Traumatic Experience from a Customer Service Consultant

Good Day

To whom it may concern

I am deeply aggrieved by the service rendered to me by Service Consultant "Thabang Moodie" and the call centre consultant, who has put me through a huge inconvenience and expenditure during this trialling times of financial difficulties.

Please see below as I explain explicitly the trials and tribulations he has caused me during my migration process from Virgin Credit Card to ABSA Credit Card.

On the 14th May 2021, I received a call from ''Thabang'' advising that my application has been approved & that I am required to resend my ID copy and proof of address via email to him, being that my lease agreement had a start date but No end date. He further instructed me to go to the nearest ABSA branch and update my details. I advised him that my lease agreement is on a month-to-month basis as stipulated. I asked if I could send him an Invoice from my mobile service provider as proof of my address being that I have recently moved to my new address and I have no other form of evidence, other than the Lease Agreement and the Invoice received from my mobile service provider, to which they had delivery my contract sim card to. He had advised that the invoice must have a value. This said after I advising him that it reflects a ''Zero" amount. However, I had still comp**** with his instructions, which was to visit the nearest ABSA Branch to update my details.

On the 15th May 2021, I had resent my ID and Lease Agreement, which entailed an end date to which he had requested. He failed to acknowledge my email or even have the decency to reply back. On the 18th May 2021, I had called the call centre to follow up on my application, being that I had not received any feedback from "Thanbang", however, this did not even prominent to the purpose of my call, due to failing a verification questionnaire of which I was asked to confirm a second mobile number which I was expected to remember over 15 years ago. Despite expressing my view, that the number she had requested me to verify is indeed an old number which I had over 15years ago and that she cannot expect me to remember such a number and I could not understand why ABSA would have such obsolete contact details, she, the call centre consultant, refused to assist me any further, instructing me to visited an ABSA branch to update my details. 'Yet again I am being redirected to physically go into an ABSA by another employee of ABSA's". Having no assistance from the people I had liaised with from ABSA, I was left with no option to visit the branch.

On the 18th May 2021 at 15h00, due to work constraints, bearing in mind that we are still enduring a Pandemic (CoVid19) and that we are to follow strict protocols, which meant that I had to follow a slow-moving line outside the ABSA branch Richards Bay. At this point, I was concerned that I may not even make it in time to see a service consultant to update my details as requested by "Thabang" and the call centre consultant. Fortunately, the employees at Richards Bay branch use their discretion and are considerate of their clients and had allowed us to enter the branch to conduct our affairs.

As mentioned a slow-moving queue once again, inside the branch to which I only got to see the consultant at approximately 16h00, eventually. I explained my situation to the service consultant, who then advised me that the application was in process and it would be best not to disturb the process as it is still within their time frame. The original copy of my mobile network invoice had been retained and I was requested if I could return the next day to ensure that the process had been executed and if not she would then intervein and assist with the application, to which I was obliged.

I return to the Richards Bay ABSA branch on the 19th May 2021, approximately 10h00 as requested by the vary same service consultant, who advised me to come directly to her. To our amazement, the system still had a note by "Thabang" requesting my ID and proof of residency regardless of the application been already approved by the system. This did not make sense to either of us, (myself and the service consultant) as the application had been approved, which meant that there had been no need for ABSA to acquire these documents from me. The consultant then sent an email directly to "Thabang" whilst waiting for his response to which we had no avail, she further escalated the matter to the branch manager to which a conference call had been initialised with "Thabang" for further clarity on his reproach. After waiting for over some time, I was given feedback by the consultant in the branch, that the matter had been resolved and that "Thabang" had advised the application had been approved and there is no further documentation required of me. At this point, I was extremely frustrated, as all my efforts had been done for nothing due to the incompetence of two individuals namely "Thabang" and the call centre consultant. Further to this "Thabang" still did not have the decency or the professionalism to update me on the progress, regardless of him explaining himself to the branch manager and service consultant of which I was not part of the conference call conducted. Still to date I have not received an update from "Thabang", of which I had to call in yet again to the call centre for an update as to who will be delivering my credit card and when will it be delivered.

I am appalled by the service rendered to me by "Thabang" and the call centre consultant, is that clearly I have been given the runaround. One needs to understand the financial implication and repercussions of their actions. Firstly the number of telephonic calls made by myself, my time wasted too which I will never gain back, and lastly the consumption of fuel used to commute to and fro to ABSA bank due to the incompetence and negligence of such employees. This is a really bad reflection on ABSA and one should take into consideration that even though one has written and passed their RE Exams this does not indemnify one to have people skills, customer skills, competency skills, discretion, or understanding. I urge ABSA's HR to employ the write people for the write positions as clearly these bad eggs I had to deal with DO NOT VALUE their jobs or their clients, who contribute to paying their salaries. Please take note of the time taking to draft this email and the severity of my grief as it holds heavyweight.

I do not wish to speak to "Thabang" nor do I want an apology from him. I request that the right thing be done and I feel that it is necessary to discipline such indecent behaviour. As one begs the question, that if I had experienced such trauma, how many other clients of ABSA have suffered the same fate? Surely I say that should this continue, then I am afraid ABSA may be in danger of losing many clients, which is detrimental to the business and damaging ABSA's reputation, as well as their forecast for the future.

Kind Regards