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JD
Jay D

1 reviews | Active since Feb 2018

14 Feb 2018, 09:19

Don't use FNB is you are a Non-Resident

Their system is in shambles. Nothing much works on their App and online banking regarding Non-Residents. Online staff tells you, you have to go to a Telkom shop, shop staff tells you, you have to call the call center. And waiting times inside the banks are inacceptable. As good FNB was 7 years ago.. that is gone.. the bank is a NIGHTMARE now.. no service, nobody understanding their own job and telling you BS. Just one funny one as example: I wanted to order my crime record to reapply for my Visa. Needed to transfer 12 Euros charge. Non-Resident can't do that online. So went to the bank and waited my usual hour till my ticket was up. Tell the Lady what I needed done. She looks at me: you can't do that with a Non-Resident account, you can't transfer money out of SA! I look at her in surprise and say, is that new? Yes, this is new law, you can not transfer outside. I get a bit irritated. Lady, every cent in my account comes from the outside as I can not put Rand in my account. Every cent in my account I can transfer back outside when ever I want. She looks at me, picks up the phone and calls a number. Bla bla, she looks at me, no, you can not do that, my colleague just confirmed. You have to call Non-Resident center! Can you please get the manager? She did, told the Manager my story. Yes, sure you can transfer the 12 Euro, who said you can't? Pointed to the Lady now making a stupid face. But I called in and got confirmed.. bla bla. Their workers don't know their own jobs.. this is ONE of MANY stories!!! and I really can tell stories. Manager I saw for a few weeks at least one or twice per week. Then I had enough from FNB and just stopped using SA banks and use my Overseas Visa to pull cash and pay. Is cheaper as the charges FNB puts on my Non-Resident account.

FNB = at best a not so funny circus, but banking, they are more Banana Republic Style

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Replies (28)
FNB (First National Bank)
FNB (First National Bank)'s reply14 Feb 2018, 09:48
Official

Hello Prom69 ,

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

We truly regret taking note of your experience and the frustration this has caused.

A complaint has been routed to the relevant department and I have requested that they provide you with feedback.

I do apologise for any inconvenience caused.

***

Regards,

Client Experience Team

Email address: ***

Tel number: ***

JD
Jay D's update14 Feb 2018, 10:27
Reviewer Update
I have and had so many complains.. to FNB customer support. When I write a complain on your own system, I have less fast response as when I write it on a public platform... that, my Dear, is the real failure! Get YOUR OWN system running!!! Then people stop warning others. I don't really need contact to any FNB employees, had that enough. I just use the platform to warn other people to open a Non-Resident Account with FNB as the experience will be very very bad! Just a warning... and I have R100k for weeks now in your queue with no access to the money, as FNB has absolutely no procedures regarding crypro currencies. There are 1300 of them, total mystery to FNB. .. as said.. you guys are not a bank.. you are a circus.. and not a good one either.
JD
Jay D's update15 Feb 2018, 10:21
Reviewer Update
22 days after the money got transferred into my account and frozen by FNB, they decide what needs to be done: send it to clearing, what takes another 2-4 weeks. 22 days nobody had a single clue what needs to get done. Forex Specialist... the Lady has a big signature: Best Foreign Exchange Provider in South Africa 2017/2018. Really, 22 days to figure out the obvious is the very best of South Africa? The guy at the post office told me to my face: 10 days from Joburg to Cape Town is very fast. I looked at him and said: No, order and delivery same day is fast. In 10 days I can walk to Joburg. At least the people behind be in the queue had a good giggle. Just looks like nobody wants to deliver a decent service anymore. Telkom we don't even start... FNB: How can we help you? By doing your job?? And not after 22 days.... lets see if anything happens before March.
FNB (First National Bank)
FNB (First National Bank)'s reply15 Feb 2018, 13:35
Official

Good Day Prom69 ,

Thank you for the feedback.

Kindly refer to the email received as the Branch Manager tried to get a hold of you.

Please use the contact details on the email to contact the manager for assistance, However we have escalated this again.

We sincerely apologize for the frustration and inconvenience caused.

Regards,

Client Experience Team

Email address: ***

Tel number: ***

JD
Jay D's update05 Mar 2018, 15:36
Reviewer Update
And still no answer from FNB... this case is still very much open
JD
Jay D's update06 Mar 2018, 09:10
Reviewer Update
The 100k I send in January, are still not cleared. Have no news regarding the transaction for over 3 weeks. No update, nothing.. no service is the best description.
JD
Jay D's update12 Mar 2018, 09:51
Reviewer Update
Still no update from the 100k I send 24. January to my account... and is still not available. The money was for a used car, my old broke down. Nearly 2 months with no car now, thank you FNB! Should I send you the Taxi bills??
JD
Jay D's update22 Mar 2018, 10:55
Reviewer Update
And still nada... I got a email 2 days after I made the update here, telling me that there is nothing much going on ^^ I think I start sending my Cab/Uber bills to FNB next week.
JD
Jay D's update23 Mar 2018, 08:57
Reviewer Update
As FNB is not able to clear the money I send in January, I tried to move some money with Paypal to buy myself another car. That doesn't work either and the transaction fails without a error message. FNB = One Huge Pile of ****
JD
Jay D's update23 Mar 2018, 17:20
Reviewer Update
Update ^^ Lets get this as clear as we can get it. I send money from Altcointrader.co.za to my Non-Resident account. I used ETH as I paid 1.8$ transfer charges to send those 100k Rand. This is to send from the UK Trader Spectrocoin, to South Africa. 1.80 $ US! As FNB was sleeping the last 7 years and have ZERO procedure for crypto currencies, the FNB agent tell me that she would prefer to send it back to Altcointrader, as the Feds will not be able to clear it anyhow. She had one request, that got rejected and the costs are 1400 Rand to the feds. Hehehe Yep, costs 1.80$ to send from the UK to SA but the feds put a fee on of a STAGGERING 1400 Rand.. over 110$ US. And then you ask why people like crypto currencies. Anyhow. Case went to her Manager and the Manager decided to just send it for clearing, KNOWING it will get rejected and cost the client 1400 Rand for NOTHING! Clearing came back and Banana Republic SA Clearing Bank rejected it. and charged me 1400 Rand for.. yeah.. NOTHING! FNB knew it would get rejected and instead of sending it back to the Altcointrader, they send it to the Feds, KNOWING the Feds will not clear it and charge 1400 Rand to the customer. Wanna laugh about those FNB *****s. Feds tell to send it back to Altcointrader. This is not just bad service, it is damaging the customer on purpose! Stay away from those FNB Noobs!
JD
Jay D's update27 Mar 2018, 08:49
Reviewer Update
4 Days later.. all FNB has to do now is make the transaction back to the Altcoin Trader (provided the transaction details to make the transaction same day I got the request from FNB, yep, same day). Has it happened? NOPE! Waiting... Uhh and the Forex Chick went in Vacation mode. FNB, how can we waste your time? Over 2 months and still counting the days. How can you need 4 days to make ONE transaction, even knowing your client is rather in a "upset" mood. Two answers: On purpose or they just don't give a *******.
JD
Jay D's update28 Mar 2018, 09:15
Reviewer Update
Day 5...
JD
Jay D's update28 Mar 2018, 16:36
Reviewer Update
Got a email from FNB 25 minutes ago: FNB :-) Funds held from Acc..328. Please contact the Non-Resident Centre on +27(0)11 ********** with proof of source of funds. Called in and the Gentleman has no idea what email that is and why that email got send, as the transaction is already processed. And that I got the email from ********** was a total mystery to him. Hehehehe Is just one big mess in that bank. My response to the email ended in a 'Not a Valid Email Account' and bounced back. I thought those emails are called as standard: ********** ^^ Like Trevor Noah said in one of his comedies: When the world decided to go one direction, SA decides to .. nah, we go the other way, not this, the Other! Still giggling about the confused Banker I had on the phone right now. "I have no idea why you got that email, Sir. We use a different email in non-resident center." At least the mail made me waste a bit more time with a not needed phone call. First try, the call ended in not getting connected to the non-resident center and went straight to "Please rate our service".. I pressed twice 1.. second try I ended with the Gentleman. Lets see when the money is back, how much is left from Feds fees and two transaction fees.. still no car I wanted to replace in January.. hitting April soon ^^ Very curious how much this FNB ***** up did cost me. Will make a final report when numbers are in.
JD
Jay D's update30 Mar 2018, 10:29
Reviewer Update
It is hard to believe.. really.. ONE transaction. The gentleman who told me that he did the transaction, messed it up. Now honestly, how can you not put the correct reference in? I gave VERY clear instructions.. every 5th grader would have done that. Sorting it out with AltCoinTrader support now. Nothing... absolutely nothing worked like it should with this bank... not sure I insult proper banks by calling FNB a bank. Hehehe How can you mess up a copy paste???? Everything was written perfectly clear. FNB, welcome to the circus!
JD
Jay D's update03 Apr 2018, 10:30
Reviewer Update
As I can't send a proof of payment from the online app, I had to wait 5 more days to sort this mess. I called FNB Non-Res Center and as usual it took 2 tries.. first I ended after 20 mins on a answering machine that the person is not in the office and please leave a message. Called in again and after 10 minutes the person promised me to have a proof of payment in my email within an hour. April... Quarter Year passed.. no car.. the money still not available.. no, FNB is not a Bank ^^
JD
Jay D's update04 Apr 2018, 08:23
Reviewer Update
Did I got the document like promised within 1 hour? No! Did I got it within 24 hours? No! Does the Non-Resident Phone system works? No! Did I got contact to anybody within the last 30 minutes of trying? No! Do I got the money after 6 days the transaction should be done? No! Is FNB a bank? No!
JD
Jay D's update04 Apr 2018, 08:38
Reviewer Update
Got contact.. could hardly hear anything, the person just repeated: We have technical difficulties. For 24 hours???? Or is that for the last 3 months? NOTHING IN THIS BANK WORKS... NOTHING!!!!!! Stay as far away of this bunch of ***********s as far as you can, best advise I can give to all out there.
JD
Jay D's update05 Apr 2018, 09:07
Reviewer Update
Still no doc from Non-Res Center.. 3 days, no proof of payment.. ridiculous! I called in three times.. is really hard to believe a bank is that bad.
JD
Jay D's update05 Apr 2018, 10:59
Reviewer Update
Just been to the Table Bay Branch to talk to a manager. Got the manager but is as *********** as the rest. No joke, her own words: I can't do anything, you need to file a complain. And we all know that that is a senseless task.. those complains never solved anything. Called in again, went over the phone chain.. and got once more promised to get the proof of payment. We are now 8 days since they messed up the transaction themselves. And this is still for the money I transferred in January to buy a car as the other broke down. January! Hehehehe Ok, isn't really funny anymore.
JD
Jay D's update06 Apr 2018, 08:08
Reviewer Update
Got promised yesterday that FNB send the docs needed. Checked this morning.. still nothing. Ongoing...
JD
Jay D's update08 Apr 2018, 08:36
Reviewer Update
And into the weekend again.. and still no money available... FNB = A snail is ultra fast compared to that wanna be a bank
JD
Jay D's update09 Apr 2018, 08:50
Reviewer Update
Just to make it sure.. still no proof of payment I requested a week ago... we just talk about a doc to get send to my email.. FNB service.. over a week and counting.
JD
Jay D's update09 Apr 2018, 08:52
Reviewer Update
Just to add.. manager from Non-Resident department is lucky I am not the CEO.. would have fired you end of last week.
JD
Jay D's update09 Apr 2018, 09:27
Reviewer Update
I just got the proof of payment.. congratulation FNB, you actually were able to do something in one week time. And I am back to where I started in January when I wanted to buy a replacement car. 9 April... still baffled about the amount of incompetence I had to experience from every single person involved in this simple bank transaction.
JD
Jay D's update09 Apr 2018, 10:26
Reviewer Update
OK, last update to this case. Lets compare a little. Took me 20 seconds to enter the information to transfer from UK SpectroCoin to SA AltCoinTrader. Transaction took 20 minutes to reflect in my AltCoin Account. Took 2 hours when I send from my AltCoin to FNB Bank account to reflect in my bank account (Fnb - FNB transfer from Altcoin FNB account) Took FNB 22 days to decide what to do and send it for clearing, they knew would get rejected. Took the feds 4 weeks to reject it, charged 1400 Rand for that. As FNB can't put the correct reference by system, they add some junk, needed a proof of payment, took FNB 1 week to send me that. I forwarded the doc to AltCoin support and 32 minutes later the money was in my Altcoin account at my disposal. (In 32 minutes you can be happy to have a response on the phone at FNB, never anything I called in got solved within 32 mins.. never!) We also want to add that I pay no monthly account fees on any Crypto Trader. They are way faster and way less complicated. The SA President can ***** 20 millions Dollar but when a tourist wants to replace the broken car for 7000 Dollar (yep second hand cars are very expensive in SA, those 7k just give another ****py car ^^ no joke), he is doing something very bad. Somewhere the world went one way.. and SA just goes the other way. What ever.. I go and get me a car. Thanks again FNB for letting me down for a quarter year on one transaction... and no car during that time.
JD
Jay D's update21 Apr 2018, 10:12
Reviewer Update
I add this, as good things also should get pointed out! FNB covered all transfer charges and the Feds clearing fees. The loss on this "disaster" was at the end around 250 Rand. When I exchanged the Rand to Bitcoin and send the 100k to a friends account and exchanged back to Rand so she can transfer to her account and I finally get my car.. Bitcoin had a nice spike and I got out with 114k ^^ And that transfer only took 2 hours. To FNB, I know you read this: If I would have walked in 8 years ago and your public offices would have looked like now, I would have walked out right away. The atmosphere is as inviting as the Deltec batteries storage area. I kind of understand that you want to force the customers to use the online app. But for that it should WORK! ;) When I try to create a investment account (what I had and could do in the start) I get an error and tells me to please go to the office. The strategy you have now, only works when your backend applications are bullet proof. The service I got 7 years ago was perfect, why did you change a winning system?? Anyhow.. got my car... ^^ just 4 months later as hoped for
JD
Jay D's update05 Jan 2019, 16:46
Reviewer Update
I can finalize this.. I have a NON South African bank account again.. when the Banks in South Africa want to offer a decent service.. I bring back some. Is not perfect, but WAY less hassle as the FNB account I had.
JD
Jay D's update05 Jan 2019, 17:13
Reviewer Update
Sorry, I can't reply to the comments, I do not have a facebook account. I like my life in private :) ********** I agree, I tried, Absa, Old Mutual and FNB so far.. Standard and Capitec I never tried.. the ones I tried.. were shocking. My Old Mutual account I gave up, as the solution to security were more logins.. and suddenly I needed a login to a login to a login hehehe wups gone ;) @ Jimmy Keep and use your foreign account for non-resident.. best advise I can give @ Tumie Sorry, I am not a banker.. I am a Telecommunication Specialist :)