Extremely disappointing service from African Bank – Audacious Rewards redemption

I am an African Bank client and have a My World account, which includes the Audacious Rewards programme where you accumulate points that can be redeemed for vouchers or cash.

I had accumulated enough points to redeem R500 in cash. On Monday, 7 September, I used the app to redeem my rewards for R500 cash. The app indicates that this should only take a few minutes, but the money was never credited to my account.

Tuesday, 8 September: I contacted African Bank by phone because the R500 was still not available. I was advised accordingly, but the issue remained unresolved.

Wednesday, 9 September: I called again and was told that the matter would be escalated to the relevant department. I received no feedback or call back.

Thursday, 10 September: I contacted the bank again, only to discover that the redemption transaction had been reversed and my rewards points were returned.

Friday, 11 September: I went into the Mall@Reds branch personally. The consultant assisted me by redeeming the points for R500 cash again and advised me that I must have done something incorrectly when using the app.

Monday, 14 September: I called African Bank again because the R500 cash still had not been credited. Once again, I was told that the matter would be escalated to the relevant department.

Tuesday, 15 September: I contacted the bank yet again. At this point, I still had no R500 cash, no resolution, and no meaningful feedback from African Bank.

What is particularly frustrating is that this is a service that African Bank offers as part of its banking products, yet I have spent an entire week repeatedly contacting the bank and even visiting a branch, with the issue still not resolved.

I am extremely disappointed with the lack of communication, follow-up and assistance. Every time I contact the bank, I am told the matter will be escalated, but nobody actually comes back to me with an explanation or resolution.

I would like African Bank to urgently investigate what is wrong with the Audacious Rewards cash redemption process, credit the R500 owed to me, and provide a proper explanation as to why this has happened and why I have received such poor follow-up.

As a long-standing client, I expect much better service and communication from my bank.