Telkom has urged its customers to pay their accounts on or before the due date reflected on their invoices.
"This will enable our customers to stay in touch with their world without having to pay interest charges or suffer the inconvenience of having their service suspended," said Tia Hugo, Telkom`s Senior Manager: Credit Management.
Due date for account payment is 21 days after the invoice printing date.
Addressing journalists at a media briefing in Port Elizabeth today, Ms Hugo said customers who failed to meet their telephone account payment deadline ran the risk of having their lines suspended.
Telkom currently receives a significant amount of its money from customers after due date - a situation exacerbated during the festive season, when many of its customers go on leave and forget to pay their telephone accounts.
Clarifying Telkom`s credit management policy, Ms Hugo said customers who did not pay within a period of grace determined at Telkom`s discretion would have their telephone service automatically suspended.
Telkom charges an interest penalty on overdue accounts. The current interest rate charged on overdue accounts is fixed at 21,5% per annum.
The interest is calculated after Telkom receives payment. If payment is received after the invoice is due, interest is calculated from the date of invoice (the date the invoice was printed) to the date of payment (when the outstanding amount was paid) and added to the next invoice.
Telkom customers are billed retroactively, which means that the calls they make on the company`s network are effectively on credit.
Telkom bears the cost of these calls, representing a credit liability, for which Telkom bills the customer in arrears.
To avoid incurring interest charges, customers should take great care in ensuring that they pay their account on or before the date specified on their invoice. Telkom has also advised its customers to pay their accounts through recognized Telkom agents to avoid unnecessary suspensions.
Because its systems with unauthorized channels were not on "handshaking" terms, this often resulted in lengthy delays in transferring funds owed to Telkom.
The time lag in transferring monies owed to Telkom from unofficial channels in turn meant that customer`s accounts were reflected on Telkom`s systems as being in arrears, despite them having paid their accounts.
(A list of authorized Telkom payment channels is provided in the fact sheet below). Telkom said negotiations were currently taking place with a view to expanding customer`s payment choices even further. However, for the time being, it advised customers to follow existing authorized channels.
Should customers not receive their accounts, Telkom has recommended that customers obtain their outstanding balance by Interactive Voice Response (IVR) on the 10210 (Account Enquiries) number or from their local Telkom customer service branch.
"If customers are still unable to pursue any of these options, we recommend they pay the `average` amount of their account," Ms Hugo advised.
Depending on whether the amount they paid exceeded or fell short of the amount owing on their account, their next invoice would be adjusted accordingly.
Customers who settle their accounts after the due date should phone the toll free number 10210 with their receipt particulars, Ms Hugo advised.
Customers who are in genuine financial difficulty, and are unable to pay, should immediately make special arrangements through 10210 or at a Telkom customer service branch, she said.
If the customer is still unable to pay, Telkom will hand over the customer`s particulars to external debt collectors and the customer would be blacklisted on the national credit bureau.
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