FNB - A BANK YOU JUST CANNOT DEPEND ON WHEN IN DIRE NEED OF ASSISTANCE DURING COVID-19 TIMES

Based on their impressive media campaign and recommendations, I opened a business account with FNB Greenstone and regrettable since the day of inception I have had nothing but blundering *********** FNB personnel attending to me.

Irrespective of what I asked for or needed guidance for, I have been fobbed off and forget trying to escalate your problem.

I have operated a business account with them for 27 months now and without overdraft facilities have behaved in exemplary fashion in terms of the account.

There were a few periods of extreme difficulty from a cash flow point of view that I went to see FNB Greenstone for some temporary bridging financial assistance. I provided substantive and comprehensive proof of funds due within 10 days or less.

In 3 occasions I was turned down and sought assistance from other banks that helped me.

Needless to say when I app**** for very conservative overdraft facilities I was not even given the courtesy of a reply!

Let alone the application for a credit card, personal or corporate.

Under the Covid-19 Debt Relief scheme I was told to apply telephonically to a call centre operator for a Covid-19 related loan. This was duly turned down 10 days later by a call centre operator, calmly telling me the company has enough money in the bank and a loan is declined!! At no stage had they bothered to attempt to request the amount of money we sought, nor whether the money in the bank at the time would be sufficient or if it would run out.

Eventually, on 8 June 2020 I went back to FNB Greenstone requesting a Covid-19 loan as we needed to pay salaries soon. I was then given a Covid-19 Loan Application by the manager responsible to conduct my account. He needed a myriad of forms, Financial Statements, Personal Statement of Assets & Liabilities, SARS clearances, Cash Flow projections, etc. This I took to him at around 1 pm on Monday 8 June. He assured me that, excluding Monday, they need 2 full working days and not to worry, he will revert back to us after 2 full days.

Today is the 4th day and not a word.

When I emailed him with a lengthy document of issues and urgency, he saw fit to issue a short and very routine reply, contrary to his previous assurance, that it will take 5 to 7 days from his email for an answer.

This after he was told we need to pay staff on Sat 13 June and must have answers by Wednesday 10 June.

I am bitterly disappointed and utterly frustrated with the alacrity and lack of urgency, professionalism and integrity that is being displayed by him and the staff at FNB in general.

The absolute "NO CARE" attitude is reflected in the inability to try and reach someone in higher authority to adjudicate this matter.

The PR department, operating under the name "CARE" actually does not even bother to ever reply, despite given me a complaint reference number that appears to be a waste of time.

At what stage is a large bank like FNB going to take people serious and provide the service that you pay in abundance for? Surely, at some stage this ridiculous and farcical banking institution is going to come down crashing as a result of their poor relations with business and personal banking!