Cheap Banking Cards

Expected nothing more from Discovery to be honest. Pathetic.

Dear Discovery Bank Complaints Team,I acknowledge receipt of your response.I am disappointed that Discovery Bank has elected to rely solely on its replacement fee policy without properly addressing the substance of my complaint.My complaint is not that I am unwilling to pay a fee that ordinarily applies when a card is lost, ******, or damaged by the customer. My complaint is that a Discovery Bank card has physically deteriorated after approximately 10 months of ordinary use.The photographs supp**** clearly show the card peeling and delaminating. This is not the result of misuse, negligence, or accidental damage. I have cards from other South African banks that are more than five years old and remain in substantially better condition than a Discovery Bank card that is less than a year old.Your response states that the cards are manufactured to industry standards and undergo rigorous quality assurance processes. If that is the case, then a card visibly peeling after only 10 months of normal use raises legitimate questions regarding durability and fitness for purpose.Furthermore, I do not accept the argument that waiving the replacement fee would violate your Treating Customers Fairly principles. Treating Customers Fairly does not require Discovery Bank to treat fundamentally different situations as though they are identical. There is a material difference between replacing a card because it was lost, ******, or damaged by a customer and replacing a card that appears to have failed prematurely through normal use.I draw your attention to Sections 55 and 56 of the Consumer Protection Act, which provide consumers with the right to receive goods that are reasonably suitable for their intended purpose, of good quality, in good working order, and durable for a reasonable period having regard to the circumstances of their supply. While Discovery Bank may have a general replacement fee policy, internal policies cannot override statutory consumer rights.I therefore request that Discovery Bank:

1. Reconsider its decision and provide a replacement card at no cost;
2. Provide the specific contractual clause re**** upon to justify charging a replacement fee where a card has allegedly suffered premature deterioration through ordinary use;
3. Confirm whether the damaged card and photographs were reviewed by the card manufacturer or quality assurance team and provide the outcome of that assessment; and
4. Provide Discovery Bank's final written position on the matter.

Should Discovery Bank maintain its position, I will consider referring the matter to the National Financial Ombud Scheme and any other appropriate consumer protection body for determination.I trust Discovery Bank will reconsider its position and address the actual issue raised, namely the apparent failure of a product supp**** to a customer after less than one year of normal use.Kind regards,Philippus