Failed by FNB

On the 01 of October 2020, I subscribed for a 14 day free trial on an online file archives platform, and the site advised that an amount of 99 USD would be deducted from my account on expiry of the free trial period, and to my surprise the service provider processed the deduction on the 1st of October 2020. I then logged a dispute on the FNB app on the 1st of October as the deduction was still pending at the time. I was of the view that the institution would prevent the amount from leaving my account, until such time that my dispute has been resolved, but to my surprise, the amount went off my account on the 6th of October 2020. I submitted another dispute on the 6th of October through the app, and made contact with the bankera through Secure Chat, to enquire about the turn around period for such disputes, and the initial response was 7 to 14 working days.

After the 14 day period had lapsed, I made contact again to check on the progress, through secure check, and the consultant who responded informed me that the merchant had already banked the money and that they had not responded to the dispute. I then asked what would happen if they did not respond, and her response was that I would have to wait till they do.

I am unsure why FNB released the funds in the first place, especially when I had initially logged the dispute when the funds were still pending on my account.

Furthermore, I'm dissatisfied at the inconsistent information that I have been receiving from the consultants.