Retail giant blames ‘human error’ for delay over R4k fraud on account
Pensioner waits for four months to clear her name
For more than four months pensioner Dikeledi Nakedi, 77, did not know the outcome of the investigation into her Edgars account after someone defrauded her of R4,400.
The fraud, which happened at a retail shop in Alberton, Ekurhuleni, on June 3, meant that her monthly repayments were pushed from R500 to R1,200 while the matter was being investigated by Edgars’ fraud department.
Nakedi, who lives in Shoshanguve, Tshwane, reported the matter on June 17 at the shop in Tshwane.
“I was shocked when I received my statement. It showed that someone bought goods in Alberton while I was at home. More surprising was the amount because I last bought for R1,000 in 2001.
“My card is always with me and it needs a pin code for transactions to go through,” said the pensioner.
At the time, her balance was R18,000.
Nakedi said she never heard from the investigators though she had been constantly going to their offices to inquire about the outcome of the investigation.
“This thing has been weighing on me for months because I had to pay for it,” said Nakedi.
Sowetan contacted Edgars two weeks ago to find out about the investigation and in its response on Friday, it blamed human error for the delay.
“Thank you for bringing Mrs Nakedi’s complaint to our collective attention so that we could assist her.
“We were disappointed to see that her case was unresolved for so long; and on our investigation found the problem to be as a result of human error.
“This is not the level of service we would like our customers to experience; and we can only apologise to her for the extreme inconvenience and frustration.
“We are happy to report that we have now resolved the matter; and have not only restored her account standing and credited her account with a voucher,” said Mariné van Brakel from Edgars.
As the festive season is fast approaching, the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) has warned consumers to be extra vigilant as scammers are on the prowl.
“While Black Friday has now become the common way to mark the beginning of the commercial side of the festive season, it is important that South Africans remember that fraudsters are very active at this time of the year.
“While there are plenty of special offers in the market, there are a lot of fraudsters who will want to take advantage of our desire to find the perfect deal,” said Manie van Schalkwyk, the CEO of SAFPS.
He said particular attention needs to be given to online payments as these can become low-hanging fruit for fraudsters.
‘‘ This thing has been weighing on me as I had to pay for it