Astrid is not the only non-responsive person at CIPC. I submitted a patent application beginning 2011. When I tried to access my account on the internet 3 or 4 months later to follow up, I was blocked because my new married name had not been updated at Home Affairs yet. When I called the call centre, the guy said he could not give me the info I needed - I had to check it myself on the system...(?) To regain access, he said I had to mail my request to [Email Removed] I did. I was told to send in the relevant info needed to prove that I was who I said I was before they would help me. I did, got a reference number and never heard from them on this topic again. I tried calling again - NO ANSWER. I emailed again, using the reference number they supplied - NO RESPONSE!!
Then, on 20 March 2013, Astrid Ludin emailed me to inform me that I needed to submit a letter requesting the money I had in their account (R140-00) be paid back to me. I did on 12 April 2013 - NO RESPONSE WHEN I EMAIL, NO ANSWER WHEN I CALL. To this day, I still don't know if they registered my patent or if the application failed... They don't have to register the patent anymore, I just want my R140-00!
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