Engineering Chamber

Dear Member,

Overdue Account and Membership.

 Accounts that are due only once a year in January are unfortunately sometimes forgotten. We find that some members forget to pay despite the reminders that are posted during the year. This oversight sometimes happens to busy professionals. 

 Some members or their firms pay direct into our bank account but neglect to include invoice number ,membership numbers and members names on the bank deposits as reference. This sometimes also happens with company cheques, which we receive with no indication of which member's account is being paid. The bank account statement received from our bank does often not reflect the membership number. Such payments are then placed in a Suspense Account.

 Eskom, Government Departments and Municipalities as well as other big companies often do not supply which member’s account they are paying and these are often impossible to trace and resolve.

 The problem may be due to an error by us or to system problems at the payer’s side. We will be pleased to amend our records on receipt of documentary proof of payment which gives us the required date, amount paid, to whom paid, the members number / invoice number and members names. We sometimes get proof of payment but the payment has been made to ECSA or some other body and not COET.

 Full instructions about payment requesting a copy of the invoice and / or details of membership number and last name and initials are printed in the notes on the invoices. Direct payment and Electronic payment details as well as our bank details appear on the back of our invoices. Invoice and/or Membership numbers must be quoted as many members have the same last name and initials. A readable copy of the deposit slip / or printout of the electronic transfer must be sent to us to ensure that the correct account is credited.

 If the above procedure is not followed we may not be able to identify whose account is to be credited.

 We suggest that you check with your records or with your firm's records and provide us with documentary proof of payment. Claims of payment must be accompanied by documentary proof of payment. (Photostats of processed cheques, deposit slips and electronic transfers that indicate the amount, date and whose account is being paid are acceptable). Telephone calls and messages including Fax messages stating that the fees were paid are not acceptable. If we react to these our auditors could view this as fraud as no documentary evidence has been provided. On receipt of documentary proof of payment we will be most pleased to correct your account.

 We remind individual members who are registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) that ECSA will disallow the discount they grant to Chamber members if members are not up to date with their COET annual membership fee. 

ECSA requests a membership update list from us a few times a year, the last being in February so they can update their records for their April invoice run.

Bargains should not be neglected! Pay your association bill now!