A Business build by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs - yeah right

We as a SME company have been banking with FNB since 2012 and in all this time we have been keeping a clean positive account. We are now in need of their assistance as we are at a crossroads with regards to business growth.

We have been juggling our work load but our pipeline is of such that the current headcount cannot cope with the demand and we cannot take on new projects, which brings in new revenue, thus the company cannot grow meaning we cannot create more jobs.

We have been trying to get to a senior business banker that can look at our company and assist us but the best we could get hold of is the FNB call centre. These guys do an amazing difficult job in the Call Centre and one cannot fault them for the answers you get when dealing with them as they are instructed and scripted to work in a certain way. Yet we do not need a call centre person but rather a decision maker to assist us.

And while we battle we came across an article posted by Mike Lyle in July 2017 (his profile indicate that he is the CEO of Commercial Banking) that "FNB Increases Support for SME's".

Reading that article, we wonder if this is just lip service or if they are serious with their support of SME's.

I tell you thus far our experience dealing with FNB to try and get either a business loan or even an overdraft facility has left a serious bad taste in our mouths. This to the point that we consider moving not only our business account but our personal accounts from FNB to one of their competitors.

So, with all the advertising propaganda of a bank build by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs we really must wonder… is this just lip service or are they serious to help SME’s and entrepreneurs.