to be helped with restructuring. Please sir help me communicate with them please concerning this I'm really going through a lot.

Unfortunately there's no goods news I can offer you. No lender would ever consider dropping the monthly instalments from P12,000 to P2,500 for one simple reason. It would take more than 20 years to repay a loan of P607,000 with monthly payments of P2,500. And that's if there are no problems, defaults or delays. They'll never agree to that. They want their money in the next 4 years, the time you agreed with them.

Meanwhile I understand that your situation is desperate. I'll send you details of a trusted debt counsellor who you must go and see. They'll do their best to restructure your debts in a way you can afford.

They sold me a worn out car!

I'm so stressed and I need your help. I bought a car in Durban sometimes in December. I managed to collect the car this week but the car is worn out. I spoke to those who I was buying the car from back in Durban. Now they are so reluctant to help yet they gave me a car which I think was involved in some accidents. There are a number of faults in it. The radio requires a code but they know nothing about it. It was their duty to check if everything was ok before loading the car n communicate if the condition of the car was not okay.

I paid them a deposit and had to pay the remaining balance of P15,000 to an account they gave me, it is a Botswana account. They sent an invoice through WhatsApp. The receipt was written low amount because they claimed that if they wrote the exact amount, BURS was going to charge me a lot.

Is there any help I can get?

There are several problems here. Firstly, you have a cross-border complication. Who do you complain to? The consumer protection authorities in South Africa or here in Botswana? If you need to buy a car from overseas it's always worth going through an agent based here in Botswana so you have someone who will take responsibility here, not in another country if there's a problem.

There is a slight hope because you paid some of the money to an account here. Whose account was it?

Finally, and perhaps the most worrying thing is BURS. If you and the seller knowing falsified documents about the value of the vehicle, you need to confess to BURS immediately. They're much more likely to be forgiving if you confess before they catch you. I suggest you call them as soon as possible and ask for their help.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

They burned me!

Please I need your help. In September I went to a store to buy a chemical which unblocks the drain. Unfortunately when the manager was still explaining how it works it spilled on my hand and leg and burnt my dress.

I then went to the hospital and went back to the shop. I was told that they have a disclaimer that if anything happens to the customer they can't do anything. I had submitted a medical report and now have permanent scars but still they are just quiet. When I asked about the SHE officer the manager told me that they don't have one.

Please I need your help how to deal with this issue. Thank you.

This is unacceptable in so many different ways.

Firstly, how careless were they if they spilled something that dangerous over you? They urgently need to train their staff much better on safety and health issues. When consumers visit any store that sells dangerous products, we deserve assurance that we'll be safe. They also need to assure their staff that the risks they face are minimised.

Secondly, they need to take responsibility for their mistake. You sent me pictures of the burns you suffered and they look extremely painful. They need to stop ignoring you, take responsibility for their mistake and help you.

I'll contact their senior managers and encourage them to take responsibility and to contact you. I'll also suggest they need to review their standards and policies to make sure that mistakes like this don't happen again.

They took a year!

Hello, Richard! I bought a TV in 2024 October. In November the TV started giving me problems and I reported it. Thereafter the store promised to come and collect the TV for a whole year failing to collect. Finally they collected the TV in October 2025 and up to today its not returned. When I enquire its story after story. I am still paying for the goods but they are with them.

I have exhausted all the right channels. I escalated the matter to the manager and regional manager but still no help. I am always met with empty promises of receiving the TV. Is it possible I can get my money back since they have not fulfilled their contractual obligations and they keep their TV?

How can it take so long to respond to a complaint about a faulty item? An entire year? What were they doing for so long? I wonder if they understand that Section 14 of the Consumer Protection Act says that when "a supplier undertakes to perform any services for or on behalf of a consumer, the consumer has a right to … timely performance and completion of those services (and) timely notice of any unavoidable delay". It doesn't say what "timely" means, but we all know that it doesn't mean 365 days.

It's also very important that senior people at this company understand that it was THEIR fault that there was a delay, not yours. We don't want them to suggest that we're now outside the warranty period.

I've emailed the most senior people and I'm sure they'll take the matter seriously.