REALLY, REALLY TRAGICALLY PATHETIC SERVICE FROM RE: FW: High Priority Complaint (***) has been escalated to you. [REF:***]

It is no surprise to me that FNB has an single star rating. What is surprising is how they are still in business.

Cecilia De Kock

It is, to me, one of the greater ironies of life, that FNBs' slogan is 'How can we help you?' Below is a couple of emails I sent to FNB to try and get help. I got no help. I got a couple of numbers that I could call that is either ringing for 10-15 minutes, answered by a machine, or 'there is not a consultant available to help you right now, please try again later'. The status right now is that NOTHING is working. Not my app, not my link, not my online profile. The funds that I transferred into my account is depleted due to FNB having the sheer f'ing audacity to charge me for every failed attempt to link my profiles. I have absolutely, in my entire life, never come across such grocely pathetic service. Normally I would simply walk away and warn every single person I know not to do business with this establishment, but again, there is no other way to access your PayPal account from South Africa. FNB has become so laxed and arrogant about having this particular part of the market cornered it is nauseating.

12 NOVEMBER

Can you please assist. I have registered for FNB internet banking as a non-FNB client, but the profile shows that I still need to upload documents. I have uploaded scans of my ID, my Tax registration documents and my Capitec bank statement, with my physical address printed on it. Can you please tell me what I still need to do?

13 NOVEMBER

Good day, Please, please can somebody help me. I have been trying to upload my Fica Docs to the Online banking site for almost a week now and it will not accept the docs I Upload. Please, can you tell me what I am doing wrong? All I want to do is link my Paypal account to my Capitec account, to be honest, at this point, I don't care to close my Capitec account and just move over to FNB just to use Paypal as you are apparently the only bank with which I can move money internationally without breaking any laws. But taking into consideration that I have been to the branch twice now, I have mailed both your info address and your helpdesk and NOBODY seems to be able to help me, (neither of the mails was even answered) this is a frightful prospect. Please help me fix me this.

20 NOVEMBER

Good day, Please note that I want this letter filed as this is becoming the most absolutely ridiculous display of incompetence and terrible service I have ever encountered in my entire life, and no, I am not exaggerating for effect. I first visited the FNB Branch in Strand, Western Cape on Monday, 28 October, requesting an account for the purpose of accessing the funds in my PayPal account. The lady that I spoke to was almost dismissive in informing me that she cannot open an account if my salary will not be going into the account and that I do not need an FNB account to access my PayPal account but can do that through Capitec which is where my account currently is. Of course, this could not be further from the truth as confirmed by several sources including PayPal themselves. I then tried to open a non-FNB client profile on the FNB website, and as you can see from my original post, after trying tirelessly for several days, was unable to upload the requested documents because the website just would not accept them and seeing that there are no clear instructions on the website, and the user manual I got from the ‘help’ button on the site is no less than 700 pages long, I went back to the branch in Strand, and to be honest, that lady looked like she was going to start crying. It was evident that she was just as in the dark as I was and she was swamped with clients struggling with the very same thing. She insisted that the problem was on the FOREX side and not with the website, but what I don’t understand is how a problem on FNB’s website is not their problem, but somebody else’s. And I’m not suggesting you reprimand this lady, I’m suggesting that you upgrade your system, make it more user-friendly and give her more training as it would appear you need a degree in computer science to navigate the system on this website and app. After not getting anywhere in the 20-30 minutes I spent at the branch, I went back to work. My boss, in an attempt to help me, tried to call the Business Manager that works with his account to try and get some advice on what to do, but only got voicemail. This call was never even returned. I then tried to open an account through the website. That ended up in three accounts being opened and again, no documents being accepted by the website. I went to the Somerset Mall branch the following Sunday, as this is the only day I have off (except Christmas) and the young man there was very helpful in verifying one of the three accounts on the website, though he couldn’t seem to close the other two. He scanned my ID and uploaded it from the banks’ computer which didn’t take an entire 5minutes. The following Monday I transferred funds from my Capitec account into my finally active FNB account and tried to link my PayPal account with my FNB account, which was not happening. I did, however, finally receive a reply on the complaint I left on your Facebook page several days earlier, (this was at this point, the only reply I got despite sending several e-mails in an attempt to get help) and this young man said that he will see from his side if he can find out what is going on. I got a phone call a few hours later insisting that everything was now in order and I can go ahead and link my FNB and PayPal accounts, there is no reason why it shouldn’t work. After several failed attempts to link the two, I decided to just leave it alone for now, as I am honestly ready to throw my computer against the wall in sheer frustration at the utter ridiculousness of it all. I wake up the next day to find that FNB has deducted R8.50 of my account for every single failed attempt to link my PayPal account with my FNB account. As if all of the pain and suffering I’ve been through had not been enough, you just had to go and add insult to injury by penalizing me for taking your word that everything is now in order and I can link the accounts. And lo and behold, the accounts are STILL NOT LINKED. Let me absolutely assure you that if I had any other way to access my PayPal account, I would certainly not do business with FNB, but I think it is because you know that we, as clients, have no other choice but to go through you, that you can deliver this kind of slipshod service and get away with it. For an International Institution, let me assure you that I have worked in restaurants that know more about customer service than you do. I am attaching for you, my account statements with Capitec (including physical address), my ID, and my Tax registration forms, I will attach two copies of this in case you lose one. I expect my accounts to be linked as soon as possible because as it stands, some of the funds have been lying in my PayPal account for more than a month now and I’m sure you are aware of the fact that this is against the law, so I am now outside of the law of my country because you take an entire 4 weeks to serve one single client effectively. If there is anything else I need to do to activate, verify or clear anything, my account, my app, my online profile, I expect an email with clear, concise instructions on how to do this. I would also appreciate it if this can happen within 24 hours as I do honestly and sincerely feel that FNB has wasted enough of my time. Sincerely hoping for the best. Cecilia de Kock

FRIDAY, 29 NOVEMBER Good day, I was advised by my sister, Miss Martin, to contact you. I am forwarding the complaint I sent to FNB as is, you can see for yourself when it was sent. I received no reply. I went to the branch in Somerset mall again on Sunday, the young man took all my details and even made copies all my paperwork(see attached) and promised to be in touch. I've heard nothing from him. I attach for you a screenshot of the total I've gotten out of the app since Sunday. Now normally I would simply take bad service in stride and make a mental note to not support the establishment again, unfortunately, there is simply no other bank in the entire country that can perform this specific service. So I am, at this point willing to beg you to please, please fix my account or tell me what I need to do to fix it. My id is ************* my phone number is ************ but would prefer a mail right now as I am at work. Sincerely

Please be advised that tomorrow at noon, I will post this complaint as is, to Hello Peter where you already have a one and a half star rating, so I am not sure that it will really be a problem for you. Therefore I will also be mailing OBSSA. If you want to be the only one in South Africa that delivers this service, PLEASE DELIVER THE SERVICE. And I don't want to know about your business hours, I have been begging for help for more than a month and nobody is interested in helping me.