Using your cellphone for your own protection, insurance, trackers & EFTs

In this weekly segment of bite-sized chunks of useful information, consumer journalist Wendy Knowler summarises news you can use:

Be razor focused when making EFTs

Electronic funds transfer “finger trouble” mistakes take many forms.

You can pay the wrong beneficiary due to lack of concentration, for example. I once paid Truworths instead of Telkom and thankfully got a refund relatively quickly and easily, but that’s often not the case.

What many do is input a new beneficiary’s details incorrectly, unintentionally gifting a stranger as a result — a problem which the bank concerned is not at liberty to correct upon request. And then there’s paying the right beneficiary but the wrong amount. This is a common one.

Daniel e-mailed me this week to say that when he got his salary in mid-December he paid his accounts, which aren’t on debit order, including his cellphone service provider. But instead of paying R700 he added an extra zero and paid R7,000.

He’s been trying in vain to get that R6,300 refunded ever since. It was a very bleak Christmas for him.

In a case I investigated last month, a man added two extra zeros, paying a courier company R23,000 instead of R230. He’s still battling to get it back as the company has since changed ownership.

I’ve taken up Daniel’s case and I’m pretty sure he’ll get that refund soon, but when it comes to regular monthly payments, a debit order would ensure that no such finger trouble mistakes can be made.

Make sure you aren’t overpaying for your insurance

A new year is an excellent time to check that the premiums you’re paying are appropriate, especially if you have a good claims history. Ask your broker to get like-for-like quotes from other insurers — or, if you’re with a direct insurance company, source those competitive quotes yourself.

Armed with those numbers, either negotiate a better deal with your insurer or make a switch. Remember that the premium is just one part of the deal — your excesses and exclusions are key at claim time, so compare those details too.

Bottom line: don’t assume that your loyalty to a company serves you. New customers generally get better deals, especially when it comes to car insurance.

The same goes for car-tracking contracts. If you’ve had the same car for a while, chances are you have an outdated tracking device and you’re paying the same or even more than someone with the latest tech in their car.

Make that smartphone work for you

It’s never been easier for us consumers to get photographic or video evidence of our consumer experiences: our smartphones not only have excellent quality cameras built into them but recording capability too. So, for example, if you sign something and aren’t given a copy of the document, take a photo of all the pages before you hand them over.

If your holiday accommodation is barely recognisable from the images on the establishment’s website, get photographic proof. Every year, particularly around this time, I get complaints from people who’ve been bitterly disappointed by their chosen holiday accommodation, from tired furnishings to cockroach infestations — and sadly only a few had thought to take photos as compelling evidence.

Before you drive off in a rental car, inspect the bodywork carefully and take photos of any dent or scratch as protection against being accused of causing it. Also photograph receipts of high-ticket items as they will probably fade before the warranty expires.

In short, wise up, know your rights, recognise the traps and take steps to protect yourself from the nasties lurking in consumerland. Because that’s the ultimate consumer protection: consumers empowering themselves to avoid getting a raw deal.

• GET IN TOUCH: You can contact Wendy Knowler for advice with your consumer issues via e-mail: consumer@knowler.co.za or on Twitter: @wendyknowler.

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