The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Who pays?

Good Morning Mr Harriman. I lost my card but I didn't take it seriously. I thought I had simply misplaced it at home and would look for it. I have been using the mobile app to do withdrawals this week. To my surprise i am woken up by messages indicating that my card was used to make several online purchases. I understand that the fault is on me for taking things so lightly, I have since blocked/deactivated the card, but I can't help but wonder, will the P500 I just lost ever be recovered? And if so will the perpetrator be dealt with? How can I make sure that I get my justice?

I'm sorry to hear about this. The normal practice when a card is lost or stolen is that the bank is responsible for any transactions after the time you alert them. Until that point, they can't be expected to know that the card has been used by someone else without the cardholder's authority.

Of course, a smart bank might alert you if they spot a strange spending pattern or if you're a strange location and that's happened to me. But clearly not all banks work this hard. Given that we live in the days of AI technology, I think we should expect more of that.

The bad news is that the money that was taken from your account before you noticed and before you alerted the bank is probably gone forever. However, if there were any payments made after you blocked the card, that's their problem. Finally, has anyone reported this to the Police? Someone used your card illegally and there needs to be an investigation.

Will they fix my fridge?

I recently bought a fridge from a post on Facebook. It seems like they run a business selling fridges. They did not disclose all the necessary details entailing the sale. The freezer door does not close properly and honestly it's not a fridge worth 2.4k. I asked for a refund because it was not what I wanted. I even told them this the next day. They responded there is nothing they can do and apparently it's on me now.

Please advise what I can do in this situation. The thing is before selling the fridge to me, she didn't mention these faults, plus her receipts were written 1 month guarantee. I told her I can't take something for that amount on a month guarantee that's when she changed to 3 months. This on its own shows she knew the fridge had some faults, that's why I'm saying I don't want the fridge anymore because I'm now scared I might get to find other more faults on the fridge eventually.

There are several issues here. Firstly there's the 1-month warranty they offered. I'm sure everyone knows by now that Section 16 of the Consumer Protection Act says that any faulty item can be returned to a supplier within 6 months of purchase. Then the supplier can choose whether to repair it, replace it or refund you. So no 1-month warranty.

But the good news is that you stood up for your rights and they increased it to 3 months. Which is still less than the 6 months the law requires. So we still have a problem.

I contacted the shop. I'm not sure they welcomed my questions but eventually they said they'd replace the rubber seals that have caused the problem, which they promised would ensure "the fridge is working perfectly".

The lesson from this experience is that there's nothing wrong with buying second-hand items like fridges. It's a very sensible way to buy things, particularly when you're starting out in your first home. Buying only new things will cost a fortune and second-hand items can save you a huge amount of money you can spend on better things. Like food to put in the fridge and not on hire-purchase costs. Just make sure you get a real warranty that respects the law.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Why won't they give me my money?

I am having a problem with my bank. I opened a savings account in which I deposit P200 every month. So last time I tried to withdraw my cash and they told me I can only withdraw after 3 years.

I need money and they are refusing with my money.

This depends on the type of account you opened. You said it was a savings account but savings accounts aren't all the same. Some have conditions that say you need to keep the money in the account for a particular period. However, there's usually a way to get the money out of the account if you're prepared to sacrifice some interest. I think you should contact the bank and ask them to confirm the terms and conditions of your account. I'll also contact them and suggest they contact you to discuss what they can do to help you.

There's a bigger lesson we all need to consider about savings accounts. About what they're for. Another bank had a problem recently when they increased the transaction fees they charge for their savings accounts. The problem was that many of their customers were using savings accounts as if they were current accounts. They were using them for their everyday shopping, transport and buying airtime and electricity. But that's not what savings accounts are designed for. They're designed for savings.

The new charges this bank introduced cost a lot of their customers a lot of money. Some customers were charged more than P1,000 in fees. The lesson is that we need to use our bank accounts for the right purposes. Ask your bank to explain the accounts they offer if you have any doubts.

They refuse to pay!

I need your help. My mom insured my grandmother with a Burial Society in 2022. My grandmother passed away in July 2025 and we submitted all the documents. Until now, my mom hasn't received any payment. Today, the chairperson called saying she might not get the P30,000 benefit but only the premiums she paid. We've been given different reasons like the broker hasn't been paid, and the stories keep changing.

They mentioned the insurance brokers not paying the benefits. It's hard to know which one they are talking about coz we filled insurance forms from one company but along the way they also mention other life insurance companies. She was not given a copy of the policy.

(Updated after I contacted the burial society.)

I went with my mom to meet with them. They received your message but they saying they can't disclose anything information to you because of data protection but it seems like they wanted us to stop involving you because you might contact the brokers. Now I'm wondering what are they hiding, something is not right. They don't want us to seek for assistance, they keep on saying it's not going to solve anything but rather cause more problems. The meeting was just about us not involving you to be honest.

These people are very suspicious. Unfortunately they're not alone. I'm sure there are reputable burial societies, but doing the work I do, I haven't met one yet. I've lost count how many consumers have contacted us about burial societies failing to pay claims and not properly paying the insurance companies they use.

I'll do my best to discover which broker and insurance company they're using. Clearly they don't want anyone investigating them but that's exactly what we need to do.

Update: They're currently using their 4th insurance company and were dumped by their previous insurer. We need much greater regulation of these organisations.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Should I agree?

I would to make an enquiry in getting your assistance in getting a refund. I pre-ordered an iPhone 16 Pro for P7,199.99 at a store in January, with their terms stipulating I would receive it in 6-8weeks. It never arrived and during that period they would give excuses, that they are waiting for the goods to be released by BURS. In June I contacted them to get a readily available phone, but it didn't go through also as they did not have when I wanted to get it.

We then had a verbal agreement on August 20, that he would pay the money by 7th September. Yesterday when I reminded him of our agreement, he referred to a debt manager that he employed as he said his business is failing. However, the instalments they suggested are very very small, less than 10%. They are willing to pay P489/month until December 2026. I told them I could negotiate on an initial instalment of 60% with the remaining balance paid in 3 months, to which they never got back to me. My question is this ok what they are doing to me? Is there anywhere I can report them for to get my funds back?

No, this is not Ok! This is crazy.

I've dealt with this store a few times and they have a history of being unhelpful. On one occasion they sold a phone that a consumer had lay-byed and paid for fully. A few times we found they'd sold refurbished phones as new and they also refused to repair a phone they sold because the customer lost the receipt, even though they admitted previously trying to repair it. So I'm not surprised their business is in difficulty.

However, their demand that they pay their debt to you over the next 15 months is completely unacceptable. What they're doing is treating your money as an interest-free loan that they want to repay over the next 15 months. And what guarantee do you have that they'll stick to this agreement? None.

I suggest that you immediately contact them and tell them that their offer is unacceptable and you reject it completely. If you're feeling generous you can repeat your suggestion of 60% now and the rest over the next 3 months. And then you should go to the Small Claims Court for an order against them that you can use against them if they fail to comply. And I'll contact them too, just to add some more pressure. And for fun.

Is it my problem?

Hello Richard. I bought bricks from a company in Molepolole around October 2024.They delivered only a certain a number after a series of attempts to persuade them to deliver my bricks. Next time I went there, the director talked to me over the phone and told me that they have parted ways with the other director and she has disappeared with the money. They gave her number, I called her she said she didn't go with the any money she says she was chased from the company. Why? I don't know. So they are tossing me from pillar to post.

No one wants to give me the bricks but the company is still operating. They owe about 800 bricks. What can I do?

Yet another company that burdens its customers with its problems. Their internal arguments shouldn't be your problem, it's their job to figure them out without bothering you and their other customers. I suggest you contact them and tell them very clearly that unless they either deliver the 800 bricks or refund you the appropriate amount, you'll go to the Small Claims Court for an order against them.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Recruitment schemes – can you trust them?

You might have seen the recent discussion about a recruitment scheme calling itself the Alabuga Start Program. Several "influencers" in Botswana and South Africa promoted the scheme, suggesting that it offered great opportunities for well-paid employment working in the Tatarstan region of Russia. But it's not as simple as that. Several of these influencers have since apologized for what they said, now they know more about the scheme.

Firstly, and most importantly, there's nothing wrong with working overseas. In fact, it can be an amazing opportunity that every young person should consider if they get the chance.

But Alabuga is much more complicated. Firstly, it has some extremely worrying eligibility criteria. They only accept women aged 18 to 22. Isn't that extremely creepy? Would you be comfortable if your daughter, sister or friend was recruited by a company who only wanted such recruits? It gets worse. Much worse. A report by the Switzerland-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime reported that "recruits are not told their work will be in drone production before their arrival at the site". That's right, these workers apparently produce drones for the Russian military to use in their invasion of Ukraine. The report also reports that "workers at the site described exploitative, repressive working conditions". They conclude that Alabuga is not "human trafficking" but is "fraudulent exploitation" and that it's "an exploitative use of juvenile and migrant labour to support the Russian war economy".

There's been a lot of discussion about Alabuga in the media and it's raised an important concern about the role of influencers who promote schemes like this without sufficient research. Some of them even have a history of marketing scams such as Ecoplexus. We should all learn from this and think more carefully about who we allow to influence us.

The lesson? Alabuga isn't a scam or human trafficking, but it is one of the craziest things a young woman could ever consider.

Is this a scam?

Mr Richard help me check if Alacin Foundation In Birmingham, Michigan USA is authentic. Its a charitable foundation. I was video interviewed for an Administration position and I passed the interview. They sent a contract and they said they will courier the offer and a permit so I can apply for a visa. They asked for $500 and they were saying its for visa handling fees. I told them I don't have money and after that they said they will see how they help.

This IS a recruitment scam. I checked the web site of this "Alacin Foundation" and they claim to have operations in the USA but the two addresses they give aren't theirs. One is for a law firm and the other is an 8-bedroom house that's currently for sale. The domain they use, alacinfoundation.org, was only registered in May this year. 

They also have a Facebook page, with just 23 followers (correction, now 24). So not exactly impressive. 

There's also the unrealistic nature of the job offer. Why would a company in the USA recruit relatively junior staff from the other side of the planet?

But the biggest clue is the money they want from you. That's the "advance fee" that gives this scam its name. If you pay it, they'll keep inventing more fees and taxes they'll demand you pay, until you either run out of money or finally realise you've been scammed. I'm glad you realised in time!