FNB unable to close bank accounts

On the 16th of July I visited an FNB branch account to request closure of my bank accounts. The clerk informed me that they are no longer allowed to perform this function in branches and that they can only submit the request to head office who now performs this function. To date, the cheque account still has not been closed and on the 2nd of August FNB had the audacity to charge me banking fees. I followed up on this process prior to that and was sent an automatic response that the matter will be attended to within 3 business days. I called the number given and was told that they are unable to verify me as I don't have the banking app on my phone and that I need to go into a branch to close the account. I'm starting to wonder if FNB specifically designed this loop to hold customers hostage.