1 reviews | Active since Jan 2020
ABSA Business account placed on hold
Hi, I m Samuel Chukwumezie, last year i opened a business account at your branch in clearwater mall, I m a foreign national, Nigerian, to be precise, with my business permit. I submitted all the documents necessary for this account to be set up, frustratingly, it took the branch almost a month of document verification, which includes my business permit, before I could finally get my business account. As the days passed, I noticed that something might be wrong with said business account as all of a sudden I couldn't get access into said business account nor could i use my bank, at the time, I had no funds in the account. Concerned about this development, I went to the bank to get this resolved, normally, i would go to the customer service, and that is where I went to, where they fixed my online banking as well as my card and I left As no funds were in the account, i had no cause to use the online bank or the card, a few days later, I decided log in to check if everything was ok, tried to, but again no access, checked my card for balance, no access, rather, atm referred me again to the bank for a second time. Again I went to the bank to get this checked out, same procedure, issued me a new pin as well as sort out the online banking. still at this time no funds in the account. A few days ago, i now needed to make a deposit into this account, before depositing, I tried first to log into the online banking, again for the 3rd time no access at the time, and my card same thing, which prompted me to again go to the customer service to check if everything is ok before I keep my money there, again they rectified the online banking and card respectively, and I left. Hoping that everything was in order as nothing was pointed out by the branch on the said account, i went ahead and made a deposit, login into my account, and funds were there, though, the bank had already debited their charges of upwards of 1500rands on the account. no problem. time to spend, i try with the card, refers me again to the bank, tried online purchase. didn't go through, so i went bank to the branch to enquire as to why i keep having this problem, they checked, told me everything was fine, and i told them it can't be, if it was i would be able to spend both online and using my card. it was only when i pressed further, that they looked and realised that my account had been put on hold, inquiring as to why my account was put on hold, they told my passport was flagged by standard bank as a ********** business permit, hence they picked it up and put my absa account on hold, the same document which took absa almost a month to verify before setting up the said account. May it be noted that absa has my email address and my phone number on file, before putting my account on hold, no body, including my banker, nor my branch, nor the person that initiated the hold on my account contacted me to inform me of their decision to place the account on hold, no problem. I have been to the branch severally and in person to inquire on the said account, even before i made the deposit, and no body informed me that the account was on hold, hence i made that deposit. I pointed this out to the bankers, and told them to continue placing my account on hold but rather release my funds to me and they refused, and now, my life and the life of my family, my daughters school and feeding for the new year has been put on hold MY QUESTION How does a client, (me in this case) know that their account has been put on hold in other for the client not to deposit their life into the account, is ambushing clients, or setting traps for people to loose their money a policy of the bank? If standard bank considers my business permit to be **** and flagged it even as I do not have any account, current, previously, closed or open whatsoever with standard bank, what was Absa verifying for up to a month before the said account was set up that they didn't pick it up, you must note that I obtained my permit from an agency, and individually have no means of verifying the authenticity of the said permit. Yes, before Absa, I tried earlier to set up a business account with standard bank, the banker treated me poorly, and i withdrew my application and rather went to another branch to get it done, to which they refused, saying i already have a pending application. i went severally to inquire as to the reason my application has not been approved and till this day, the bank has not told me anything concrete. I have gone to standard bank to get to them to clear my name of this flagging, and no body has been able to assist me with this. so personally I feel damaged, cheated on, and ambushed by ABSA, and for this reason, i ll be challenging whatever banking policy it is that allows you treat customers and clients this way, in court
