ABSA - *********** bank

ABSA is such a **** bank. The money in your account can only be used on items that they deem valid. I tried a couple of times to use my debit card for an online purchase which got blocked by ABSA's ***** department. Firstly this ****es me off because even after 3d secure is used, they still block the transaction as ********** instead of processing the transaction which i would definitely let them know if the transaction was ********** but no, they just block the transaction. So i phone their ***** department and give them my details and answer their standard security questions. :One would think that after answering their standard security questions correctly that, that would mean i have authenticated that they are speaking to the owner of the card/account. It is the standard for any of their other services when you phone the call centre. But no after the standard security questions, i am asked what the payment amount is and to who which i tell them. i get put on hold and when the person returns to the call, all of a sudden i am not who i say i am and the standard authentication questions already answered now all of a sudden isn't sufficient to prove that i am who i say i am. So now i get asked a second round of questions based on my credit profile at credit buros. I get asked questions, some easy and some that i don't have a clue on what the answer could be such as 1) When did i start/register my first company (answer: started in 2012 only registered in 2015 but they want the month as well which obviously i couldn't remember) 2) Name your current or former employer (answer: current is self employed so me and former I list a few, clearly whichever credit buro's report they are using would be the correct answer for them even though the answer has changed and hasn't been updated by the credit buros. all 4 credit buros would have a different correct answer for this question. So i fail the 2nd authentication and now i am not the person that i say i am and all payments using my card are blocked and in order for me to remove the block as with any absa problem their answer is to go to a branch. With the lockdown would mean that i would need to travel 30 minutes or 10km's to get to the nearest open branch in order to remove a block on my card due to ABSA's pathetic processes. Now i have to risk being pulled over by police or the army just to tell them i have to go to the bank even though their are ATM's much closer to my house.

Thank you ABSA. I have finally decided to rid myself of your incompetence after 30 years a client.

Take care.