Don't care attitude, allowing businesses to empty customer's account without protecting them

From 19:42 on Wednesday, 11 October, all the money from my Cheque account was drawn within seconds. I immediately contacted the Anti-***** Line (spoke to Josephine) and directly thereafter Telephonebanking (Boitomelo) to investigate the matter. Both looked into the matter and explained that it was an IT problem and that all money would be back in my account by 12 noon the following day. At 2pm the following day, I went to the ABSA branch in Garden Route Mall. Two consultants listened to my problem. The man was not sympathetic at all and couldn't clarify the problem. Another, Nina Wales, took my details and disappeared to look into the problem. Later, she came back and said that she contacted Head Office and obtained statements and there was a possibility that I wouldn't get my money back because they were made due to sales. When I explained what Telephonebanking and Anti-***** had told me, she directed me to a phone in the corner and explained that I should take the matter then up with them. I contacted Telephonebanking again. I spoke to Curtis who explained that double deductions were made and referred me to team leader Seboho. He referred me to the Complaints Dept where I spoke to Daisy. She was upset that I as customer had to do the inquiries, even though I had been in the bank for an hour unsuccessfully without being helped or getting answers. Nina Wales appeared again, giving me a pile of statements and curtly told me to go through my banking statements. My details were taken, but I was never contacted back by anyone. On Friday, 13 October, I went to the main branch in York Street. I insisted to speak to someone from management. I was directed to Tarryn Jansen. After looking into my complaint, she informed me that there was a problem from Standard Bank. Apparently, many Standard Bank sales had never been deducted from clients' accounts for more than six months. On Wednesday, 11/10/2017, Standard Bank decided to put through all the sales for the last 6 months, dating back to April. She then told me, unfortunately all sales were made by me and the money is accordingly subtracted from my bank account. Even though there is no way that I can prove that I have or have not made the mentioned sales, all money were simultaneously taken from my account at once. I explained that I have the Notify Me SMS service and all transactions always show on my phone. She said that it doesn't mean that they were subtracted from my account. I asked her why ABSA didn't notify me beforehand and she admitted that it was not right not to correspond with me beforehand but she isn't able to give a reason why they did not inform me. I explained to her, and this i feel so STRONGLY about that I am directing my problem towards you for resolution, that if I wanted to take risks like these and other, I would have banked under my bed, but 24 years ago, I started banking at ABSA, paid monthly banking fees, to have someone to act on my behalf, guard over my money and to see to it that I am not taken advantage of or having to face penalties. Now, having paid my monthly banking fees, I am the only one taking the penalty, being exposed to some bank that had made a small 'mistake' ongoing for 6 months. According to Ms Jansen (from management), they do not have any control over what had happened. I say nonsense! How do you have no control over what happens to your clients' bank accounts. She explained that I must know that there were customers having greater losses due to this 'mistake'. One client apparently lost R33 000 and another R60 000 due to this. I truly do not care about their losses. I am a single parent, earning a SGB teachers salary, to whom every little cent matters. A 'R0' bank account results in me not being able to feed my child a morsel of bread for the remaining 20 days of the month. I need to make alternative plans to get to work, because I do not have money to buy fuel to get me to work and back. I've been put in a humiliating position by my bank. Once again, I want to make it clear that I have never been someone to run away from my responsibilities and when looking into my record, you will note that I am a good client, meeting all my obligations. But according to me, what ABSA has done or allowed to be done, is nothing but unfair. Who keeps receipts of R30 from sales made 6 months ago. It is impossible to even remember making those sales. Therefore, I accept responsibility, but surely my bank could have resolved the matter by negotiating with Standard Bank on their clients' behalf. Why not arrange that deductions would me made over a period of time, since the mistake has not been on the clients' side? Why not inform us prior about the mistake, than getting the fright of your life at nighttime, not knowing what goes on, not getting any answers from the bank as to why the money has been deducted? I explained to Ms Jansen that I need to know how much money will still be deducted from my account, since I cannot afford losing my whole salary of next month, not having money for my monthly debit orders and getting a bad reputation. CAN YOU BELIEVE that she explained that unfortunately they are not able to tell me for how long this will go on, for how long my money will disappear without me even knowing exactly what for. In other words, she explained, that I may have to be satisfied with money being drawn! How can my bank NOT be able to tell me that I am still owing Rx amount? R400 was paid into my account on Saturday just to survive with my child. My balance? Still on R0. Gone is the R400! When I told Ms Jansen that I consider closing my accounts then, because I did not want to risk losing all future money to be paid into my account, she non-chalantly told me that I will not really be able to close my accounts here, owing money, and open a new account elsewhere. Obviously, I am not a *****, I will not run away from my debt, but which other choices do I have to think of to survive if my bank cannot assist me with my problem. Even though I do have two investments and also considered moving all banking affairs to another bank due to this mess, ABSA clearly sees me as small fry, not blinking an eye to lose a small, unimportant client like myself.