Shapiro Shaik Defries & Associates [SSDA]
Reviews and Complaints

Good day.

My Name is Monde. P. MKHIZE, [protected].

I am laying a complaint about my Lewis account L-[protected], on the 29/10/2021 I called SSDA and enquired the ballance I am due to pay so to make the full settlement on my Lewis account and I was informed that I only have to pay R6774. 52 and my account will be paid in full and I did just that,

on the 21/11/2021I received an email from Zanele Gladness Nxumalo informing me that I still have an outstanding ballance of R683. 44 to pay on my account, on the 4Th of November I called in a shock as according to my knowledge the account is paid in full, the Lady I spoke to said she does not know what happened but all she sees in the system is that I have an outstanding of R683. 44 I then asked her if I can make the payment month end of November and she said yes and the balance will still be the same, on the 5th of November I received another email from Zanele Nxumalo stating that my outstanding balance has now gone up to 714, 21 I responded by asking her how can my ballance increase 2 times in one month and she did not respond, today 8/11/2021 I called and asked to speak to someone to whom I can lay a complaint and They directed me to speak to Abury and he could not pick the phone I was then told that he will get back to me till now there is no response.

I feel SSDA is being unfair and making my life complicated coz all I am looking for is a fixed ballance that if I can pay and settle my account.

The debt collectors called me in March saying my MTN account has been handed over to them. I paid the amount owing but MTN still says I have an outstanding balance. I've been trying to contact Shapiro with no luck, their phones are always busy so I sent a text on WhatsApp on the 16th of September enquiring about my account and requesting for a paid up letter. They said they will get back to me. On the 20th I followed up again and they said they are still waiting for feedback from MTN. I again followed up on the 1st of October and they still waiting for feedback. I phoned MTN and they don't know anything about this company and to my surprise, I still owe MTN whereas I have finished paying my account with Shapiro. I am furious right now as I have been blacklisted because of this company

Everytime I get poor service in all platforms I've tried with your company. I've send emails, what's app massages and called since they said they will call me back their system is slow just to make payment arrangement. You have my account yet u listed me for missing payments that I'm struggling to arrange with Ur agents everytime I get new ticket no that my emails are processed still I get nothing from your end. How can I make payments when your agents are failing to provide me with an account that I must pay too or arrange debit order when everytime I'm being promised I'll be called back. Poor service ticket no 790497

Could a person in management urgently call me regarding my account with Discovery.

My details are :

ID :[protected].
[protected]

This is very urgent...

I made an arrangement with SSDA on their insistence to instill a monthly debit order, a change from the usual monthly EFT payments that I made. The first month went good and well and that is as far is it went. From there on, only downhill.

From the second month, they started debiting my account twice. I've contacted them numerously via phone and email. I only managed to get through once and all prior and subsequent calls were dropped, and numerously via email which had weeks of no response.

Their latest excuse was blaming the reason for not refunding me on their finance department being busy with an audit and then promised to refund me all the additional deductions that they made. It's been another couple of weeks without any response to my emails.

We are paying our debt through them because we ran into financial difficulties, now what they are doing is forcing you to approach people, sometimes unscrupulous, to make ends meet.

They don't have a complaints department or are not willing to disclose the information if they do.

Folks, never ever agree to a debit order deduction with these frauds because what I found out from my bank is that they put the debit order as a 'Debi check' which the bank can also not reverse. According to the bank, they should inform you thereof and get your consent, but they certainly did not do this with me. You can also not cancel it yourself, so your only recourse is to close your account and move other debit orders.

Credit providers, think long and hard before partnering with SSDA.

Hopefully this creates awareness for others who will not fall within the same trap as I.

Shapiro, Shaik &Darries(SSDS- CDS) listed my name on Experian credit bureau for a debt that prescribed. I lodged a complaint with the bureau in 2019 and the listing was removed after the company could not produce proof. Six months down the line the company listed me again for the same debt, figures being charged a bit. Just found out again that the company listed on the credit report as if I had paid and stop paying suddenly. I want to put it to the company again that the debt has prescribed. Kindly have my name cleared and removed from the credit bureaus

I took loan 2018 around August I don't remember the date the only thing I remember is that my last payment would be in the second week of January in 2019. I was working at New Era Chickens at that time after the second week of January I left the job and got enrolled at college since then there was no call from them or message that states am done paying the loan, didn't mind because there was incoming allowance every month so if I was still owing them there were supposed to deduct some or call me immediately tell me about my balance because they used to deduct weekly, but they didn't on my surprise they only call this year 2021 told me have been outstanding balance, asked why they are calling now after so many years, still idiot get answer, ok fine told them am not working at the same time will send R200 monthly they agreed, I did that on weekend on my surprise my balance was the same call them they don't respond wrote messages on WhatsApp they blue tick me

19 November 2020

I received a call from Shapiro Shaik Defiries & Asst. with regards to an amount owing to Discovery of which I acknowledge, however I was told I have 48 hours to make payment of an amount of around R4 000.
What perturbs me is that fact I mentioned this numerous times that I was retrenched in May 2020, I was unable to keep up with my payment. I applied for my UIF and been waiting since June for payment and to date I received no payment from UIF after numerous follow ups - and we know the state of UIF currently.
I would like these debt collections companies to understand a customer circumstance before giving customer deadlines with regards to payments and threatening customers with legal implication.

hi please help i am suspecting fraud as there is money being deducted in my account and i don't know y, i dont even know this company.hi i don't know why you guys are deducting from my account and who are you please call me ref#[protected]@ssda024636a0190925.i dont know this company and what is it please call me on [protected] urgently as i am pregnant and under stress and feel harrased.

Good afternoon

My name is Maria Combrinck
I have had this number, [protected], since June this year! Rica done through Cell C! Please update your records that this number does not belong to the African person that owes r7348.48. Refer [protected]. Maybe it did in the past, but certainly no longer! Please do your homework

I called last month as well and spoke to an arrogant consultant (lady) to please remove my number from your contact lists….. If this is not done immediately, I will lay a charge of harassment and defamation of character against your company and I will go to the newspapers and consumer credit and hello Peter ….. Do you understand this?

I do not know the person you are looking for. It is your job to find him or her, not mine. Now, please refrain from sending any further messages or phone calls to this number…..

Hy my name is Ntombizodwa Winnie Mayekane...last year I found out am on a Shapiro shaik defries associates I don't know how and why.Yesterday I did my credit check still Shapiro shaik defries associates still appears on my credit record and my name it's on a bad records because them...I don't remember giving you permission or access to put me under administration even at the banks I don't qualify for loans as you appear at the system as am under administration...let me know which company or store that forwarded my details to you guys so that I can pay or do something.

I have been receiving the agents from ssda and everytime I tell them to stop calling me this account is prescribed and I am not gonna pay it. An agent bu the name of Serame called me and he was very rude. I raised a concern with Tshepo whom told me he is the manager in the department however he himself did nothing about the issue because even after telling him my concerns

I was called to say i have a discount of 30% in order to settle my account. I will then receive a clearance letter within 7 working days after the payment reflects on their side. I am being told a different story now, my account is still not closed and i have to wait for 40 something before this matter is finalized. Totally unacceptable. I need that clearance letter i was promised in 7 days

I got an e-mail from Shapiro and Shaik SSDA demanding that I pay over 14 000 on a loan I didn't even take out. Apparently I took out a loan in 2011 from Bridge(probably a fake creditor). I never entered an agreement with Bridge and Shapiro and Shaik failed to prove this.
This is not the first time this company demands money from me.
The account they are referring to doesn't even exist in my credit profile. Initially they said I owe a creditor with a different name(I don't remember what the name is), but now it's Bridge.

I had a credit card at absa - which has been closed since 2009 - but - the outstanding amount was around r12 000 - since nearly ten years later - when ever big amounts go into my absa savings - large amount have been allocated whenever and however they wanted to - 3000 / 4000 / I paid moneis over - so in ten years - I received a settlement amount - during festive seasons, then paying it - one should think the matter is now final at last - but no - surprise surprise - now suddenly monthly I would receive a sms saying it is critical I pay r140 - what is that? Just the last of the very last interest just to keep an account going and milk it as much as possible?

Surely by now - you owe me!

Stop harrassing / threatening me with these useless sms'ses and - you could spend money on appointing staff that has been trained to be professional and competent?

Cell [protected]

i checked on my credit file and noticed that my Mtn Account has been closed. I then contacted Clear score, Transunion as well as Experian and the consultants confirmed that the Mtn account has been closed since the 31st of May 2016. It shows a zero balance on my credit score. Yet i am still making payments of R300 up until today. Mtn Legal came back to me saying that SSDA is collecting my outstanding balance and are not taking any responsibility. I feel as though i am being ripped off. I asked for all those addition payments ive made to be refunded back to me.

I was called by one of their agents in oct 2017 saying I must pay them and that banking details were sent on sms. I asked them to send me all details i.e. Statements, banking details etc. On my email address. None of my requests were done, instead they would call me 3 times a day asking for payment. I would repeatedly ask for the same thing and they said they sent it on my email address, which was not true. This carried on for months until in jan 2018 one of their agents admitted that their email address might not be working and that she'll ask her supervisor to send me details using her email address. Finally I received the email and the shock of my life when I saw the statement! Everytime those agents called me they charged me around r50 per call and they would call three times a day sometimes. The agents are rude. I responded to the supervisor on her email address and I got no response. Days later and agent would call me again wanting a payment from me and I told her that I will pay the fees for oct 2017 only and anything after that I cannot be held liable for it. All I was looking for was a statement and written communication on e-mail address since oct 2017 and I received it in jan 2018. These people are charging us for something they didn't do, which is failure to provide requested information on time. The harassment needs to stop and get your agents to be professional and productive!

Consultants for this company keeps calling and sending sms's demanding money for FNB that was prescribed. My first question was where they bought the information list from and they won't disclose that information, they also don't have access to statements, payments and specifics of account in query. How is my personal information disclosed to a Debt collectors agency from a big bank like FNB and isn't the buying and selling of personal information an infringement on my privacy?

I has received numerous request from their Agents claiming that I owe them money. They claim to be acting on behalf of MTN, but don't seem to have access to MTN records. I have explained to them that my account was in dispute, MTN refused to listen to me concerning overcharging, I refered the matter to ICASA. I was during this time that these guys bought this debt from MTN. I later had an agreement with MTN (settlement), and my account was activated. I have explained to these guys that my account was active @ MTN, and not in arrears as they claim. The amount that they are harassing me for, is the amount that is charged should someone cancelled a contract. I never cancelled any contract with MTN, and now I don't know what these guys are referring to. I have sent them emails, explaining this issue, gave them contacts of a person at MTN, who they should contact and verify my statements. They simple pretend as if they are not aware of this fact (unethical), and send a lots of messages which reads " iminent legal action" or "urgent payment required" or just keep sending bank details where to pay or speed point details or any other form of verbal/ written abuse. They also harass me with phone calls everey day, they keep trying to scare me into paying for this fraudulent claim. They are very rude on the phone, and you must do what they want or else ... I have sopken to the following individuals by at SSDA: Allison Goordeen ( talked on the phone and I sent her information concerning all my statement), Aubrey ( phone conversation and emails), important to note, as soon as i mentioned Allison's name Aubrey didn't want to talk anymore, could not wait to end the chat. The other rude individuals who called me and threatened me are Zamokuhle & Katlekgo, the did't want to discuss anything unless I agree to do what they wanted. they dropped the phone and then sent me a lot of sms's. Consult Allison concerning any documents and emails

I would like all these emails, phone calls and sms's to stop with emmediate effect. Being given feedback concerning your discussions with MTN, concerning the settlement. I want to be in a position to consult ICASA if MTN decided to ignore our agreement. Lastly receive a written apology from your company on behalf of your agents for harassing me.

I have tried my best to polite as requested, but it is very difficult, considering that fact the i should not even be having this complain or any discussions with your company.

15 December (again). Account [protected] for a MotoMia account. I have asked on numerous occasions for details on this account as I have NEVER purchased from MotoMia. I asked via their contact form 3 times as there is no email address as well as once on the phone. Should this not be sent to me on noleen.[protected]@gmail.com by 18 December 2015, I will submit to OMBUDSMAN. Regards Noleen