Gatvol of pathetic customer service at Absa

Good day, Mr Kenny Fihla,

I am writing directly to you as the Group Chief Executive Officer of Absa because I am absolutely gatvol of the pathetic level of customer service I have experienced as an ABSA premium client.

You are reportedly being rewarded with approximately R49.6 million in annual awarded remuneration, according to Absa's own 2025 remuneration disclosure.

With that level of executive remuneration, it is entirely reasonable for customers to expect ABSA to deliver something as basic as competent, efficient, and secure customer service.

At present, this is simply not happening.

I have three separate and serious complaints.

1. GATVOL OF PATHETIC CUSTOMER SERVICE – MY PREMIUM CREDIT CARD

My premium credit card ending in 063 expired at the end of July 2026.

I was instructed that my replacement card would be delivered to the ABSA Hyde Park branch, and this arrangement was made at least five weeks ago.

Yet today, 19 August, the card is still missing.

I spent an hour at the Hyde Park branch, with one call being made after another, and nobody could tell me where my card was. Nobody could trace it. Nobody could give me a satisfactory answer.

How is this possible in 2026, in an age where everything can be tracked electronically?

More importantly, I have now been unable to use my credit card for approximately three weeks because it has expired. This has caused unnecessary inconvenience, including problems with transactions and debit orders linked to the card.

I am forced to use a credit card from a competitor bank! How pathetic!

And this is particularly concerning at a time when credit-card ***** is rife. Customers should be able to rely on their bank to manage something as basic and important as the secure delivery and replacement of a premium credit card.

I am therefore demanding that the replacement card be delivered to the ABSA Hyde Park branch within 24 hours—tomorrow by 12:00.

I have now been told I must wait another five working days.

That is simply unacceptable.

I have already waited weeks.

2. NO SECURE WI-FI AT AN ABSA BRANCH?

My second complaint concerns the lack of secure client Wi-Fi at ABSA branches.

This is a financial institution. Clients are expected to conduct banking and financial transactions, yet there is no secure Wi-Fi facility available for clients.

Instead, clients are expected to use their own mobile data/Wi-Fi.

Quite frankly, this is pathetic.

At a time when cybercrime and online banking ***** are major concerns, ABSA should be providing clients with a secure environment in which to conduct financial transactions.

This should be a basic priority for a modern financial institution — not something customers have to worry about themselves.

3. ACCESS DENIED AT BIDVEST LOUNGE – OR TAMBO, 23 JUNE 2026

My third complaint concerns an incident at the Bidvest Premier Lounge at OR Tambo Airport on 23 June 2026.

In the past, I have had no problem accessing the lounge using my premium ABSA credit card.

Suddenly, I was told NO. And had to pay R 730 to enter the lounge for 60 minutes.

Once again, there was confusion, checking, waiting, passwords and unnecessary administration — with no clear explanation.

If ABSA no longer provides lounge access with this premium credit card, then say so clearly.

Do not leave loyal customers standing around in queues, wasting time and energy while staff try to determine what should or should not be happening.

And once again, I encountered the issue of no secure Wi-Fi while trying to deal with the problem and potentially access financial information.

That is not acceptable.

THREE SERIOUS CUSTOMER-SERVICE FAILURES

So, in a relatively short period, I have experienced:

1. A replacement premium credit card that has disappeared and cannot be traced.

2. No secure Wi-Fi at an ABSA branch where customers are expected to conduct financial business.

3. Confusing and unexplained denial of access to a lounge benefit previously available to my premium card.

These are not trivial complaints.

They concern security, banking access, promised services, communication, and basic customer service.

And this raises a very simple question:

How can ABSA justify paying its top executives tens of millions of rand while customers are receiving service of this standard?

I am not suggesting that executives should not be well remunerated. But there must be some relationship between executive performance, customer experience, and accountability.

Instead of paying senior management millions, ABSA should jack up its customer service.

Fix the systems.

Track the cards.

Communicate properly.

Provide secure facilities.

Train staff to resolve problems.

And, most importantly, take responsibility when things go wrong.

I am a paying premium client and ex-staff member. I am ashamed of being associated with Absa. I should not have to spend an hour at a branch making one phone call after another simply to find out where my replacement card is.

I EXPECT URGENT ACTION

I want urgent written responses to all three complaints, together with:

A clear explanation of what happened to my replacement credit card. Confirmation that the card will be delivered to the Hyde Park branch within 24 hours. An explanation of why I have been told to wait another five working days after already waiting weeks. An explanation of ABSA's policy regarding secure client Wi-Fi at branches. A clear explanation of what happened regarding my Bidvest Lounge access on 23 June. Confirmation of exactly what lounge benefits my premium credit card is currently entitled to. If these matters are not dealt with properly and urgently, I will escalate the complaints through the appropriate channels, including Hello Peter, consumer journalist Wendy Knowler, and the relevant financial ombudsman.

I am also prepared to make the details of these experiences public because customers deserve to know what level of service they can expect from ABSA.

I have been a customer because I expected a professional, reliable, and secure banking service.

At present, I am receiving none of those things.

Mr Fihla, I expect you and your senior management team to take responsibility for fixing this.

I do not want another generic call-centre response.

I want answers, accountability, and action.

And most importantly, I want my replacement credit card delivered to the Hyde Park branch within 24 hours — not another five working days.

ABSA needs to get its customer service act together.

Regards,

Georg Knoke