Over 2 months for Power of Attorney to be processed

I have been waiting for 2 months for a Power of Attorney to be processed.

Firstly, I called the call Centre who sent me a form to complete, sign (at the Embassy) and courier along with all the ID documents. This took a while and cost, but I was hopeful for speedy processing because I fulfilled all the requirements.

Secondly, on the 3rd of November 2020 I asked my sister to take the documents along with her identity for the POA to be granted to her at the Carnival Mall branch. She was made to wait for 2 hours after which she was not assisted, but given a call centre number to call. In short, Absa's branch consultants and managers are inconsistent in understanding how to process Power of Attorney requests. She went to 2 branches and received 3 different processes to follow:

- 3 November 2020 Carnival Mall Branch - Indifferent "Sorry, I can't help you. Go home and you need to call the Call Centre again and ask them to sort it out" - 9 November 2020 Boksburg Branch Manager - Another 2 hours waiting time. "Welcome surprise" "Sure, we can help you." Documents were verified after 3 days

How is the first 2 "fish and chips responses" to customers even possible in a bank with documented processes. The least I can expect is a consultant or branch manager to read a manual if he is not aware of the processes. Send a circular and memos to all branches.

Lastly, my sister was finally assisted by the Boksburg Branch consultant Gresham who took the documents and made the application on the Absa system. The process explained was that the original documents were sent to Absa Towers Legal Operations Team for capturing and then only the process could proceed. From 12 November 2020, this is where the process DIED.

We have been patient, understanding despite the fact that an unprocessed POA has an impact of the granted party not being able to do the following:

- Issue a replacement card - Update the email address - Reactivate Online Banking and Banking App - Link existing accounts (Bond and Household Insurances) - Transact on the account

Absa Legal Operations Team, please get it together, POA is not rocket science. This is a bad customer experience.