Frequently Asked Questions
- Terms used in this industry
-
| Billing Company |
The details of the individual, company or Body Corporate that will get monies paid to them, so that the municipal bill can be paid |
| Registration Form |
The Form which must be completed by every person that comes onto our system |
| Bulk Bill |
This is the municipalities, bulk electricity supply into a complex |
| Property Managers |
The people responsible to pay the municipality account |
| End User |
The person who is buying their Electicity and Water tokens through us |
| Residential Property |
These are Domestic houses |
| Commercial Property |
Offices, Industrial and Retail |
| Tokens |
This is a 20 digit, encrypted number which gets generated for Electricity and Water |
| Municipality |
The entity that provides Electricity and Water |
| Eskom |
Provider of electricity |
| Vending |
Refers to someone who is generating the token on behalf of the end user |
| Property Developer |
The person who is developing land for residential or commercial properties |
| Deposit |
An amount payable to netVendor, which they hold in case of any amounts outstanding when the tenant move out. |
| FBE |
Free Basic Electricity, which is given to tenants who qualify through the value of their place. |
| Government Token |
Same as above |
| Meter readers |
The people employed to read the actual meter at the residence |
| Private Metering |
A company like netVendor, that manages the electricity consumption in a complex |
| Key Change Tokens (KCT) |
This is a token generated to re-program a meter |
| Supply Group Code (SGC) |
This is a code unique to every pre-payment company. It is issued by Eskom |
- Can I buy my electricity at the shops?
-
| Yes. You can purchase from Pick ‘n Pay, Shoprite Checkers and BP Express Shops. |
- What is the deposit and how much must I pay?
-
| The deposit is to protect the Body Corporate. If there are insufficient funds in the end users account, we are able to honour the token and still send the 20 digit token and pay the Body Corporate at the end of the month. The amount that must be paid for the deposit is the maximum amount the customer would buy at one time for electricity so that if there is a RD payment, the whole amount will be recovered. If the transaction does RD then the client will be charged, R50 penalty charge and the account will be locked until such time as a deposit slip has been received by netVendor. |
- Do we have to pay a deposit?
-
| We only take deposits from certain complexes, not all, phone the Call Centre on 0861 116 6199 to find out if we require one from you.
|
- What are the Banking details for netVendor?
-
| The banking details are the same for everyone except the reference, which is unique to an account. This reference is of utmost importance.
|
-
First National Bank
-
Account Name: netVendor Collections
-
Account Number: 62265761322
-
Branch Code: 223726
-
Reference: netVendor Account number provided to you on completion of your registration. You may request this again by calling into our Call Centre, they will send the details again on SMS.
|
- What happens if I accidentally delete my pin?
-
| The client can contact the netVendor office for assistance, within office hours.
|
- What happens if I accidentally delete my token?
-
| A lost token can be requested by sending the following SMS message to the netVendor server (087 240 6000) PIN*Last eg: 1234*last. The system will then send you the last token generated on your account.
|
- What are netVendor Call Centre hours?
-
| Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm |
|
Saturday’s from 8am to 12o’clock
|
| Sundays and Public Holidays: Closed
|
- What is the after hour help line/technical support number?
-
| 0861 116 199 until 20H00 Monday to Friday |
- What is the telephone number of netVendor?
-
- What is the number I send a sms to for a token?
-
- What is the netVendor fax number?
-
- Who can I talk to about your system?
-
| Call: Mary on 0861 116 199 |
- Who can I talk to about administration?
-
| Call: Call Centre on 0861 116 199 |
- Who can I talk to about reports or system problems?
-
| Call: Renee on 0861 116 199 |
- Who are PSC?
-
| They are an agent that operated from Pretoria. |
- Who are netVendor Gauteng?
-
| They are an agent that operated from Johannesburg |
- Who are netVend Metering Solutions?
-
| They are our Namibian branch. |
- How do I register with netVendor?
-
| If you have access to the internet, you can go to our website www.netvendor.co.za and print Customer Registration Form. Complete the form and then fax it to our offices on 086 530 3081. You will be registered within 2 hours, once registered; If you have Banking Details on the form you will receive your 4 digit pin, via cell phone. If you do not have access to the internet, we can either forward a form via email or we can fax it to you.
|
- How do I buy electricity using my cell phone?
-
| The customer will receive a 4 digit pin once they have submitted their registration form (with banking details – no banking details, the person can only request last or free electricity, if the complex qualifies) and a short explanation on how to buy will be smsed to them. Basically they go to send a message. Put in the 4 digit pin, star, amount and send it to our server. (1234*100 sends to 087 240 6000 within Seconds, you will receive your 20 digit pin)
|
- Can I use any cell phone to purchase electricity?
-
| Yes. We will register one cell phone on the system. If it should be lost or stolen you can phone our office so that we can change the details. If you do wish to use another cell phone, use the following command “MeterNumber*PIN*Amount”. |
Eg: 04180356588*1234*200 send to 087 240 6000 |
- What happens if I do not have a STAR on my cell phone?
-
| You can use the HASH key (#) or a SPACE. |
- How do I request my free electricity or water?
-
| On your cell phone you request your free Electricity or Water by sending a message for example: PIN*free (1234*free). This only applies to tenants that qualify for a Free Basic Token.
|
- How do I buy on the internet?
-
| netVendor will provide you with an account number and password, go to the website and follow the prompts.
|
- How do I change my banking details?
-
| We request that a Change Request form be completed, as we do not take banking details over the phone. We do require supporting documents for FICA Purposes. Call us on 086 111 6199 to get this form or log onto our web page where you can download the form.
|
- How do I change my cell phone details?
-
| We can change these details on the telephone. Call our Call Centre on 086 111 6199 to change this. |
- Who are the meter manufacturers that netVendor use?
-
| netVendor uses any meter manufacturer that carries the STS logo. |
- Who can I speak to in netVendor about meter orders?
-
| Call: Mary on 0861 116 199 |
- Are the prepaid meters expensive compared to normal meters?
-
| No. A normal sub-meter can often cost nearly as much as our prepaid meters depending on where you buy it and who you get to install it for you. If you are at the stage where you do not already have a separate electrical board and are still going to be installing one then getting an integrated earth leakage prepaid meter can actually cost you less than buying an earth leakage and meter separately.
|
-
Won't my tenants be able to just by-pass me and get recharge vouchers from anyone that sells them?
-
| No. netVendor meters can only be recharged by vouchers supplied by netvendor, so there is no way a tenant can by-pass you or our system.
|
- Are the prepaid meters easy to tamper with?
-
| Any meter is easy to tamper if you know what you are doing. At netVendor we provide you exception reports that manages this process. It details any person that has not purchased within a prescribed number of days and it also monitors each purchase and compares this to the complex average, and if found below a prescribed percentage, the client will be flagged on a report. Tampering is thus picked up on the netVendor system very early.
|
- Should I change my lease agreement if I put in pre-paid meters?
-
| We suggest that you do and recommend that you put in the relevant clauses pertaining to the supply and consumption of electricity. (ask your lawyer or agent for advice). This is especially important if you are going to link the electricity purchases to the rental collection.
|
- What unit charge should be used when selling vouchers on to tenants?
-
| The tenant should be billed the rate that you are paying to the council, which can vary according to the tariff structure you are on. It is therefore important to ensure that you know what rate you are paying the council. This way you will not be under or overbilling.
|
- Can a tenant refuse to have a prepaid meter?
-
| If you have an existing tenant they may have reservations about the new meters. We feel that if you point out the benefits of how prepaid meters can work best for both parties they will be happy to have one installed.
|
- As a tenant can we insist that an owner puts in a prepaid meter?
-
| We feel that these meters offer great advantages to both tenants and owners and that if you discuss this with your owner they will also see the advantages and will be willing to install a prepaid meter. The cost of installation is not that high the owner may be willing to pay the full cost
|
- What happens if I go away and I run out of electricity?
-
| We suggest that if you are going away for a short period i.e. a month or less, that you make sure that you have recharged your meter with enough electricity to last this amount of time (bare in mind your average consumption for this period) For longer periods and possibly even in the case above you should make sure that everything that is not essential is turned off and unplugged, thus minimising any usage. You will still need to ensure that you have sufficient electricity to keep your meter going for anything that you can't turn off (e.g. alarm, gate, pool etc) We suggest that you have a friend or family member check your property once a week as this is the best way to ensure that your property will be safe from crime, water damage or any other disaster.. |