CCTV camera operator Scelo Mzobe cannot buy a car due to his poor credit score, something which came as a surprise to him.
Mzobe has been accused of failing to pay an amount of R8,000, which he allegedly owes homeware store Homechoice.
The problem is, Mzobe says has never had any dealings withHomechoice.
Between April and May 2019, Mzobe noticed an unauthorised debit order of R490 on his bank account and he reversed it. However, he was again charged R990 and decided to go to the bank to query the debit order.
Mzobe says his bank could not trace who was deducting the money and only found out later after receiving a call from Homechoice insisting that he pay them.
“I have never taken anything from Homechoice. I tried to speak to them to resolve the matter but they just kept telling me that they can’t help me. They can’t tell me who took products from them and which address they delivered to… They have never even told me what products were taken. All they say is that I owe them.”
Mzobe says he lost his Identity Document (ID) in 2012.
This, he says, prompted him to ask Homechoice to send him the copy of the ID that was used during purchase so he could prove that it was not him who opened an account. He said the new ID has a different picture to the old one.
The company advised him to make an affidavit stating that he had lost his ID and that he might be a victim of fraud.
Mzobe did not do that. Fast forward to January this year when he went to purchase a car and was told about his poor credit score.
“I’ve been blocked everywhere. I’m very good at paying my accounts. I don't have debt.”
Mzobe says he contacted Homechoice again and sent them the affidavit.
He has been waiting for Homechoice to respond on how far the investigation is . He regularly calls and emails the company for updates.
Mzobe says he is in a bind as he needs a car for work because he often works night shift and has to travel between home in Port Shepstone and his work in the Durban CBD in KwaZulu-Natal.
Homechoice CEO Chris de Wet offered to assist Mzobe clear his name.
There has been an increase in complaints against retail stores on business complaint sites about unauthorised debits, specifically from Homechoice.
A complainant wrote on Complaintboard.com: “I have never ordered anything. I am Vuyelwa and was contacted by Homechoice agents telling me when can I make the first payment since my account is overdue.
"I informed numerous agents that I have never ordered anything from Homechoice on account and never will. This has now escalated to the point of me having a bad credit record. When I phone the agents they refuse to forward me to the manager to clear this. Be careful, people, Homechoice are fraudsters."
Somebody else posted: “I received a message saying I need to pay my account [from]Homechoice of which I know nothing about ordering anything from Homechoice. They said I need to send [an] affidavit to clear my name but still they didn't help me.”
There were complaints posted on Hello Peter as well with the most recent on July 1. Homechoice responded, saying they believed the author of the post was a victim of fraud and that they were investigating the matter.
Other people who are existing customers of the store have also complained that they have been debited for purchases unknown to them.
De Wet said in response to the increased complaints that the company was targeted by a syndicate that obtained individuals’ bureau information (the answers one gives to security questions that are randomised for authentication purposes).
The company says they are always tightening security and have measures such as bank verification where you can verify with your bank if you open an account with them. They also use a One Time Pin system which they send to your phone.
"Sometimes the syndicates can get a hold of that information as well and they can try to takeover your bank account but those checks do make it more difficult... We are looking at social media, Hello Peter and other forums [and] we're trying to be more proactive and more engaging."
The company has a fraud department which investigates once the affected individual alerts them and sends an affidavit declaring they are a victim of fraud.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.