Formal Complaint: Mishandling of Vehicle Finance Application by Absa

I am extremely disappointed in the way Absa has handled my vehicle finance application, and I feel compelled to share my experience so others are aware of the lack of professionalism, transparency, and accountability I’ve encountered.

After initially being approved, my application was later declined on the basis of media articles that have no connection to me whatsoever. In fact, one of the articles doesn’t even mention my name. Despite my clean financial history and having previously paid off a financed vehicle within three months, Absa has used these baseless media reports to justify re-evaluating and ultimately stalling my application.

On 7 April, I wrote a formal email after being contacted by the regional manager, who made several assurances that the matter would be resolved. To date, I have still not received a clear response or outcome on whether my finance is approved. I’ve been left chasing answers, receiving inconsistent feedback, and experiencing nothing but delays.

While I appreciate the efforts of some individuals who have tried to assist, I made it explicitly clear that I no longer wished for Suraiya to be involved with my application due to serious professional concerns based on how the matter has been handled. This is not personal, it’s a reflection of how poorly my application has been managed. Despite this, I was never provided a proper explanation as to why Quinton had to step in to handle responsibilities that were supposed to be Suraiya’s.

I also formally requested a copy of the report Suraiya submitted to motivate my finance application — a report she confirmed was done, and I have yet to receive it. This lack of accountability, broken internal communication, and disregard for urgency is completely unacceptable.

I gave Absa until 4:00 PM on the specified date to finalise the matter or provide a definitive response. As no resolution was received, I now consider the matter closed from my end. I refuse to continue chasing answers from a bank that clearly does not value or respect its clients’ time or integrity.

Absa’s handling of this situation has left me with serious doubts about their internal processes and the fairness with which clients are treated. I feel I am being unfairly targeted for taking a stand against wrongdoing, not for any legitimate financial reason.

I urge Absa to reflect on the way they treat their clients and hope the appropriate corrective actions will be taken internally. As for me, I will be taking further steps externally to ensure this matter is addressed