Municipal bill wrong? Don’t stop paying – here’s why
Got a municipal bill you’re disputing? Wendy Knowler explains why you should keep paying part of it, plus smart Consumer Hacks on credit cards, Uber, store accounts and rental cars.
If your municipal bill is wrong, dispute it. But keep paying the part you don't dispute.
That one move takes away the municipality's lawful grounds to cut off your water or electricity while the dispute drags on, and these disputes drag on for months.
Do it properly. Put your dispute in writing, keep every reference number, and check that your account has been formally flagged as disputed.
And when you hit a wall, copy in your ward councillor. They are drowning in billing complaints, but in the cases I've dealt with they are often the only ones who actually pick up the phone to an official.
Pay down the card that's nearest its limit first
Your credit score is not a judgment of you. It's a forecast built from behaviour, and behaviour can change.
The thing lenders consider most, after whether you pay on time, is how much of your available credit you're using. TransUnion tells South Africans to worry they’ve used up more than about 35% of their credit limit. A card sitting permanently near its limit signals financial strain, even when every payment is made.
So, if you're paying off debt and you have a choice, put any extra money into the account closest to its limit.
That's usually your credit card, which is also where the interest is highest.
Paying for the privilege
Roderick asked me: "When you have an account with a retailer and it is fully paid up, why do they still debit you with account fees when you have a zero balance? I buy maybe twice a year from this retailer and always pay my account up as quick as possible. Is this normal practice? Is it ethical?"
It's normal, and it's perfectly legal. The National Credit Act allows stores which offer their customers accounts to charge a monthly service fee, capped at R60, whether you owe them a cent or not. Woolworths charges about R52 a month, the highest in the market, whether you have a zero balance or not. That's more than R600 a year for an account Roderick uses twice.
So, if you hardly ever use a store account, work out what it's costing you a year, and if it isn't worth it, close it.
Your usual Uber is going away
Uber has retired its UberX option – the go-to for many South Africans, and from this month you have four options.
Uber Go is a smaller car at a smaller price, for quick trips around town.
Uber Comfort gets you a newer car with extra space, and you can request a quiet drive.
Uber Black is premium vehicles and "top-tier" drivers, but a longer wait.
Uber Reserve lets you book up to 90 days ahead at a locked-in price.
So don't tap "confirm" on autopilot. Check which option you've landed on, and what it's going to cost you, before you accept the ride.
Shake the sand out
Back from the beach in a hired car? Get the sand out of it before you return it.
Nur returned his rental car with sand in the footwells after a family trip to the Drakensberg and was charged R600 extra for a specialist valet. Rental agreements generally allow the company to charge a cleaning fee when a car comes back needing more than a standard wash, and sand is almost a guaranteed trigger.
And here's the thing. Nur's rental car had no mats in it, so there was no easy way for the family to shake the sand out of the footwells.
So, check for mats before you drive off. If the car doesn't have them, refuse to accept it that wa
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