The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Will they refund me?

A few months back I booked in a guest house not noticing it wasn't the one I intended to book therefore I did not use it. I followed it up for reimbursement the very same day within an hours time or so but they refused. Instead after a few days of going back and forth with the receptionist apparently she finally made an arrangement for me to communicate with the owner who came up with a resolution of me using the reservation or booking with 356 days of which I refused as it was never stipulated on the original terms.

How can I go about this matter?

This is complicated. Firstly, it's important to understand who made the mistake here and it wasn't the guest house. They accepted your booking in good faith and it's possible they turned away other guests who wanted to stay with them but couldn't because you'd booked a room.

However, I think it would be reasonable for them to check if this was the case. Did they really lose money because you wanted to cancel the booking? If they didn't, it would be reasonable and kind for them to refund you. They'd obviously be entitled to deduct any banking costs from the refund but I think a refund would be a kind thing to do.

I'm happy to contact them and suggest they take another look.

Will they refund me too?

On August 30th 2025 I wanted to buy jack hammer from a shop at Game City Mall. I was told they don't sell it but they can do special order for me if I pay 50% of the machine which was P5,600.

I deposited P1,200 but in September I saw the machine same brand from other shop with a lower price of P3,999. Then I consulted one the employees from the shop that I want to take my P1,200 because I found the machine with a more affordable price. Then he says they already ordered the machine though I didn't pay 50% like we agreed. Now I want to withdraw my P1,200 from them.

What outcomes should I expect since I was supposed to make payment so that they bring machine even though I didn't make their 50% payment.

Again, this seems to be a situation where the supplier hasn't actually done anything wrong. Other than being expensive.

Like the guesthouse in the other problem this week, they took money for this item in good faith. They thought you wanted to buy it and agreed a P5,600 deposit. Perhaps their mistake was to begin the ordering process before you'd paid them the agreed amount.

Again, this depends on how much work the store did to order the item. Did they actually do any work? Or maybe they did a lot of work and has the item already being shipped? We need to find out so we know what to expect from the store.

Then it will depend on the generosity of the store. Are they prepared to do the decent thing and refund you? Again, obviously they can deduct any costs they've incurred from the P1,200 but I think they need to do the right thing, don't you?

And next time? Like with any expensive purchase, we must all shop around before paying. It's amazing how much prices can vary and what bargains are available.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

How long must this take? 

I have an issue with a filling station for putting wrong fuel in my car. It has been going for 6th month without my car. The manager for the filling station where this happened states that the matter is handled by their insurer. I was told for any further communication I should speak to the insurer. 

The first bit of good news is that this filling station are dealing with the issue. They seem to understand that their employee’s mistake caused damage to your car and they’ve submitted a claim to their insurer to pay to fix it. 

Then there’s bad news. Why is this taking so long? How complicated can this situation be? To me it seems very simple. They damaged your car and they need to pay for it to be fixed. The next bit of bad news is that the filling station want you to do all the hard work. Why? There’s absolutely no need for you to contact their insurance company. They work for the filling station, not you and it’s the job of the filling station management to make the phone calls, send the emails and insist on a rapid solution. It’s not your job. 

The final bit of good news is that I contacted the filling station manager and they promised to take action. They said they’ll let me know when some progress can be made. 

Is it legal? 

Is it legal that when you owe an entity or a cash loan and when they get their money they get all the money without leaving you any survival money for the month. They took all the money in my account and I can’t even pay rent or any buy any usables. 

I’m not an attorney so I can’t offer you legal advice but as far as I know, there are no restrictions on what a microlender can take from you. 

I suspect that the microlender would argue that you entered into this loan agreement of your own free will as a sane, grown adult and it’s therefore your job to ensure you can afford the loan you took from them. They would argue that they don’t know for sure how much you earn, how much you spend, how much you owe other lenders and, therefore, how much you can afford to pay them. 

But I think it IS their job to know that. Before any microlender lends us money, they should do their best to discover these things. Instead of just getting us to sign a deal, send us the money and get their monthly payments, they need to do some work to understand our financial situation. Can we really afford the loan? They need to do this for our benefit but also for theirs. We don’t want to default on our loans and they shouldn’t want us to default either. 

Our cousins across the border in South Africa are protected by laws against what they call “reckless lending”, The South African National Credit Act requires a lender to thoroughly assess if a borrower can truly afford the loan being offered. If it’s later discovered that the lender failed to do sufficient checks, the debt can be declared as “reckless lending” and the loan can even be reversed.

We need something similar here in Botswana. I know some borrowers are reckless and irresponsible but many just need some protections against making foolish mistakes. And the microlenders? They can afford to be a bit more careful. They make enough profit from their customers, they can afford to spend a bit more time being more careful.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Will I get a refund?

I laybyed a couch back in March and due to unforeseen circumstances of financial problems I wasn't able to pay it off and my laybye has expired. Would they refund me or they don't do refunds? It was back in Jwaneng but I've relocated back to the village now and I haven't been able to go and enquire at the store. I called one day and they told me they will get back to me till now.

Update: They contacted me today, they said I should send you my bank statement and copy of ID so that they could refund me, since the call was logged from you.

Does this store have any idea how they should treat their customers? I don't think so.

I emailed their Head Office in South Africa when you first contacted me.

This particular chain of stores seems to have a policy that they offer support customers to in Botswana from South Africa and I have a problem with that. I think every South African company that wants to do business in Botswana needs to have an office and country manager here in Botswana. Dealing with problems across a border doesn't work, even in the age of electronic communications. We need someone here in Botswana who can take responsibility.

Eventually they said they'd help. But this latest update is crazy. Because I emailed them they now need you to send all the documents through me? Why on earth is that necessary? I don't need to see your bank statement and your ID. I can understand that they need this to verify your identity but you should make sure you blank out all of your transaction details. All they need to know is where you bank and that you can prove your identity. Nothing more.

Maybe it's their policy? Then they need a better policy. For a large fee I'll write it for them. I emailed them again and told them that their suggestion was "inappropriate and unreasonable". I've also sent you their email address so you can contact them directly.

How long will I be blacklisted?

Hello Mr Richard. Please help. How long does it take to be removed from a blacklist. It's been a year now. I paid a furniture store debt last year July and cleared. Where can I get help.

The first thing to understand is that there's no blacklist. Credit reference bureaus hold information on everyone who has borrowed money, whether from a bank, a lender or a furniture store. They don't just hold bad information but they record the good things too. That way, potential lenders can see the recent history of anyone who wants to borrow money from them. They can see who pays their debts and who has problems. They use that information to make rational decisions about who they lend money to.

In every case, when a debt is settled, they record that as well. It can take up to 30 days for them to do that but, most importantly, the record of the settled debt remains online for another 2 years. That's so potential lenders can decide if we're a good risk or a bad one.

The good news is that this information isn't secret. You can access your credit history at any time to see what information these companies hold on you. If they give you any arguments, just mention the Data Protection Act and they'll cooperate. If necessary, remind them that breaking the Data Protection Act can result in massive fines and prison time, or both.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Is this a real job?

A relative of mine was "head hunted" for a job at one of the embassies. There was no interview but the HR keep telling him that they are completing the vetting process. This has been going on since February. The person took both of his phones claiming it's part of the vetting processes. Around June they said they were done vetting, spying and running checks on his family, people of prominent positions and will be returning the phone.

Every month they call to say he will start on the first of the next month but there is no offer letter, no phones returned just empty promises of vetting and a looming start date. I keep telling him this is a scam and keep asking him to report these people to the police but he says what if it ruins his chances of being hired. In addition they keep calling him telling him that they are preparing to disburse an allowance that he will use to attend training and a stay out allowance for being away from home. As part of the benefits of the job they promised to clear all of his debts as they claimed they don't allow for employees to have debts. They claimed to have cleared his mortgage and car loan two months ago. He could not check via his bank app as he doesn't have a phone. The other day I told him to log into his internet banking with my laptop only to find that nothing has been cleared.

I told him this sounds too good to be true. I told him to go to the embassy and ask to see HR but he is not wanting to go but rather just wait. This sounds like a new scam where people claim to be head hunting you for a position, working with inside HR people and God knows swindling innocent Batswana of their cellphones claiming to be vetting them.

You are completely correct. This is a scam. Sadly, your brother is in the same position many other scam victims find themselves. He's invested so much emotional energy in this that he can't see the truth. Luckily he has relatives like you who can try to persuade him but it's going to be a long fight to get him to see the truth. You privately told me which Embassy these scammers pretend to represent and I've contacted them. Perhaps they can alert the public so others don't fall for the same scam.

I'm also happy to talk to your brother if you think that will help?

When will it end?

Good day Richard. Please help me here. Is it possible that when you know you are finishing your loan this month then you are told there are arrears from when I was topping up the loan? I am a government employee and the instalments was taken directly from salaries. I had a loan with the bank and I went there to seek for a clearance letter but now I'm told the loan will only finish in November. I don't even understand what they mean because when I check the loan balance with the app from my phone it says 0. I just want a better explanation from them.

You're certainly entitled to that explanation. It's possible that the bank are correct, that the top-up to your loan forced them to recalculate things and extend your payment period. But if that's' the case, they should have told you about it.

Whatever is true, they need to check their arithmetic and give you a full statement of the loan and explain what you owe and when the loan will end.

I'll also contact them and suggest they check their records and tell you what you need to know.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

They have my car!

I recently pawned my car. I haven't signed the contract yet but when I read the terms and conditions it said I needed to pay a fixed interest of 30%. Now what I want to understand is does this then mean I pay this interest every month or it's once off and I return the money owed in the 3 month period? This is how I understood the terms to be, but now they called and said that 30% is for every month. I borrowed 10k that means I'd have to return 19k which is almost 100% interest on the loan.

My grievance is that if they had explained it I would have never agreed to the loan but I have not signed the contract. They asked me to come back so they can try and rectify because they hadn't explained to me they said they just started so they don't want to be reported to NBFIRA.

I handed over the blue book and agreed to the installation of the tracker and when we got back they forgot to give me the contract. They called me later and they said they want to offer me 25% instead of 30% and that I should come to their office so they can rectify their mistake. I haven't touched the P10,000 yet.

This is a mess. Firstly, you've learned how expensive it can be when you pawn goods. It's not abnormal for pay almost twice the value of the item over three months. Also, if things go wrong with the repayments, the situation favours only the pawn shop. You'll be left without your property and still facing huge payments that will only increase the longer you delay paying them.

However, in your case there might be some hope. If you still have the P10,000 it might be worth sending the money back to them and saying that as there's no agreement in writing, there's no agreement they can enforce. And then, because they told you they don't want you to contact NBFIRA, that's exactly what you should do. That's almost a confession that they know they'll be in trouble. So they deserve it.

Can I have my pension?

I am currently unemployed and I was hoping to be assisted with a portion of my pension fund so I can make a living out of it but with the pension funds regulations I am not getting any assistance while I suffer with financial hardships.

They said I can only have access to my funds if I have a health condition that hinders me from never working again or I just wait until retirement age to encash 25%. Is there no where I can reach out to and launch my plea for an exception because how will I get by till I reach 40 or 45 years?

Unfortunately, I don't think I can offer you any good news. I'm not an expert but I know that pension schemes are very different from other forms of saving. The money you put in a savings account with a bank is normally easily accessible. At worst, the bank might put in some penalties for withdrawing your money but you can get hold of it. But pension schemes are different and the laws that govern them are different and very strict. The money you invest in a pension scheme is for your retirement and not before that. Even when you do retire, there are restrictions on how much you can withdraw and what you can do with the rest.

It might be worth speaking to a financial advisor who can confirm the details in your case and they can probably also offer you some debt counselling and help you to manage your finances now as well as when you retire.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Do they care about me?

I need advice. I bought a couch from a furniture store in April. I only used it for a month and half or 2 months and it started being uncomfortable. I reported it and they came and took it for fixing. In a week it was back to its uncomfortable state. I went back and reported again. I think it's been two months now and I haven't got any help from them. Mind you i bought this couch on hire purchase when I go there they tell me they have to take it for fixing again they will call even today.

On Friday 3rd I decided to go there and have a conversation with the manager who still insisted that I let them take the couch for fixing. I told him I'll never agree to those terms since it was once taken for fixing before and this is not fair at all because once this couch reaches its guarantee they will not help me. I gave him an option to exchange of which he never agreed to.

I then received a call from South Africa. The man said he heard about my complaint and I should confirm my availability so can they can come get the couch for fixing. I tried to explain that the couch was once fixed before and all he cared about is when will I be available for them to take the couch for fixing. These people are forcing me to comply with them and they don't care about me as a customer.

What are my rights as a customer? I don't want this couch any more because I got no assurance that I will use it for a while in a good state.

I completely agree. This company doesn't care about you and they don't care about your rights. Section 15 of the Consumer Protection Act says that consumers have:

"the right to receive goods which are of good quality, in good working order and free of defects". 

But obviously sometimes things go wrong, we all understand that. Section 16 says that when we buy a faulty product, we can return it to the store and they can choose whether to:

"repair or replace the defective goods; or (…) refund the consumer". 

What stores often forget is the next section of the Act. Section 16 says that if:

"within three months the same problem recurs"

they can then only replace the goods or offer a refund. They don't get to repair it again. Once is enough.

But this store and their South African Head Office don't seem to care about our rights. I've emailed them several times explaining our law to them in very simple terms but I don't think they want to listen. They need to see that consumers in Botswana need to be shown the same level of respect they show their customers down South. I'll keep telling them until they understand.

Dealing with South African suppliers

There's nothing wrong with buying things from South African stores. Some of the South African retailers we have in Botswana are extremely good. They sell excellent products and offer world-class service.

However, there are also some, like with the complaint this week, where the geography makes it VERY difficult to deal with them when something goes wrong. Unlike the good companies, these companies often don't have someone here in Botswana who take local responsibility for local problems. It' very frustrating dealing with some of these companies across the border when they don't seem to understand that we have our laws that are much more important to us than the laws governing them in SA.

My suggestion is always to ask a store, before you pay for something, how they deal with problems. Will there be someone in Botswana who can take charge or is it all done from down South? Then we can take an informed decision about whether we can rely on them or not.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

They're tormenting me!

I am kindly requesting for your help. I am being tormented by my bank. On 5th of September, I went to the bank and requested for confirmation of banking because I was expecting payment from my insurance company. I asked the receptionist how much is my refund and said she didn't know.

On the 19th September my account was credited with P19,300 and I used the money. A week later, I received a call from the bank saying that money was accidentally credited to me. I went to the bank, and was surprised that it wasn't the money I was expecting. I made an a payment plan that I will pay P500 every month. However, the bank is deducting P1,440 which is my net salary. Eventually the insurance company paid P2,000.

I need your help.

I can see two issues here. Firstly, there's the money. Unfortunately you made a serious mistake by spending that money. I know the insurance company didn't tell you how much to expect but the sensible thing to do would have been to call the insurance company and check that the money you received was from them. The amount they eventually paid you was a lot less and you should have known the P19,000 was probably not yours. The good news is that you agreed the P500 repayment plan but I'm surprised they agreed to that. It will take you three years to repay it.

That leads to the second issue. The bank needs to stick to your agreement, if it's correct that the monthly repayment was so small. If they need to change that agreement then they need to sit down and talk to you about it.

I'll contact them for you but the best you can hope for is an open and honest conversation with them about what you can afford to pay.

Will I get my money back?

I have a complaint regarding an event organizer of whom I bought 7 tickets worth P250 each for his show then it got cancelled to a date that it doesn't suits me. I bought them on the 25th and there were no any conditions on the cancellation or postponement of the event. I asked for a refund but he is not answering my calls nor responding to my messages.

Please help if you can.

I suspect this will all depend on what's in the small print of your agreement with this event organiser. However, from what you later told me, there was no agreement, so there's no small print. So he's a fool.

I contacted the guy and he made a lot of excuses about his agreement with Webtickets. But that's not your concern, You didn't may Webtickets, you paid him, so he needs to take responsibility for his agreement with you.

We see this so often. In the small print of a booking, the agreement says that the event can be cancelled, the artists can be changed or the event can be postponed and people who've paid already have no right to get their money back. They are often told that they can accept the later date or their money is gone. It's not acceptable.

Luckily in your case, there was no agreement. So it's refund time, if he chooses the honorable approach. Let's both keep the pressure on him to give you your money back.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

They changed the date!

Good afternoon Mr Harriman. I have a complaint regarding this event organizer from whom I bought 7 tickets on the 25th worth P250 each for his show but then it got postponed to a date that it doesn't suits me. I asked for a refund but he is not answering my calls nor responding to my messages. I bought them last week and there were not any conditions on the cancellation or postponement of the event.

Please help if you can.

Normally I would say that this is a situation when what matters most is the small print. Any sensible event organiser ask get customers to agree to terms and conditions about the event so both sides are protected if any problems occur. You've probably seen this before. The organiser usually says that there might be changes to the artists or content and they also say what happens if the event is cancelled or postponed. My view is simple. If an event is cancelled then a complete refund should be paid. If it's postponed, the customer should be given the choice of agreeing to the new date or getting their money back.

In this case it's simpler. The event was advertised on a certain date and that's no longer the case. So Section 7 of the Consumer Protection Act applies. This says that if any "services are not availed as advertised, the consumer shall have the right to cancel the contract (and) the supplier shall refund the consumer the amount paid".

I contacted the event organiser and he was helpful. He said he's been "having a phone problem" but he called you and he told you that "I will update him on Monday about his refunds and others".

Please let me know what happens?

Where's my phone?

Where can I get help if someone was to offer me a screen replacement and battery replacement but now they seem to have sold my phone without my permission. Mind you l have been on this certain individual since January requesting for my phone back but until now he does not want to return my phone to me. He is taking advantage of the fact that I'm a lady.

This is serious. Potentially it's criminal.

I contacted the Managing Director of the company and he promised an immediate investigation and solution.

Update: The consumer contacted me and said:

"I went to the shop and the employee admitted to taking my phone and unfortunately he damaged my motherboard when replacing the battery. I was told he will order it and replace it so we made an affidavit that he should return the phone to me after all the fixes."

The lesson here is to escalate to someone more senior when you're not making progress with a complaint. Start with a store manager and if that doesn't work, go straight to the most senior person in the entire organisation, the MD or CEO. 

If anyone says you must follow their internal complaints procedure, just ignore them and go straight to the top. Remember that company complaints procedures exist for their benefit, not yours. So you can ignore them. It's 2025 and consumers are in charge!

Scientology = Ecoplexus

The similarities

Money

Victims only progress through Scientology by paying increasing amounts to learn about their "teachings".
Just like victims progressed through Ecoplexus by paying more and more. 

Recruitment

Scientology evangelizes, desperate to recruit new victims. That's how they make money.
Ecoplexus encouraged victims to join the crime and recruit other victims. That's how they made money. 

Secrets

Scientology says their religious teachings are "spiritually harmful" and only available to those who've paid enough. Until then they're confidential.
Ecoplexus also kept secret how money was generated. Because they were a Ponzi scheme, the only new money was from new victims. 

Fake promises

Scientology promises perfect memory, freedom from illness and even psychic powers.
Ecoplexus promised wealth. 

Criminality

Just Google "Scientology criminal past".
Ecoplexus? We all know they were crooks. Eventually. 

Lies

The founder of Scientology, L Ron Hubbard was a serial fantasist and liar.
Ecoplexus? Everything they said was lies. 

Fantasies

Just Google "Scientology Xenu". It's unbelievably silly (and Top Secret).
Ecoplexus. Most of us knew it was selling a fantasy from the beginning. 

The differences

One has been put out of business and at least one person is facing criminal charges. The other continues to operate, exploiting its "religious" status and doing its best to recruit new victims.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Do they ship money like this?

Is it right for DHL to say I must send money to them so that my parcel to be delivered? The parcel is from UK. I told them I want to pay only when I receive the parcel they said I must go and take the parcel. They said because I don't want to send the money so that they can bring the parcel to my doorstep then I have to visit their office in Francistown to come and pay and take the parcel.

Inside the envelope it's money from my friend. I have never seen him. We have been communicating with messages and Video calls. Is it possible to ship money in an envelope using DHL?

I'm sorry to bring you bad news but you're being scammed.

Yes, I suppose you could ship money like this with DHL but only if the person sending the package lied to them when sending it. DHL would obviously be very suspicious about this. In 2025, why would anyone send cash by courier instead of transferring the money electronically? It's what a criminal would try to do. Or what a criminal trying to scam you would say.

There are other clues. They sent you a picture of the package and it's clearly been faked. It's nothing like a genuine DHL package. The other thing that's fake is this man you've been talking to. This is a typical example of a romance scam. The unfortunate truth is that you are a perfect example of a typical victim. They very often target single mothers with children who welcome the attention of a charming, rich man who offers a solution to their problems. But it's all lies. I'm just glad you haven't sent them any money yet.

Can they take my money like this?

Hello Sir. I have a loan with a microlender and it has arrears. Yesterday their agent called and threatened to call sherifs. I told them to forgive me and increase the months but he became rude and I told them to deduct P5,000 instead of the P3,100 they usually take. Today they deducted P7,500 and the person who called said they will not return the money.

Is it right Sir?

It's a mixture of right and wrong. Firstly, here's what's right. I suspect that your loan agreement contains a clause that says that if you're in arrears then the lender can do whatever they please. They can be kind and renegotiate your loan, or they can be unkind and take more money whenever they have the opportunity. You probably agreed to this when you took out the loan.

However, what's wrong is the threat of calling a sheriff. My understanding is that a sheriff can only get involved when there's a court order to be enforced. A rude agent doesn't have that power, he was just being a bully.

It's very important that you speak to this lender, not their agent, and have an open and honest conversation with them about your financial situation. Let them know what's going on, and allow them to help you calculate what you can afford to pay and then get it in writing. Please don't let the arrears grow because that will cost you a lot of money, and that will only make your situation even worse.

I've also contacted the lender. Let's see what they say about their agent's behaviour and how willing they are to help you.

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!

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Where's my refund?

Good day Richard. I really need your assistance with a company. In 2024 I got into an agreement with them to finish my house, I paid them 70k in advance so they can buy the materials needed and do the job, that also included labour. l realise that was my mistake because this man has been giving me the run around since.. I even at some point involved the police and he plain told them he has no dealings with them, the police told me they were doing me a favor trying to engage with him but the issue is for the courts not them. I was dealing directly with him but after trying to get him to at least pay me back so I can engage someone else and him refusing I called the company itself and they told me they'd pay me in June and never got back to me.

I'm very sorry to hear about this. Unfortunately, while there are some builders who operate honestly and reliably, the industry has a significant minority who are the opposite. They're unreliable and uncommunicative.

However, the Police were correct. This almost certainly isn't a criminal matter, it's a civil one between you and the company. But that doesn't mean they can behave like this. It doesn't mean they can take your money, not complete the work and then take their time refunding you.

Also, there's a little-known part of the Consumer Protection Act that applies. Section 14 says that a consumer has a right to:

"timely performance and completion" of services

and:

"timely notice of any unavoidable delay". 

It's not unreasonable. Companies must keep us up-to-date, and if there are delays, they need to be open about them.

I'll contact them and see if I can explain this to them. I'll use very simple words.

Update: They responded and sent me details about some payments they've already made to you. They promised the balance next month. Please let me know what happens.

Do I owe them?

Hello Richard, can you help me? I have been paying my car insurance from 2021 paying from P800 monthly. As the car depreciated I'm now paying P697 and the contract is being reviewed and signed yearly. So in 2023 I didn't manage to pay 1 month.

In 2024 we signed a new contract and I did not miss a single payment to date. Now they refuse to repair my windscreen saying I need to pay the 2023 money first. It's not fair to me. I paid them more than P30k and they can't fix something for P1,800. It really hurts.

The insurance company are probably correct. They gave you insurance cover under your previous policy for the month you missed and you still owe them for it.

I know it sounds inconsiderate, but if you check your policy you'll probably find a section that says you're only entitled to a payout if you're fully up-to-date with your instalments.

I contacted the insurance company and they're looking into the situation. My prediction is they'll still demand that payment. I think it's worth paying then that missing instalment to get the much larger payout, don't you?

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Can they force me to pay?

I need your help here. Last year I was involved in an accident with another car, and I damaged the car rear bumper. The lady her car was insured and mine not, and I just received a bill from the insurance company to pay the bill and I wasn't consulted in choosing in the decision making. I don't have a problem paying the bill but the fact that all the decisions were made without my consent, I don't feel right. I need to lodge a complaint to the insurance broker.

Yet again, this is a very good example of how useful a vehicle insurance policy can be. If you'd had what they call a "third-party" insurance policy, almost all of the costs you're now facing would have been paid for by your insurance company. You would only have been asked to pay a relatively small "excess" amount.

Without such a policy, the entire cost is paid by you. Often people ask why the insurance company isn't taking on the cost, aren't they there to pay for the repairs? Yes, that's true, but they only protect the person who pays their premiums, in this case the person whose car you damaged. Not you. They are entitled to recover the price they paid from the person who caused the collision. You.

Meanwhile, I think it's fair for the insurance company to justify the amount they want you to pay, so you can check you're not being asked to pay more than necessary. If they don't cooperate, let me know.

Can't they replace it?

Hello Richard, i am kindly asking for help. I bought a phone on credit and the phone gave me problem. I cannot operate it. Its a new Huawei Nova 12i. On the day I paid P1,500, and then it was delivered to me on Tuesday, then Wednesday I went to them explaining that the phone is giving me problem because apparently it does not support Google Playstore. I did not know this so I could not download any apps, popular apps like Facebook, WhatsApp nor TikTok. I went to the shop and I explained everything to them the sales people tried to assist but they failed.

They asked me to come back again the following day so they could try but when I got home I thought to myself why pay for something that I will not use freely and it will give me problem all the time because I do not know how to operate it. Why not ask for something that I can use without any problems?

I requested for an exchange but they are refusing. They would rather download apps for me and get everything running for me rather than swap. I called the boss and I explained everything to her and she said she will call me back which she never did. I got a message that they stand by their option of helping me down the apps rather than exchanging.

I'm not sure there's much you can do here. It's been widely discussed in the last few years that Huawei devices were (probably rather stupidly) blocked from using the Google Play Store by the US government in 2019. Any device launched by Huawei now use Huawei's own AppGallery which allows you to download the apps. It's slightly more complicated but my understanding is that you can still function normally and use the apps you need.

In this situation, I think it's best to allow the store to help you download the apps you want. They seem to understand the process better than you or me.

The lesson is always to ask some questions before you buy an expensive gadget. If necessary, ask them to demonstrate how the device operates before you pay them.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Why won't they fix it?

I purchased a laptop in January this year. In July, the battery began malfunctioning. It would drop to around 30–40% and then shut down abruptly. Attempting to restart it without connecting to the charger was futile; only when plugged in would it power on, still showing the same 30–40% battery level. Matters worsened when it eventually refused to switch on at all without being connected to the charger, despite showing battery levels as high as 60–70% once powered. At the beginning of August, I returned the laptop to the store to report the battery issue. I left it with one of the staff members for diagnosis, and their feedback was that the battery was no longer functional. I accepted that diagnosis and asked about the way forward. I was told the matter would be escalated to the manager. Unfortunately, my efforts to obtain the manager's feedback were met with ignored messages and dropped calls. I relayed this to the staff member I had initially spoken with, who later informed me that their manager was out of the country and could only assist upon his return next week. I was advised to collect my laptop in the meantime and wait until the manager was available. This has left me feeling deeply disappointed. I purchased this device in good faith and have received little to no meaningful support in resolving what I believe is a legitimate concern.

I think you 're right to be disappointed. You spent a lot of money on a laptop and you deserve better. In fact, you deserve a lot more. My first concern is that on the receipt you were given, it says "No warranty on hardware". Seriously? Do they understand nothing about consumer rights? Don't they know that Section 16 of the Consumer Protection Act clearly says that a consumer can return a faulty item within 6 months? Saying there's no warranty is ridiculous.

It gets worse. The device you bought was described on the receipt as a "MacBook Pro 2016" which was a warning. Why is a device from 2016 being sold in 2025? Clearly because it's second-hand. I checked the serial number of the device and Apple reports that this laptop was first sold in November 2018. So obviously not new. Did they disclose that to you? Apparently not. 

I contacted the store and they came up with a lengthy list of excuses, none of which matter. They are selling devices improperly and I suggest you contact the Competition and Consumer Authority and ask them to intervene. This needs to be stopped. 

Can they repair it? 

I purchased a Samsung phone on June 30th. On July 14th I returned it because the phone wouldn't charge. I walked into their shop a few times in the last couple of weeks to check. On my last visit I told the shop manager that given that the phone was bought new I think they must just replace it. My suspicion was that since it's taking the repair centre lots of time then there certainly must be a problem with it. Today, I went in again and he told me like he did last time that his boss is insisting on giving me back the repaired phone. I left it, didn't take it and told him I'm going to have to inform myself before accepting it back!! If I ever will accept it. Am I wrong in not accepting the repaired phone?

Is this another supplier who doesn't understand how they must treat consumers?

Section 16 of the Consumer Protection Act says that if a consumer returns a faulty product within 6 months of purchase, they must either repair it, replace it or refund the customer. However, it's up to the store to decide which option they choose. They CAN choose to repair it. However, what they often forget is that the Act also says that if the same problem occurs again within 3 months, they can't try to repair it again. Then they must either replace it or refund you.

Shall I explain this to them or will you?

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Can they do this?

Good day sir. I come with a very heavy heart. Last year I had a very huge family challange and so I was forced to pawn my car to get funds to help. My concern is that there is a lot of cheating when it comes to adding interest.

They don't wait for 30 days to go by before they add interest. For example: if I took the loan out on the 8th August my understanding is that after 30 days is when they can add interest but this is not the case here. If I would pay in maybe the 25th August 2025 they don't wait for my 30 days to lapse. They add immediate interest on the 25th August 2025. I have been paying since last year and my loan is just never ending because I'm receiving interest in a very unfair manner. Thus has really put a huge strain on my finance as I am trying my level best to provide for my family and repay the loan at the same time. I pray you are able to assist me.

Pawn shops strike again. I dislike pawn shops as much as I dislike hire purchase and payday lenders. The pawn shop industry is very effective at exploiting the desperate and the poorest elements of society, who find themselves urgently needing money, people who don't have the time or ability to save up for a purchase or those, like you, who don't have the cash to pay for an emergency expense.

It's very difficult for me to comment on when and how they should be charging interest but the good news is that pawn shops are regulated by NBFIRA, the Non-Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority. NBFIRA have been quite active with pawn shops and they have the power to demand that this pawn shop explains themselves to them and to you. I suggest you contact them as soon as possible.

The bigger lesson is please, whatever you do, try to avoid pawning goods to raise money. Their terms and conditions benefit them, not us and if anything goes wrong, you can end up owing them a lot of money, a lot more than you borrowed. And you lose the goods you gave them.

When will they refund me?

I have a story with people from a tombstone company. I bought a tombstone from them for P4,500. Early last month or so I asked for refund since it came to our attention that my deceased Mom had already paid for her own tombstone but this people are playing games with me. Mr Richard they since gave me P1,000 and P500. I told them my rent is due I need my money they ain't replying to my messages. I did not pay rent as I'm currently unemployed but they owe me P3,000.

Firstly, I'm very sorry for the loss of your mother.

The problem here is that it's not the tombstone company's fault that you needed to cancel the deal. The good news is that I contacted the owner of the company and he responded. He told me that:

"the material had already been bought, so as customers come to buy, we give him something. We paid 1,000 and last week we gave him 500."

I know it's frustrating but I think you need to give the company a little time to gather the money he's offered to refund you. I'll keep in touch with him to offer some encouragement.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

How much must I pay?

Richard, assist me here please regarding micro lenders. They lend me money, I was given P3,000 and they tell me their interest is 25% and I told them ok I will pay in 3 months. To my surprise my first deduction was P1,536.89 and now they are telling me the balance will also have another 25%. I want to know is it how they should operate? It's a registered micro lender and they are telling me they are using PayM8 system. I asked them so why the first deduction so high. I thought 25% of P3,000 should be P750.

I think you've misunderstood how borrowing money works. I also think the microlender you selected completely failed to explain it to you. That was their job.

When you borrow money from a commercial lender, there are two parts of the debt. Firstly, there's the capital amount that you borrowed. You borrowed P3,000 over three months so you can expect to pay that amount back in three installments, averaging P1,000 each month.

On top of the capital there's the cost of borrowing and the biggest component will be the interest, in your case 25% of the capital amount each month. The exact details will depend on the loan agreement you signed but I think you've forgotten about the capital repayment. I did some simple calculations based on what you told me and the figure they're charging you does seem to be approximately what I would expect.

If you haven't got it already, you need to ask this microlender for a copy of your loan agreement. You then need to read it carefully and ask them to explain anything you don't understand.

Why did they reject me?

I bought a cellphone from a store at Riverwalk last year on instalments. Then it got stolen from my bag at Phakalane mall. Now I have reported it at Phakalane police station and submitted the police report. It's been 4 months and now a lady from the store called me to say that the insurance company has rejected the claim.

This is one of those situations where everything depends on the small print.

One of the very few good things about hire purchase agreements is that they usually include an insurance policy. It's rarely a good policy because it's there to support the company, not you. If you lose your job, it's there to cover the repayments that you can no longer make. However, the conditions are often quite strict. It often only covers you if you are retrenched, not if you resign and not if you're fired.

These policies also cover you against theft of the item, which sounds good, but again isn't always as good as it sounds. I've heard of situations where the claim is denied if you left a door unlocked or gate open at your house and the thieves easily gained entry. Sometimes it doesn't cover you if you are away from home, like you were. It's another reason why it's incredibly important to read the very small print in your agreements and then, to have your own household insurance policy that might cover all the events the store's policy fails to cover.

I'll contact the store and see if they can double check their insurance.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Where's my phone?

I need your help. I bought a second hand phone a few months ago. The phone was never okay from the first month. I told the guys at the shop my challenge is I stay in Francistown but bought it in Gaborone. I took it to them last month, but now they were telling me stories.

I took it to them again on 23rd May and when I got there I was told the technician was off since it was a Saturday so I should bring it back on Monday. I called the owner who was in SA at the time to tell him I will leave the phone with someone, she took it back to them but refused to take it. The owner later called the person I left the phone with to say he is still out of the country he will call when he comes to return the phone but he never did.

In short look like they are not willing to give me a new phone or refund me. I can't just lose my P4500 money like that. If they don't want to give me another phone its better they just give me back my money. I'm sick and tired of the their games.

Unfortunately, when you told me the name of this store, I wasn't surprised. It's not the first time I've dealt with them and each time before the story has been the same. They have a history of selling phones that rapidly go wrong and then doing their best to avoid their responsibility to fix the problem they caused for their customer. Obviously, they're in breach of various parts of the Consumer Protection Act but just as importantly, they're showing you contempt.

I contacted the store and they're still taking their time. I think it's time to escalate this situation and complain to the Competition and Consumer Authority. Maybe they can help us persuade the store to do the right thing?

Who can take action?

I'm not sure if this would be the right platform to address this issue. We stay near a bar and night club. This club generates a lot of noise that kids cannot study well. We can't even sleep well. Their customers make noise by the security wall and talking loudly till morning. We wonder how our kids will survive on their education. Please help.

I think this is a certainly a consumer issue. Even though you're not a customer of the bar, you are suffering from the way they operate and their failure to behave like a good neighbour.

The consumer angle here is with Gaborone City Council. I assume you pay rates (obviously you should) and as a result, you're their customer. It's their job to enforce the various Bye-Laws that I'm sure say that bars, clubs and restaurants in residential areas need to behave themselves and not cause a disturbance to people like you who are trying to live a normal life nearby.

The good news is that your local council, Gaborone City Council, has recently become very active, enforcing the law, shutting down unhygienic restaurants and supermarket kitchens and cleaning up the environment. This is the time to ask for their support. I suggest that you submit a complaint to them and get your neighbours who are also bothered by this bar to do the same. The more people who complain, the more likely they are to treat this seriously and take action.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Must I pay them? (Certainly not!)

In April last year, I purchased a Tecno Spark 20C phone from a cellphone dealer in Kazungula. Around October, the device suddenly went into device lock mode. When attempting to switch it on, a message appeared instructing me to return the phone to the supplier for verification, and I was unable to access any features or data on the device. I promptly returned the phone to the store and explained the situation. They informed me they would send the device to their supplier in Dubai for further checks. I made several follow-ups, but each time I was given a different explanation. I also learned that five other Tecno devices were experiencing the same issue and that mine was in a queue for repairs. They temporarily borrowed me a smaller Samsung phone that was also under repair, with the understanding that it would be returned once my Tecno was fixed.

In January 2025, the Samsung began displaying screen glitches. I returned it and they claimed it needed a software update. I updated the software, but the issue persisted after a week. I returned the Samsung and again requested my Tecno. More delays followed. In March I attempted to open a case with the police, but they informed me that consumer-related matters were outside their jurisdiction.

Last week, I returned to the shop and was informed that the Tecno had finally been repaired. However, the screen now has visible damage at the bottom. Despite that, I am willing to accept the phone in its current condition. The current challenge is that the store is now demanding that I pay P1,000 to "buy back" my own phone the same device I returned due to a manufacturer-related fault. I would greatly appreciate your assistance on how best to handle this situation.

You are being far too kind. This company is talking complete nonsense and they know it. Unfortunately, cellphone dealers often make up stories like this but this store has gone further than most. Instead of dealing with the problem responsibly, they gave you another phone they knew was already faulty, offered you endless excuses and finally want you to pay to get your phone back? This is ridiculous.

I'll contact the store and explain to them what the word "incompetent" means.

Must I pay them? (Probably yes.)

I wanted to ask you something here. I went to a cellphone shop. I accidentally touched a speaker that was on top of the other speakers and it nearly fell but fortunately I managed to hold it but another speaker fell and broke. The shop owner said I have to pay for the full amount of the broken one. It's around P200.

It's something that happened unintentional and even the way they put their things it's risky. I don't mind paying but what if the same thing happens to a client that is without that cash. Is it ideal for them to pay and what if they don't pay because they don't have money. Is it the right thing to do?

Let me ask you a different question. If you knock over someone's drink in a bar, what do you do? It's easy, you buy them another drink. Isn't this a similar situation? You broke something belonging to someone else. Isn't the right thing to do to pay them for the damage?

Maybe the store has insurance but it's unlikely to cover damages this small because it will fall below the 'excess' level their policy offers. And if they don't have insurance? They have no business sense.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Kindly advise!

May you kindly advise me here and maybe you can assist. In 2022 I bought some furniture on higher purchase. I managed to pay I believe all the debt I'm only left with arrears of about P4,000. I haven't paid since I lost my job in November 2024. They threaten to take the furniture but I recently went back to my contract only to realise that they actually made me pay for bunk beds twice. The said instead of 1 set of bunk beds I took 2 which is not correct. I'm realising now that I must have overpaid since they said I bought 2 sets when in the actual fact it's 1 set. These people have tormented me daily even threatening me with jail. They did not want me to pay any amount I have, they insist I should pay the total balance though I explained that I'm currently not working. This whole thing drove me to depression. Please advise on what step I should take now.

I'm sorry to hear about this. The problem with hire (not 'higher') purchase is that the arrangement is very one-sided. If things go well, you buy goods for typically twice the cash price. However, if things go wrong, you have almost no protection. The goods don't belong to you, they belong to the store until you've made the last payment. That means that the store can repossess the goods whenever they want to if you're in arrears.

I spoke to the store and they confirmed that you were being billed correctly, for one double bunk bed, not two.

However, I disagree with their suggestion that you must only pay the full amount. You should pay whatever you can afford. It's very important to keep paying as much as you can afford and as often as possible. Show them that you're doing your best. The worst thing you can do is to go silent and not pay a thing.

The sooner you pay off this debt, the sooner you can get back to a normal life.

Be careful what you click on!

If you're on Facebook you'll have seen lots of advertisements for giveaways and competitions from large chains of supermarkets. Most commonly recently they appear to be from Sefalana or Fours. Both reported that the company was

"giving away 280 refrigerators and washing machines that are unsellable due to minor scratches and dents, all in good condition and brand new, so we will randomly send them to followers every day. All you have to do is type @ and hit highlight. If it turns blue, you have been selected."

But this is fake. It's a scam.

What happens is that as soon as you reply, you get a message from them saying you're a lucky winner and all you need to do is click on a link. This takes you to a web page where it asks you to register for a video streaming service for P3.56 per day.

I suspect this is what it's all about, that daily payment. I bet they'll make it very difficult to unsubscribe from the service. And who knows if it really will be just P3.56 each day?

The lesson is to be very careful about what you see on Facebook. Don't share things that you think might earn you a gift or some money. It's always a scam.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

They took my money!

I mistakenly transferred funds to one of my saved beneficiaries using my banking app. I notified the bank. The bank contacted the beneficiary to activate the account since it has been dormant for a long time of which he obliged.

Yesterday I contacted the bank and they said the account of the beneficiary had some arrears and the beneficiary should clear those arrears first before they can reverse the transaction. The beneficiary has since indicated that he has no funds to pay those arrears. This is unfair and disappointing since am the one who sent these funds erroneously. I really need this money. Please assist.

I'm sorry to hear about this. Unfortunately, there's probably little that can be done in this situation. The bank didn't make a mistake when they processed this transaction for you, their computer system simply followed the instructions you gave it.

It's also not their fault that the person who received it owed them money in their dormant account and when it was reactivated, they took the money to pay off their debt. That's standard practice with banks, they can take money owed to them from wherever they can find it in the customer's accounts.

However, I'll contact the bank for you and see if anything can be done. But please don't get your hopes too high.

They took my money twice!

Hello Richard. I opened a funeral policy with an insurance company and to my surprise they deducted the premium twice from my account in May. I called my agent to lodge a complaint and she told me that she is unable to help me and I should search for their contacts on Facebook.

Since the beginning of June they have been sending me from pillar to post just to refund me because apparently they captured my policy twice. They say for them to terminate the duplicate they will have to deduct twice again end of June and the waiting period is 30 days for termination. I need help because I feel robbed and tired of pestering them for my refund.

I really don't why some companies like to make things so complicated. This is a very simple problem and the solution should also be very simple. All they need to do is to cancel one of the deductions and then calculate how much they need to refund you. And then they just need to pay you.

I also think this idea that you should wait for 30 days for termination is unacceptable. Section 14 of the Consumer Protection Act says that a company must offer services to consumers "in a manner and quality that consumers are reasonably entitled to expect". It's reasonable to expect that a company that makes a mistake, particularly one that costs the consumer money, needs to fix that problem quickly, not after a month.

I'll contact the company and urge them to stop fooling around and fix this for you.

You also need to get a better agent. If all they can do to help you is suggest you search on Facebook, they need to think again. They were paid a commission for opening your policy so they need to earn that money by treating you with more respect.

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

I need a refund!

I request your assistance regarding a matter involving a car dealership, where I purchased a vehicle but have yet to take delivery of it, despite having paid the full amount of P65,000. In March 2025, I paid a deposit for the purchase of a car. Shortly thereafter, I was informed that the car had been loaded and I was required to pay the balance, which I did. However, three months have now passed, and I still have not received the vehicle. Throughout this time, I have been given numerous and inconsistent explanations for the delay. At different points, I was told that the vehicle was being registered, but the system was down. Then the car was undergoing valuation. Then the delay was due to clearance issues at CID. Then the vehicle could not be valued at BURS because of discrepancies in the invoice amount and there were BURS raids affecting the process. Despite all these explanations, the car remains undelivered. I have personally gone to inspect it, and it is indeed parked and gathering dust. I was initially told that the car would be delivered within five working days, a promise that has not been fulfilled, three months later.

I am now left with two options, that I be refunded, or the dealer urgently resolves the issues and delivers the vehicle. I would appreciate your advice on how best to proceed.

I contacted the owner of the dealership and, to her credit, they responded very quickly. They explained that there had been problems with BURS but promised that your car would be delivered next week. Please let me know what happens? Let's hope they keep their promise.

Where's my refund?

I have a concern regarding an iPhone 13 Pro Max I purchased on 6 June 2025. From the moment I received it, the screen was shaking and appeared faulty. I immediately raised this with the staff, and I was informed it was a software issue. They updated the software, and the phone seemed fine for a short while. However, the problem recurred the following day, and I contacted the store again. They once more claimed it was a software issue, performed an update, and returned the phone to me.

On 17 June 2025, while I was using WhatsApp, the screen suddenly displayed lines, indicating an internal screen problem. I rushed back to the store to report this. One of the staff members told me it was physical damage, despite the fact that the screen has no cracks or signs of external impact. I was told that I may have sat on it or dropped it—neither of which is true.

They took the phone for diagnosis, which they said would take 7 days. After discussing the matter with my sister, we returned to the store to request a refund, but after waiting for over two hours, I was told the refund would take 21 working days to process.

I am kindly requesting your assistance, I believe I am entitled to a quicker resolution.

This store has missed something important. Section 16 of the Consumer Protection Act says that a supplier who sells a faulty item must, if it's returned within six months, repair it, replace it or refund the customer. It's important to understand that the supplier can decide which option they prefer. However, what they often forget is that if they repair it and the same fault happens again within three months, they lose the right to repair it again. They can now only replace it or refund you.

So all these excuses about physical damage don't mean a thing. But the good news is that I think they realize they've done you wrong. That's probably why they finally offered you the refund. Eventually. Let me know what happens?