Absa Legal and Debt Collecting Clowns .

ABSA's Legal Department and their debt collector clowns are by far the most dilettantish organisations I have ever dealt with. Dilettantish means inexperienced, ***********, unskilled, unskillful, awkward, and inept.

My 84 mother who has been medically diagnosed with stage 5 dementia ,had been conned into signing power of attorney over to her "caregiver". The "caregiver" app**** for credit and an overdraft on my mother's account to the amount of R144 000.00. After drawing and spending all the money, he then app**** for debt rescue so that the repayment on the accounts would be less and that he could continue drawing off her pension. My mother never had any debt in her life. After having received calls from a debt collector, I realised what was happening Iand intervened. On taking my mother to ABSA and investigating what had transpired, I found that ABSA had granted my mother/caregiver credit and an overdraft of R144 000.00. These credit facilities were granted to a woman who is 84 years old, and has dimentia. The credit had been given on the strenth of a R10 000.00 a month pension, and no other form of income. I saw and have a copy of the applications that were filled in. There was no affordability dilligence done on any of my mother's accounts, yet the credit facilities were approved? To make matters worse, my mother has no recolection of what was done on her name and does not understand the debt collectors calls.

When the debt collector phone calls started, I tried speaking to ABSA's Debt Review Department and the debt collectors, but to no avail. My explanations with the State Dr's written medical diagnoses of my mothers demensia fell on deaf ears. ABSA legal claimed it was out of their hands and that I communicate with the clowns. I called the clowns and came to an agreement with them that I would settle my mothers entire debt for R50 000.00. Absa sent me a settlement letter for only the credit card, and not the entire debt as I was led to believe. Shortly thereafter I started getting calls again from another debt collector clown wanting payment for the overdraft. Even after sending them and ABSA my mother's diagnosis, they are persistant, to such an extent that I actually end up verbally abusing the callers for not reading my mothers file. ABSA have put a hold on my mother's account and I need to request permission every month to have my mother's pension transfered to an account from which I can draw from to cover her living expenses. This mission often takes numerous phone calls to complete, and often up to 10 days for her money to be released. Was it not that my mother's pension was paid by the UK government, I would have changed her bank immediately. Unfortunately to try and change my mother's account in the UK is difficult with her not being their personally to do so. I have never in my life dealt with such with such incompatant organisations. Unfortunately, this is not my first complaint regarding this matter.