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Dennis Y

1 reviews | Active since May 2018

01 May 2018, 11:38

African Bank *********s clients to use debit order system.

It seems that African Bank have adopted a policy of using harrassing phones calls from their collections department in order to coerce/********* their clients into using debit orders, a practise the banking ombudsman does not condone. I currently have 2 accounts with African Bank. One is on debit order (loan) and the other is not (credit card). Every month I receive multiple phone calls from the collections department, most times out of office hours requiring me to make an "arrangement" as to when the next payment on the non-debit order account will be made. NOTE: the account is in good standing and not yet due! When I tell them it will be in accordcance with the agreement I signed when I opened the account, they still require/insist on a specific date! When I complain about the harrassing calls, I'm told that because I pay the credit card by EFT and not by debit order, they are required to phone and get an arrangement commitment date EVERY MONTH! The banking ombudsman has ruled that the debit order system exists for the convenience of both consumer and FSP, but that no FSP can make the use of the debit order system a condition of sale of any product and that the choice to use the debit order system is for the consumer, not the FSP.

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Replies (3)
African Bank
African Bank's reply02 May 2018, 08:56
Official

Thanks for speaking up and calling us out. We'd like to call you and listen to your concern in detail, but we can't get hold of you. Please give us a call on ***so that we can get to the bottom of this.

We hope to talk to you soon.

Your African Bank Support Specialist team

DY
Dennis Y's update28 May 2018, 14:15
Reviewer Update
Spoke to a very helpful gentleman, no real resolution due to the design of the African Bank IT Systems. Has been better this month as calls only started last week, due to the fact that African Bank, contrary to my agreement that I signed in 2014, had my salary date incorrect, hence the early calls! However, the narrative I am subjected to each call is irritatingly long and pointless. I do not need to be reminded that I have accounts with African Bank! I don't need to be told the balances of those accounts! I do not need to be thanked for the payments made last month! I don't need to be told when the next debit order if going to be deducted, or that I don't have a debit order on the one account! I especially don't need to be told this at my place of employment and be subjected to the embarrassment of having to deal with these *****ic agents in an open plan office where the CEO of the company can hear men and stare at me whilst I try to explain to an aggressive and rude agent whose only interest is to complete his mile-long script before he listens to me, and to get me to provide confidential banking information to him, a complete stranger to me and someone whom I have no manner in which to verify his bonafides! On top of that the ********* comes out! "If you sign a debit order, we wont need to phone you every month!" Please stop calling me, especially at my office!!! I will not bow to *********, ******ion , rudeness and aggressive employees!
DY
Dennis Y's update19 Feb 2019, 15:38
Reviewer Update
After almost 9 months of peace and no phone calls from African Bank agents, I must thank whoever made the arrangements to halt these irritating phone calls. Sadly, this morning........ THEY STARTED AGAIN!!!! Please work your magic and make them stop.