Cautionary Tale: Incompetence, Lockouts, and Lack of Communication with FNB

I want to caution everyone about the incompetence, pathetic service, and lack of correct communication I have experienced with this institution. While traveling abroad, my account has been locked, and I was not informed of this critical development.

I would understand the action taken by them if I had not done everything required to ensure my account's compliance. However, this is not the case. I provided all documentation requested by FNB to ensure my account would remain active and usable. I even received confirmation via email that I was indeed compliant after this exercise, only to have my account blocked for no reason. I did not engage in any ******* activities!

As a result, I am in another country with no funds and have incurred several liabilities. To further highlight their incompetence, I engaged with them on one of their so-called digital communication channels. I found it rather annoying that each message was met with long delays in response, as if they are juggling several clients at once. The problem is that there is no focus on their clients' needs.

My chat was abruptly cut after taking a little too long to respond. I must add that it was a lot less of a delay than their consultant had me wait on each occasion. This means that I had to enter a new chat and explain the whole issue again, further wasting my time as the consultant was not helpful at all.

Moreover, the dire situation this has put me in directly threatens my life. Any medical issue or related incident could result in a disaster, and I am unable to access the necessary funds to address emergencies. Despite this critical circumstance, the bank ensures that my monthly account fee will still be charged, adding another layer to what seems like theft in my eyes.

Adding to the gravity of the situation, I was not informed that my account had been locked. This lack of communication put me in a dangerous position. What if I had needed to settle a bill for dinner, pay for a service, or address an unforeseen expense? Who would I turn to when I was unable to pay a bill in this case?

Be cautious with this bank; they are not leading in digital banking, and they do not provide any customer service. All they are interested in is charging you a monthly account fee for doing pretty much nothing. Personal bankers are a gimmick, one that has never resulted in any assistance in the five years or more that I unfortunately trusted this bank.

I have lodged complaints with FNB, and guess what? The only response I got was a generic system-generated email stating that they would like to waste another 24 - 48 hours of my time while they do nothing.

In the meantime, I'm still stuck in another country without access to MY money. It seems a lot like theft, does it not, or even ransom for my time.