Data disaster

<p>During a morning well over a week ago my whatsapps stopped delivering. I realised that my data must have run out, which is a bit strange as it was the begining of the month. Anyway, I longed onto ABSA Online and purchased a data bundle for R119 that would recharge my data one a month for the next six months. I immediately received an sms which should have told me that I'd received my data. What the sms actually said was, "You have purchased a data bundle and will receive 0KB data bundle every 30 days for the next 5 months. Your account has been debited R119."</p> <p> </p> <p>Now, 0KB is ZERO data. I received absolutely nothing. So I tried to call my service provider to find out what was going on, but realised I had no airtime. This surely couldn't be the case as it was the beginiging of the month and my contract would have just been topped up..., So, I went to a physical store of my service provider and tried to get to the bottom of this. They informed me that what must have happned is that my data topup from ABSA (which I'd received an sms confirming days before) must not have come through and that because I had no data, that my data usage used up my airtime. But that is another complaint for another day. The issue at hand is that the most recent purchase of data had not come through, well ZERO data had come through as promised in the SMS. I was told that if I had purchased the data directly through the service provider that they would have been able to sort it out immediately. However, because I purchased the data through ABSA I would have to imform them of the mistake and they would have to fix it. </p> <p> </p> <p>So I purchased more airtime directly from the service provider and proceded to call ABSA to inform them of their mistake. After being bounced around and holding for what seemed like an eternity (it was actually only 20 minutes to be fair, but that is another 20 minutes worth of my aittime being needlessly spent/waisted because of ABSAs mistake) I finally was able to lodge my complaint. I was then informed that it would be investigated and that I could expect a response in 3 days .... Great! So I have no data and no confidence in ABSA to buy more using their online banking. So I get a friend to do me a favour and purchase some data for me using one of ABSAs competitors (I'll more onto my interest to giving them my business later). </p> <p> </p> <p>So after 3 days I receive an sms saying, "ABSA has received feedback indicating that the prepaid transaction was successful at the time of purchase." That is the extent of the feedback that I received... Did they mean the prepaid airtime I purchased at the service providers store, because sertainly the data bundle purchase did not work as indicated in the SMS i received and the fact that no data came through. Either way, I was not helped and the issue was most certainly STILL not resolved. So, I call ABSA back with my reference number handy ( ********** ) and to ask what can be done to resolve the issue and as it turns out waist even more of my airtime. I procede to get bounced from person to person, department to department and listen the tune that gets played while holding for 25 minutes more than I cared too. Eventually I'm told that the person who dealt with the situation was Noluthando Ngwenya and that I needed to call back again the next day to speak directly with them. </p> <p> </p> <p>I have just called back with the reference number and name at the ready. After holding some more, I was told that Ngwenya was not available but that they could see a note saying that I needed to source activity logs from the service provider in order to move forward with further investigation. NONE of this was communicated with me until I followed up numerous times, waisted more airtime and still was relying on ABSAs competitors to purchase data so that I could continue to fight to prove a mistake that ABSA made in the first place. </p> <p> </p> <p>I'm incredibly brand loyal and have had my bank account with ABSA ever since my parents opened my first one 28 years ago. Since then my entire family and friendship circle has moved from one bank to another loonking for the best deal, while I've remained loyal to ABSA. All the time I've been an ambassador and spread positive word of mouth communications about ABSA. However, this most recent LACK of service and quick frankly theft of my payments has me teatering on the edge of jumping off the cliff, closing my accounts and moving to one of ABSAs competitors. </p> <p> </p> <p>I request that my money be reimbursed for the data budles that I haven't received, and unfortunately know that I will never get back the value of the airtime that I've spent or the time I've wasited on a matter that was entirely the fault of a system that is SUPPOSED to make transactions easier and less hassle for its clients. </p> <p> </p> <p>ABSA will have to manage this issue extremely well over the next day or so in order to rescue it's relationship with me and retain me as a client. Unfortunately, I won't hold my breathe as I've completely lost faith in their ability to deliver client service and that will take even longer to rectify. </p>