ABSA's Severe Oversight Damaged My Wife’s Credit Record

As a husband, I am deeply disappointed in the shocking level of negligence my wife experienced from ABSA, which has now left her with a tarnished credit record through no fault of her own.

In 2023, ABSA issued her a new credit card that was never properly linked to her profile. Despite assurances from staff that it was active, it remained invisible on her app and could not be used. Unknown to her, ABSA was charging monthly fees on this non-functional, inaccessible card. She continued paying off her old credit card as usual — unaware that a separate account was silently accumulating charges in the background.

By the time she was alerted, the damage was done: a bad credit record, failed data contract application, and personal/professional inconvenience. She immediately paid the outstanding fees in full, but ABSA failed to correct the credit listing. Efforts to resolve this through multiple in-person visits to the Stellenbosch branch, follow-ups, and a complaint lodged with Lucinda led nowhere. Promised feedback never materialized. Documents were “lost.” No accountability.

To make matters worse, the credit bureau's investigation focused on the wrong card — the old one, not the one that caused the issue — because of incorrect communication from ABSA.

This is financial negligence at its worst. My wife’s name is now associated with a bad credit record through ABSA’s fault. This matter will now be escalated to the Consumer Protection Agency, the National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO), and the Banking Ombudsman.

We are demanding a full investigation, a formal written apology, and most importantly, the immediate correction of her credit record.

ABSA, your lack of accountability and systemic failure is simply unacceptable.