Astounding incompetence

My elderly mother has been trying to close her FNB credit card for two years. As she is too frail to follow up, I undertook to assist her.

She is both sight and hearing impaired and is largely immobile, but with a great deal of difficulty and effort I took her to the FNB Contantia Village branch on 4 December 2017 where she completed and signed another form with all the necessary attachments and was advised that this would be e-mailed to the Credit Card division. On 11 December it was confirmed telephonically that the form had been received and that her account would be closed and the credit balance therein transferred into her account at another (far more efficient and competent) bank.

To date, the account is still active. I have spent innumerable hours attempting to follow up both telephonically and via e-mail. The account closure department telephone ********** does not get answered (or gets answered and immediately disconnected). When we eventually get through via the customer "service" number, many of the agents will only speak to her but as she cannot hear them, that proved useless.

I logged a complaint via the website. This was responded to efficiently enough, but after a few days I was proudly informed by Byron that a credit card account had been closed on the 6 December. The only problem was that the credit card number he quoted was not my mother's and there has been no further response from him.

There have been numerous response to our e-mails to the Credit Card division ********** all of which are completely nonsensical and none of which have understood my problem. Yesterday we finally received what we knew all along, they "can't find the forms on their system" and we have to submit them again. We don't have them, they were submitted by the Constantia branch. Two months have passed and my mother is no longer mobile. I have requested that the forms be e-mailed to her, but it is highly doubtful that this simple request will be understood.

Having been in business for 25 years, I have dealt with every bank in South Africa and many overseas banks and FNB is by far the worst I have ever experienced. If you're thinking of moving to FNB, a word of advice: DON'T. If you value your mental and physical health, do not put your money into the hands of these people, you may never get it back.