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 With no receipt, I'd be stuck with an adverse credit record 

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NO ONE wants a bad credit record.

People who pay their debts expect to get credit when they apply for it .

Not many consumers keep receipts for more than three years for spectacles, but Lindiwe Tshabalala of Embalenhle location in Secunda, Mpumalanga, did.

Just as well, because had she not had the receipt from Spec-Savers, she would be stuck with an adverse credit record.

Tshabalala said she had not received a letter notifying her that her medical aid had not paid the full amount for her spectacles in 2009.

Spec-Saver's attorneys also omitted to inform her of this she said.

"The amount they say I owe is also incorrectly captured by the credit bureau," she said.

The mother of three said she only discovered that she was blacklisted when she wanted to buy a house this year.

Her bank declined the loan because they said she owed Spec-Savers R447, Tshabalala said.

She said she was puzzled so she approached the company. She was told her medical aid short-paid them R275.

"I knew I had paid the balance, so I went home to get my proof of payment," Tshabalala said.

She said she was infuriated because Spec-Savers had not given her good service and added that she never used the spectacles because they gave her headaches.

She said she was advised to wear them and she would get used to them.

"No one gets used to a headache and I stopped wearing them after two days," Tshabalala said.

"I am also angry because the optometrist chased me away like a dog and accused me of upsetting her clients, instead of resolving my problem," Tshabalala said.

She was referred to their attorneys, who wanted R1,750 to help remove the adverse information against her, she said.

Nell-Marie van der Mescht, the optometrist at Spec-Savers confirmed seeing Tshabalala in 2009, but initially denied that she wrongfully referred Tshabalala's account to her attorneys.

She said the medical aid short-paid her, adding that they had contacted Tshabalala on her cellphone.

Van der Mescht only agreed to sort out the matter after Consumer Line showed her proof of payment from the medical aid and their Tshabalala's receipt.

Handy tips:

- Know your creditworthiness. Call the relevant credit bureau and ask for a copy of your bureau report. In terms of the National Credit Act, you are entitled to one free credit report a year.

- If you dispute information on your credit profile or want it updated or removed, phone the relevant credit bureaux, complete an application form and send the forms and evidence as soon as possible. You will get a reference number. Allow them 20 working days to resolve complaints. If you are not happy with the outcome, call 0861 66 28 37.

Comments

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Tue May 21 23:55:20 SAST 2013 ::

May 14, 2012

tpaz

credit bureau & credit profiles......a new apartheid.
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May 14, 2012

truthhurt

stay away from spec-saver people!
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May 14, 2012

MsKinkyakaKamaSutra

She said she was advised to wear them and she would get used to them.
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arrogance from a service provider............. word of mouth can make and or break your business
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May 14, 2012

SebolaNtimetseAdikateMoketla

@Sowetan
Spec-Savers see clearly only after our intervention
14 May 2012 | Thuli Zungu, Consumer Line | 3 comments
Consumer was wrongfully black-listed

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Very good heading Sowetan

a bit of humor in the heading refering to glasses and service provider seeing the point.

a star on the forehead Thuli Zungu!!

leave it there the whole day

if you or your boyfriend remove it I will find out!!!
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May 14, 2012

shaharazad

it beggars belief how many of these (related ) cases go unreported. Regulatory bodies are the ones who need to see clearly
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