ABSA unable to keep promise of rebate account conditions

In January 2018 I was at ABSA Ben Swart in Pretoria where I closed my old bank account due to ********** transactions on my account, and opened a new account. The old account was a rebate account which I had since about 2006. I asked for the same rebate facility on my new account and was told this would be done. This meant I was not paying any fees.

To my surprise my new account had a monthly fee. I went into the branch to query this and was told to return another day as the consultant who helped me was not there and only she could assist. Very strange I thought.

I returned and the consultant then tried to change the account. It was taking very long so she said she would do it and email me. No email was sent. In my next monthly statement I was now paying three times the fees of the previous statement.

After about a month I got a call to say that the matter was escalated and her supervisor would call me. That happened three days later. I was told that the rebate facility was not going to be offered to me. The branch had no say over the matter it appeared and could do nothing to retain me as a customer.

I am extremely unhappy as I was already traumatised by having to change my account and all the debit orders that were running off it. Now, ABSA was forcing me to find another bank as ABSA was unwilling to be a little flexible in dealing with its customers.

I have been a customer first with Trust bank when I was a tiny tot and then to ABSA and Barclays and ABSA again. I am very saddened that ABSA will do nothing to retain a loyal customer and are constantly hiding behind the statement that "the settings and fees are all set by head office". Perhaps ABSA has not realised that other banks are offering far more personalised banking services and they are just not keeping up. Even the branch decor e.g. seating and electronic number allocations are far better at other banks that I have been to. ABSA is counting far too much on its customer loyalty, in my view.

Yours sincerely A Dawood