Don't be convinced to upgrade to eWallet Extra. You'll pay PREMIUM fees for unreliable service.

FNB is full of fancy ideas that they blast all over the media, but they should absolutely put a RED FONT line disclaimer, stating that you have zero guarantee that they will be able to render a service, and that they will make zero effort at informing clients when their systems goes down or even when they expect it to be back up.

I am a private banking client, and have also opted to use eWallet Extra. HUGE MISTAKE. Delightful then to call the call center, only to be told there is nothing wrong with eWallet. Then I am asked if I am using a Telkom cellular line. I reply no, I am on Cell C. Then she wants to know what it is that I am trying to do. I tell her I'm trying to make payments, but the system is unavailable and I must try later - and it does not even appear under my list of account options if I log on from the PC platform.

I tell her that you charge ever so generous fees to use eWallet Extra, to which she replies "oh, eWallet Extra - yes, we are having technical difficulties with eWallet Extra and the technical department sent a message saying that they should have it sorted by the end of business today.

Now you tell me, why you charge PREMIUM fees for every transaction on that channel, but cannot send out a broadcast message that the service is down.

Us, the idiots that pay the fees for service that now resembles Eskom's attitude of "no guarantee there will be service", are the last people FNB concerns themselves with.

All your fancy ideas may be ahead of its time, but it is of no use or benefit if everyone stops using it because you are too arrogant to communicate with clients and to ensure that systems are maintained so that we can use it. I certainly will now avoid this service channel altogether, as I read on Downdetector how many people have been complaining in the past weeks about the intermittent availability of eWallet Extra.

You are busy irritating loyal clients (that you have no qualms in accepting very high service fees from), and your very fancy app and functions means absolutely zero when it is only available if you pick the lucky straw for the day.

If I had to close my business account, my private banking account and my other accounts, you would not care. Perhaps the approach the public took with Momentum should be visited upon FNB to make them realise they are not beyond being affected by slack service delivery.

A serious level of arrogance never goes unnoticed for long. If you want to make the money, deliver the service. If hick-ups occur, have the decency to inform your clients. It really is not rocket science to realise why this is unacceptable - especially since it is ongoing judging from other reports and comments on the web.