Absa fails to stop repeated unauthorised charges despite formal disputes

I am extremely frustrated by Absa's handling of repeated charges from ETHIOPIAN BYBEL LLC / Ethiopian Bible College / BibleHub.

I cancelled this subscription on 10 August 2026. The merchant subsequently confirmed in writing that the subscription had been cancelled, acknowledged that deductions after cancellation should not have occurred, promised refunds, and assured me that no further amounts would be deducted.

Yet the charges continued.

My bank transaction records show five R240 charges AFTER cancellation:

11 August – R240 17 August – R240 24 August – R240 4 September – R240 19 September – R240

Each transaction also attracted a R6 international transaction fee.

That means R1,200 has been charged after cancellation, plus R30 in associated bank fees – a gross post-cancellation outflow of R1,230, before taking into account any refund or credit that Absa can prove was actually posted to my account.

I first formally approached Absa about stopping these recurring deductions on 18 August. My original reference was ***.

On 19 August, Absa informed me in writing that they could not suspend the transaction because:

"The transaction is not a debit order but a subscription."

I was referred to Absa *****.

The charges nevertheless continued.

I escalated the matter again and Absa subsequently opened further cases, including *** and ***. On 18 September, Absa advised me that a chargeback had been raised and that my account would be credited, subject to the merchant bank's right to challenge it.

Most concerning of all, Absa subsequently told me:

"Unfortunately, we are unable to stop or prevent the merchant from debiting your account as we are a medium of payment."

This leaves me with a very basic question:

How can a customer cancel a subscription, notify the merchant repeatedly, obtain written confirmation of cancellation, notify her bank, involve the bank's ***** and Disputes departments, dispute the transactions – and STILL have the same merchant continue taking money from her account?

I have repeatedly asked Absa to tell me exactly HOW these transactions are being processed. Is this a recurring Visa/card-on-file transaction? A stored credential or token? Is the merchant using my bank account details? What continuing authority or mandate allows these transactions to be processed after cancellation, and how is that authority permanently revoked?

I still do not have a satisfactory answer.

I have now stopped my card because I no longer feel confident that further transactions will not occur. Yet even card replacement may not address the underlying problem if the recurring payment authority or stored credentials remain active.

I am not asking Absa simply to reverse one R240 transaction.

I am asking Absa to:

1. Provide a complete reconciliation of every post-cancellation debit, refund/credit, chargeback and any re-debit. 2. Explain the exact payment mechanism being used by this merchant. 3. Permanently terminate whatever recurring payment authority is allowing these charges to continue. 4. Resolve all valid post-cancellation disputed amounts and associated fees. 5. Give me written assurance explaining what has been done to prevent this from happening again.

After more than a month of repeated complaints, case numbers and referrals between departments, this matter should have been resolved.

I have now escalated the matter to the National Financial Ombud Scheme.

I am posting this review because I need Absa to take ownership of the problem and provide a definitive solution – not another reference number.