DISCOVERY BANK: THE HOTEL CALIFORNIA OF BANKING SERVICES

I am very dissatisfied with the service and the app since signing up and installing the discovery bank app. I have been trying to close an premium banking account which I was assigned on the Discovery Banking while signing up in DECEMBER 2019. I encountered problems while trying to open a basic account in the app at the time and while halfway thought the process the app froze and I could not select the product I wanted but instead found that the premium banking product had been selected. I did not want this as I already had two banking accounts and the service fees were quite expensive but the app was difficult to navigate and there was no clear way to cancel. A day or so later I received a service rating email which prompted me to rate the experience (which had a table provided for this which COULD NOT BE EDITED?!) I took the opportunity to communicate my issue and request that the account be downgraded or closed. No response and I received a debit card for this account which I decided simply not to use thinking the account would close once my mail was received and due to non activity. This is a transcript of my mail:

"---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Chantal Dette <***> Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2019 at 10:46 Subject: Re: We appreciate your feedback at Discovery Bank. To: Feedback <***>

I can't edit to select on the table.

My Rating: 3

Although the process was very quick, there was no option in the app to go back and select a different account. Even when I closed the app and when back in to restart my application it opened on the same screen I had got stuck on and I was forced to accept the account which I hope I will be able to downgrade. This was very disappointing for what may have been an exceptional experience as far as financial apps and efficiency goes.

Kind regards,

Chantal Dette _____________"

But, to this day the account remains open and there was never revert from Discovery but the service fees were mounting each month despite my category request to close or downgrade. I never used the account. But, since all of my insurance products were by then with Discovery, I was keen to use the banking service and logged onto the banking platform somewhere in mid 2020 to open a new account. To my horror the fees on the unused and unwanted account had climbed to R2100.I called in again and spoke to a consultant but alas the account remained open. Until August 2021 when some monies were reimbursed to me by my company and I reference the unused and unwanted account number in error. The entire sum was absorbed at a very difficult moment in the middle of lockdown and AGAIN I called in and spoke to a consultant called Refilwe who gave me a reference number and promised to revert and assist. AGAIN NOTHING. AND THE ACCOUNT REMAINS OPENS AND HAS NOW RUN UP TO R3041.53.

THIS BANK USES UNDERHANDED TACTICS TO GET CUSTOMERS TO ENLIST FOR THEIR PREMIUM SERVICE BUT BEWARE BECAUSE THIS IS THE HOTEL CALIFORNIA OF BANKING SERVICES BECAUSE ONCE YOU GET IN YOU CAN NEVER GET OUT.

And there's just no simple closing account option or maybe one needs a degree to navigate what is seemingly a very simple app. But for all it's elegance this service is nothing more than a shake down and they will never call back or assist. Stick to major established financial institutions or shift to crypto - this is a *******.