Based on recent customer reviews, Absa is described as an institution where individual staff members often shine but core banking processes repeatedly fail. Customers consistently report unauthorised deductions, blocked accounts and unresolved theft investigations, while a recurring theme is the difficulty of reaching anyone who takes ownership. Staff and Branch Experience (2.8) is the only theme scoring near average, with digital security and dispute resolution drawing the strongest criticism.
Top Strengths:
- •Staff & Branch Experience: Customers frequently name individual consultants who go beyond expectations, praising patience, product knowledge and follow through. Insurance and branch consultants attract the warmest feedback, and the in branch smart ID service is described as fast, although understaffed branches and long queues temper the theme.
Replied to 100% of negative reviews
Reply time on negative reviews: 11h 45m
TrustIndex
3.4
Ranking
#3
in Banking
Reply Time
11h 24m
NPS Score
-52
Recommended: Unlikely
Replied to 100% of negative reviews
Reply time on negative reviews: 11h 45m
Oct '25 - Sep '26
Frequently Asked Questions About Absa
What do customers say about Absa?
Based on recent customer reviews, Absa is described as an institution where individual staff members often shine but core banking processes repeatedly fail. Customers consistently report unauthorised deductions, blocked accounts and unresolved theft investigations, while a recurring theme is the difficulty of reaching anyone who takes ownership. Staff and Branch Experience (2.8) is the only theme scoring near average, with digital security and dispute resolution drawing the strongest criticism.
What is Absa's biggest strength?
Absa's biggest strength, according to Hellopeter's AI analysis, is Staff & Branch Experience. Customers frequently name individual consultants who go beyond expectations, praising patience, product knowledge and follow through. Insurance and branch consultants attract the warmest feedback, and the in branch smart ID service is described as fast, although understaffed branches and long queues temper the theme.
What are the most common complaints about Absa?
The most common complaint about Absa, based on Hellopeter's AI analysis of recent customer reviews, is Digital Banking & Security. This is the weakest theme. Customers report unauthorised transactions and theft investigations that run for months without investigator contact, claims declined with generic letters, large transfers processed without app verification prompts and repeated lockouts after phone upgrades.
How does Absa compare to other Banking companies?
Absa scores 1.3 out of 5 on Hellopeter's AI analysis of service quality in Banking, compared to the Banking industry average of 1.3. Their strongest theme is Branch Experience (2.8); their weakest is Digital Banking (0.8). The top AI-rated Banking business on Hellopeter is GoTyme Bank | Formerly TymeBank (3.1). How is the AI Score calculated? →
Is Absa trustworthy?
Absa has a TrustIndex of 3.4 out of 10 on Hellopeter, based on 3,147 reviews in the last 12 months. They reply to 100% of negative reviews, typically within 11 hours 45 min. Hellopeter has tracked Absa across 45,534 total reviews. How is the TrustIndex calculated? →
Recent reviews (3,147)
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Share Your Experience1 reviews | Active since Sept 2026
I was assisted by Ntombifikile, she was assisting me very well, my id no *** and my ema...
I was assisted by Ntombifikile, she was assisting me very well, my id no *** and my email *** Thank you.
1 reviews | Active since Sept 2026
I was assisted by Ntombifikile, she was assisting me very well, my id no *** and my ema...
I was assisted by Ntombifikile, she was assisting me very well, my id no *** and my email *** Thank you.
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2012
ABSA Cape Gate - Failure to provide proper service (SMART ID renewal)
I have tried for several days to book an appointment for a SMART ID renewal (replacing a green book ID) for both my father and I and was not successful. I tried to book this at ABSA Cape Gate as this is the branch closest to us. Either the app or website tells me "no dates available for this branch", or, if I do get the date picker, all the dates are disabled (I cannot click on them) until well into 2027. I checked the website and it states there that ABSA does assist walk-in customers so we decided to follow that route instead. On Monday, 21 September my father and I visited the Cape Gate branch to enquire about the walk-in process and told the consultant assisting us that we have not been able to get an appointment after several attempts. She told us that they were fully booked for that day, but that we can come back the next day or any other day. We should just try to be there early to have a better chance of being assisted. We decided to go on Friday, 25 September and was already waiting in line at the bank at 08:45. When we were eventually let in a lady at the information desk told us that we should have a seat, but that we would have to wait since, understandably, people with appointments would be assisted first. We sat for about 30 minutes with no one paying any further attention to us, checking that we were in the right line or anything. Eventually, my father enquired with one of the consultants there - Barry. When asked whether we would be assisted that day, Barry simply shrugged and was very vague. Apparently, we "just have to keep trying to get an appointment". Interestingly, on an information screen inside the bank, it displayed information that a consultant could also assist us to make an appointment. At no point was this offered, or even suggested. We only received a shrug from Barry. I now understand this branch's 2.1 rating on Google. There is no organisation with the SMART ID renewal, consultants seems untrained and unable to provide answers and at no point did this ABSA branch deliver the service that was promised on both the website or their information screen. Both my father and I have been ABSA customers for several decades and it was appalling to see how the level of service have degraded. Consultants at the same branch are contradicting each other which is highly unprofessional and adds to the impression that the staff is not trained properly. To be clear, I am not insisting to be assisted as a walk-in customer. I have tried to follow the correct steps, unsuccessfully. ABSA claimed they assist walk-ins, either with the SMART ID renewal or with booking an appointment - both which was not delivered to us at all today. I have already reported this to ABSA Action line. Reference number is ***.
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2012
ABSA Cape Gate - Failure to provide proper service (SMART ID renewal)
I have tried for several days to book an appointment for a SMART ID renewal (replacing a green book ID) for both my father and I and was not successful. I tried to book this at ABSA Cape Gate as this is the branch closest to us. Either the app or website tells me "no dates available for this branch", or, if I do get the date picker, all the dates are disabled (I cannot click on them) until well into 2027. I checked the website and it states there that ABSA does assist walk-in customers so we decided to follow that route instead. On Monday, 21 September my father and I visited the Cape Gate branch to enquire about the walk-in process and told the consultant assisting us that we have not been able to get an appointment after several attempts. She told us that they were fully booked for that day, but that we can come back the next day or any other day. We should just try to be there early to have a better chance of being assisted. We decided to go on Friday, 25 September and was already waiting in line at the bank at 08:45. When we were eventually let in a lady at the information desk told us that we should have a seat, but that we would have to wait since, understandably, people with appointments would be assisted first. We sat for about 30 minutes with no one paying any further attention to us, checking that we were in the right line or anything. Eventually, my father enquired with one of the consultants there - Barry. When asked whether we would be assisted that day, Barry simply shrugged and was very vague. Apparently, we "just have to keep trying to get an appointment". Interestingly, on an information screen inside the bank, it displayed information that a consultant could also assist us to make an appointment. At no point was this offered, or even suggested. We only received a shrug from Barry. I now understand this branch's 2.1 rating on Google. There is no organisation with the SMART ID renewal, consultants seems untrained and unable to provide answers and at no point did this ABSA branch deliver the service that was promised on both the website or their information screen. Both my father and I have been ABSA customers for several decades and it was appalling to see how the level of service have degraded. Consultants at the same branch are contradicting each other which is highly unprofessional and adds to the impression that the staff is not trained properly. To be clear, I am not insisting to be assisted as a walk-in customer. I have tried to follow the correct steps, unsuccessfully. ABSA claimed they assist walk-ins, either with the SMART ID renewal or with booking an appointment - both which was not delivered to us at all today. I have already reported this to ABSA Action line. Reference number is ***.
1 reviews | Active since Aug 2025
My assistants were Lerato Molepo and Busisiwe Dlamini They have assisted me to understand what my...
My assistants were Lerato Molepo and Busisiwe Dlamini They have assisted me to understand what my insurance entails and also saved more interest by introducing an annual debit for my insurance. I now what I am covered for because of Busisiwe assistance
1 reviews | Active since Aug 2025
My assistants were Lerato Molepo and Busisiwe Dlamini They have assisted me to understand what my...
My assistants were Lerato Molepo and Busisiwe Dlamini They have assisted me to understand what my insurance entails and also saved more interest by introducing an annual debit for my insurance. I now what I am covered for because of Busisiwe assistance
1 reviews | Active since Nov 2018
Fixed contract signed but my contract not fixed now affected by interest rated
I recently switched Home loan bond from FNB to ABSA must say that I am not happy as my condition to go to Absa was to get a fixed contract which Tshepo Kobela was the person who was assisting me- the initial agreement was *** I signed the fixed contract on the 19 March 2026 which I was already 2 month with Absa if not mistaken-I dont think I was treated ferly because I was the one nagging the guys- months down the line interest rates went up and I questioned why mine are going up - I then again signed a fixed contract on the 25 June 2026 of *** and it was sent like the first one was sent. to my surprise I get an updated home loan changes to now *** after I submitted the fixed signed contract- literally my bond went up by R141 which is unfair because I did my part but I was failed-as a result I want my bond to go back to *** because I have proof that i signed for a fixed contract and I am willing to raise the issue with OMBUDSMAN.
1 reviews | Active since Nov 2018
Fixed contract signed but my contract not fixed now affected by interest rated
I recently switched Home loan bond from FNB to ABSA must say that I am not happy as my condition to go to Absa was to get a fixed contract which Tshepo Kobela was the person who was assisting me- the initial agreement was *** I signed the fixed contract on the 19 March 2026 which I was already 2 month with Absa if not mistaken-I dont think I was treated ferly because I was the one nagging the guys- months down the line interest rates went up and I questioned why mine are going up - I then again signed a fixed contract on the 25 June 2026 of *** and it was sent like the first one was sent. to my surprise I get an updated home loan changes to now *** after I submitted the fixed signed contract- literally my bond went up by R141 which is unfair because I did my part but I was failed-as a result I want my bond to go back to *** because I have proof that i signed for a fixed contract and I am willing to raise the issue with OMBUDSMAN.
1 reviews | Active since Aug 2020
Over a Month of Silence on an Urgent Issue
Extremely disappointing service, especially from an institution that calls itself a professional bank. I had an issue that required me to first complete a specific process before they could assist me. I followed their instructions and, once I was in a position to proceed, I logged the required support ticket. That was over a month ago. This is a relatively urgent matter, yet in more than a month I have received ONE response — simply informing me that my ticket had been transferred to another department. Since then? Nothing. No update. No progress report. No follow-up. No indication of when someone will actually assist me. A customer should not have to chase a bank for more than a month just to get an acknowledgement that their problem is actually being dealt with. I followed the process I was instructed to follow. I logged the ticket exactly as requested. The very least I expect in return is communication and some indication that the matter is progressing. Moving a ticket to another department is not resolving it. Going silent for over a month is not customer service. For a bank handling people's money and financial matters, this level of communication and support is simply unacceptable. 1 star because apparently getting an actual response requires more effort than logging the original ticket.
1 reviews | Active since Aug 2020
Over a Month of Silence on an Urgent Issue
Extremely disappointing service, especially from an institution that calls itself a professional bank. I had an issue that required me to first complete a specific process before they could assist me. I followed their instructions and, once I was in a position to proceed, I logged the required support ticket. That was over a month ago. This is a relatively urgent matter, yet in more than a month I have received ONE response — simply informing me that my ticket had been transferred to another department. Since then? Nothing. No update. No progress report. No follow-up. No indication of when someone will actually assist me. A customer should not have to chase a bank for more than a month just to get an acknowledgement that their problem is actually being dealt with. I followed the process I was instructed to follow. I logged the ticket exactly as requested. The very least I expect in return is communication and some indication that the matter is progressing. Moving a ticket to another department is not resolving it. Going silent for over a month is not customer service. For a bank handling people's money and financial matters, this level of communication and support is simply unacceptable. 1 star because apparently getting an actual response requires more effort than logging the original ticket.
1 reviews | Active since Nov 2018
Absa Activate
I am extremely frustrated with the level of service I have received from Absa Activate. After purchasing a new vehicle and adding it to my insurance policy, I spent weeks trying to contact the Activate team on ***. Despite numerous calls, the line was never answered. The only time I received any response was after escalating my complaint on social media. What makes this even more concerning is that, when taking out the insurance policy, customers are informed that if the telematics device is not installed and the vehicle is ******, a claim may not be paid. However, despite this requirement, Absa Activate took almost three weeks to respond and arrange the installation. It appears that the responsibility falls entirely on the customer to continuously follow up, while Absa Activate makes little effort to proactively contact or assist clients. After eventually securing an appointment, I had the telematics unit installed on 22 September. Twenty-four hours later, I was required to test the device. I attempted to call the number provided in the email at least five times, but once again nobody answered. I eventually contacted the emergency number, only to be informed that they were unable to detect the panic signal from my vehicle and that I should call the same number listed in the email. Despite numerous further attempts, there was still no answer. To make matters worse, my new vehicle is still not reflecting on the Activate app. This entire experience has been unnecessarily stressful and has left me with very little confidence in Absa Activate's ability to provide the service customers are paying for. It is unacceptable that customers are expected to meet strict insurance requirements while Absa Activate fails to provide the support needed to comply with those requirements. At this point, I believe Absa should seriously reassess its partnership with Absa Activate or take immediate steps to improve the service being provided. The consistently poor customer experience reflects negatively on the Absa brand as a whole and damages customer trust. I am intending to move my policy as this is just frustrating. I would appreciate urgent intervention to resolve these outstanding issues and an explanation as to why it has been so difficult to obtain support through the designated contact channels.
1 reviews | Active since Nov 2018
Absa Activate
I am extremely frustrated with the level of service I have received from Absa Activate. After purchasing a new vehicle and adding it to my insurance policy, I spent weeks trying to contact the Activate team on ***. Despite numerous calls, the line was never answered. The only time I received any response was after escalating my complaint on social media. What makes this even more concerning is that, when taking out the insurance policy, customers are informed that if the telematics device is not installed and the vehicle is ******, a claim may not be paid. However, despite this requirement, Absa Activate took almost three weeks to respond and arrange the installation. It appears that the responsibility falls entirely on the customer to continuously follow up, while Absa Activate makes little effort to proactively contact or assist clients. After eventually securing an appointment, I had the telematics unit installed on 22 September. Twenty-four hours later, I was required to test the device. I attempted to call the number provided in the email at least five times, but once again nobody answered. I eventually contacted the emergency number, only to be informed that they were unable to detect the panic signal from my vehicle and that I should call the same number listed in the email. Despite numerous further attempts, there was still no answer. To make matters worse, my new vehicle is still not reflecting on the Activate app. This entire experience has been unnecessarily stressful and has left me with very little confidence in Absa Activate's ability to provide the service customers are paying for. It is unacceptable that customers are expected to meet strict insurance requirements while Absa Activate fails to provide the support needed to comply with those requirements. At this point, I believe Absa should seriously reassess its partnership with Absa Activate or take immediate steps to improve the service being provided. The consistently poor customer experience reflects negatively on the Absa brand as a whole and damages customer trust. I am intending to move my policy as this is just frustrating. I would appreciate urgent intervention to resolve these outstanding issues and an explanation as to why it has been so difficult to obtain support through the designated contact channels.
1 reviews | Active since Nov 2020
NOT RECOMMENDED
Im in Costa Rica and I don't have access to my banking app even though I have notified the bank via the app that I will be travelling and I provided the dates as well. I'm stranded now without any view of my funds and financially restricted on my trip. I tried reaching out via the live chat service and no response. Absa is unreliable with services but has the highest bank charges that I pay every month. I'm going to sue
1 reviews | Active since Nov 2020
NOT RECOMMENDED
Im in Costa Rica and I don't have access to my banking app even though I have notified the bank via the app that I will be travelling and I provided the dates as well. I'm stranded now without any view of my funds and financially restricted on my trip. I tried reaching out via the live chat service and no response. Absa is unreliable with services but has the highest bank charges that I pay every month. I'm going to sue