Terms and Conditions
Internet services, installation and store purchases
These Terms and Conditions explain how ZTEL supplies internet services, installs equipment and sells networking products. Read them with your accepted quotation or application, the Acceptable Use Policy, the Consumer Code of Conduct and the Privacy Policy. You may request a copy of the documents that apply to your order.
1 Who we are
In these terms, “ZTEL”, “we”, “us” and “our” mean ZTEL (Pty) Ltd, trading as ZTEL Communication. Company registration number: 2015/215212/07. “You” means the customer named in the accepted order or application.
Our office is at 25 Burt Drive, Newton Park, Gqeberha, South Africa. Our website is https://ztel.co.za. Contact us on 061 943 0573 or at complaints@ztel.co.za for account notices, cancellations and complaints.
2 Your agreement and monthly service
The agreement starts on the date stated in your accepted application or order and continues from month to month. Your order must identify the package, recurring price, installation charges, any equipment charges and the date on which billing starts.
We will provide the relevant terms before you accept an order. An enquiry or a click on a WhatsApp order button does not, by itself, complete a purchase. We will confirm the available product or service, total price and fulfilment arrangements in writing. Any special terms must be recorded in the accepted order; they cannot remove rights that the law gives you.
3 Availability speed and performance
Connection is subject to coverage, a suitable installation location, available network capacity and any necessary permissions. We will explain the installation requirements and charges before work starts. If we cannot provide an agreed service, we will discuss an alternative or refund any amount due for the service we cannot supply.
Advertised internet speeds are “up to” speeds unless a specific written service level agreement states otherwise. Actual performance can vary because of signal conditions, interference, network congestion, power interruptions, customer equipment, Wi-Fi coverage or the destination service. These qualifications do not remove our obligation to provide the service with reasonable care and skill or your rights where the service fails to meet the agreed standard.
Our uncapped packages do not have a fixed data-usage threshold after which speed is reduced solely because you have used that amount of data. Uncapped does not mean a guaranteed constant speed. The security and abuse controls in our Acceptable Use Policy still apply.
4 Installation and access
You must obtain any landlord, property-owner or body-corporate permission needed for installation and provide safe, reasonable access at an agreed time. We will obtain your agreement before carrying out chargeable work beyond the accepted quotation.
You authorise reasonable remote access to equipment we manage for setup, maintenance and troubleshooting of your service. Access to your personal devices, files or unrelated systems requires a separate lawful basis and, where necessary, your permission. On-site access and equipment collection must be arranged with you. These terms do not authorise forced entry into your premises.
5 Equipment ownership
Equipment purchased separately and outright from the ZTEL store belongs to you once paid for in full and delivered or collected. The invoice must identify it as a separate product sale. Installation by ZTEL or connection to the ZTEL network does not change ownership of equipment you have purchased or already own. Ending an internet subscription does not give ZTEL the right to take back that equipment.
Network equipment supplied and installed by ZTEL as part of your internet subscription remains the property of ZTEL (Pty) Ltd. This includes routers, wireless receiving equipment, cabling and other components supplied for use with the service, unless expressly sold to you as a separate outright purchase. We will record the supplied equipment in your installation record or equipment schedule. Installation, activation, labour and monthly subscription payments do not transfer ownership of this equipment. It is supplied on a free-to-use loan basis for the duration of the service.
Take reasonable care of loan equipment and do not sell, lend, relocate or alter it without our agreement. Report loss, damage or faults promptly. We will not charge you for ordinary wear or an inherent defect. Any claim for loss or damage must have a lawful basis, reflect the circumstances and be supported by an explanation of the amount.
When a service ends, we will arrange the return or collection of loan equipment within a reasonable period. Section 9 explains our right to recover ZTEL-owned equipment after one month of unpaid subscription fees. Built-in cabling or fixed components will be dealt with according to the installation record and applicable law. Non-payment or being unreachable does not authorise entry without consent or the lawful process required to recover property.
6 Prices payments and billing
Prices are quoted in South African rand. The quotation or order confirmation must state the total amount payable, applicable taxes, delivery costs and any installation, collection or other agreed charges. Pay by the due date and use the account or invoice reference shown on your invoice. EFT is the preferred payment method where offered.
No extra fee applies merely because an incorrect reference was used unless the fee was lawfully disclosed and agreed. Send proof of payment if a payment needs to be traced. Interest, reconnection charges and recovery costs may be charged only where lawful and disclosed in the agreement; we will not impose arbitrary penalties.
Contact us promptly if you believe a bill is incorrect. We will investigate, explain the outcome and correct errors. Continue paying amounts that are not disputed. A complaint does not waive your consumer rights or make you liable for an amount that is not lawfully due.
7 Store orders delivery and returns
Orders may be arranged through WhatsApp on 061 943 0573. Before you confirm, we will provide the product description, quantity, price, payment instructions, stock status and agreed delivery or collection arrangements. Installation and configuration are included only where the quotation expressly says so.
We will tell you about a known delay or unavailable item and agree the next step with you. Please inspect products when received and report damage, shortages or incorrect items promptly. A delay in reporting does not automatically remove statutory rights.
Where the Consumer Protection Act applies, qualifying faulty, unsafe or defective goods may be returned within six months after delivery, at our risk and expense, for your choice of repair, replacement or refund. Applicable statutory conditions and exclusions remain in force. A manufacturer’s warranty supplements these rights; it does not replace them. Supply an invoice or other reasonable proof of purchase. Original packaging is not a condition for a valid statutory defect claim.
For qualifying electronic purchases, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act allows cancellation without reason or penalty within seven days after receipt of goods, or within seven days after conclusion of a service agreement. Statutory exceptions apply, including certain services begun with your consent during that period and customised goods. For this cooling-off right, only the direct cost of returning goods may be charged and payments must be refunded within 30 days of cancellation. Other statutory return rights remain available.
Outside statutory rights, any additional change-of-mind return arrangement must be agreed in writing. We will explain the basis for a declined claim and any available escalation route. We will not require you to deal only with the manufacturer where the law places an obligation on us.
8 Cancelling or changing a service
Send cancellation notice to complaints@ztel.co.za, identifying the account holder, installation address and intended end date. The notice period for the monthly service is 30 calendar days from receipt of your cancellation notice. We will acknowledge receipt and confirm the final service date, any lawful final charges and the arrangements for loan equipment.
Keep a copy of your notice. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, contact 061 943 0573 so we can check receipt. An acknowledgement is an administrative step and does not invalidate a notice that you can show was properly delivered.
You remain responsible for charges lawfully due up to the effective cancellation date. We will account for any prepaid amount and refund sums that are due to you. Statutory cancellation or cooling-off rights, including any shorter period that applies, take precedence. Moving premises or changing a package may require a coverage check and a quotation; we will confirm this before proceeding.
9 Non payment suspension and equipment recovery
If your monthly subscription remains unpaid for 30 calendar days after its due date, ZTEL may suspend the service and require the return of its equipment, including arranging for its disconnection, removal and collection. This right applies only to equipment owned by ZTEL and is subject to the notice and recovery procedure below. Installation and subscription payments do not purchase that equipment.
Before acting for non-payment, we will send written notice stating the overdue amount, the deadline to pay and the proposed suspension or equipment recovery. We will allow a reasonable opportunity to remedy the default and comply with all applicable notice, remedy and billing-dispute requirements. If the default remains unresolved after those periods, we may lawfully terminate the service and your permission to use the loan equipment. Any longer period required by law takes precedence over the 30-day threshold.
You must cooperate in arranging a reasonable appointment for authorised ZTEL technicians to disconnect, remove and collect ZTEL-owned equipment safely. We will take reasonable care to avoid property damage. We will not enter premises or take equipment without the necessary consent or lawful authority; if access or return is refused, we must use the required legal process. Recovery excludes equipment you own, including separate store purchases. Returning equipment does not cancel subscription charges already lawfully due.
We may also restrict or suspend a service for a material breach of the agreement, serious network abuse or a legal requirement, with the notice and opportunity to remedy required by law.
An urgent restriction may be necessary to contain a credible security threat or prevent unlawful harm. We will limit the action to what is reasonably necessary and explain it as soon as we lawfully can. We will review the restriction and restore service when the grounds have been resolved and the agreed restoration conditions have been met. Termination must follow applicable notice and legal requirements.
10 Responsibilities and liability
Use the service lawfully, protect your account credentials and take reasonable steps to secure your own devices. Notify us if you suspect unauthorised access. We will use reasonable care in supplying services and handling equipment and will investigate reported faults.
Nothing in these terms excludes liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, gross negligence or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded. Neither party receives a blanket indemnity against all losses. Responsibility for a loss will be determined under the agreement and applicable law, taking account of its cause. Third-party outages or events beyond reasonable control will be handled according to the circumstances and any applicable service level agreement; they do not automatically extinguish statutory remedies.
11 Changes complaints and applicable law
We will communicate material changes to ongoing service terms or prices before they take effect, with the notice required by law and a reasonable opportunity to consider them. Changes will not retrospectively alter a completed purchase. Any right to cancel because of a change remains available.
Our Consumer Code of Conduct explains how to make and escalate a complaint. South African law applies. Nothing requires you to waive access to a regulator, ombud, tribunal or court with jurisdiction. If a provision is unenforceable, it will be severed only to the extent lawful and the remaining terms will continue where they can fairly operate.