Shocking service for new business owners

<p>I have been utterly disgusted by the lack of service from FNB following my decision to open my new business account with them. This was around 2 MONTHS back and it is still not open despite spending hours on the phone and in the bank. My situaiton in point form below:</p> <p><br />-First conversation wth the sales consultant is great - i am given the info i need and he is very pleasant and assits me with what i need. Following this I receive my business card and then await for more correspondance which i only get further down the line. This is when the issues start.</p> <p><br />- I receive an email asking me to submit the documents the bank requires and to fill in forms. I print these and complete them and send along with my ID, a letter from my husband as our house is in his name and a letter from him with an accompanying levy statement .</p> <p><br />- I dont hear anything but as its getting closer to billing my clients i follow up and call the number given on my card to try sort this out as i heard nothing more from FNB.</p> <p><br />- I speak to a consultant who advises me that i need to re-submit 2 of my documents as one is unclear ( my ID) and the other is not signed. Fair enough ! I do so ..... and wait and hear nothing.</p> <p><br />- I call back , and each time i call its a 15 -25 minute conversation. I ask for the lady i dealt with and EACH time she is either unavailable or busy with someone else and eventually gets to my call. At one stage i relate my entire issue with another lady and she kind of becomes invovled as well.</p> <p><br />- I am then told that now its my proof of residence that is an issue - my question at this stage is why was that not part of the original request to resubmit forms? FNB make it out that they only needed the two documents and then a few days later they are now unhappy with something else ? So I then proceed to call another 3 or 4 times and wait for anothetr 10 - 15 minutes each time and finally get told that i shouls just take a colour photo of the proof of residence and submit to the new lady i am dealing with as well as the lady previously. I do this ....and wait . The next day i call again and the original lady ( Ethel) is still busy so i again deal with the second lady and ask why it is that after sending the info and pic there is still an issue. She tells me that the reason she asked for this is that its unclear and a colour picture and not a scan may help. There is no explanation for why an email was not sent to let me know that this is not accepted. I then go on to send her several documents which prove where i live and all are not accepted ( which i only know because i called to follow up not because they advised me) . All the while i am constantly advising that i have 4 clients paying money to the account and if it is not active then i cant retrieve funds or pay staff etc.</p> <p><br />- Eventually I manage to send a document they claim to accept - my husbands insurance policy. I send it off and again get no response ( these emails are now being sent to Ethel and the lady assisting as well as the official email adress). So i call agian and get Ethel , she explains to me that this will now be acceptetd and she will push for the account to be opened and totally understands that I need this to happen because i have payments coming in. I ask Ethel to PLEASE let me know what is happenieng and Ethel assures me that all will be sorted out and she will personally ensure this happpens that afternoon before she knocks off and will advise the next party of the situaiton. and urgency. Again i ask for feedback - and get nothing.</p> <p><br />- On the Monday i try registering my card again only to fail as it is inactive. Its now Wednesday and since Monday i have sent Ethel and her colleague about 4 emails - BEGGING for feedback and to advise what is happnening. I called several times and either my calll was cut or placed on hold and there was no way of getting hold of anyone. I requested managers details and threatened socialk media - i am utterly desparate and was getting NOTHING back despite all promises.</p> <p><br />- Eventually i gathered that a trip to the bank may help. I go in and after a 40 minute wait i sit down with a consultant who investigates. No surprise - he opens the file and sees NO documentation that i had sent. So i then sit and email every form to him so he can help. Problem now is that he cannot cancel this applicaiton and start again becuase 3 clients have paid money which is now hanging. He then calls the department and askes for Ethel , the person he speaks to first wants to know what it relates to and for which company - interestingly after he holds on for 5 minutes Ehtel is now on lunch and cant answer the call! My new guy is told that the procedure is not finalized and still needs to be within the next 2 days or the money wiill be reversed.</p> <p><br />- I then literally beg the conultant to take action and follow up with Etherl after lunch and ask him several times to PLEASE call me back - i had no doubt that Ethel will not contact me since all my recent emails were ignored.</p> <p><br />He promises to do so around 3pm when its quieter. Its now 9:42pm and i have had no call.</p> <p><br />- I did however get a new email from FNB advising that i need to send MORE documents - one i have never heard of before as well as my marriage certificate and proof of where i am operatiing.</p> <p><br />I AM UTTERLY AGHAST !!! not one of these docs have been asked for or mentioned this entire time and now i need to submit without even an understanding of what the one is .</p> <p><br />SO i call the numebr on the email 4 times before getting through to someone - after 5 minutes explaining the entire issue she tells me that i am at the wrong Department !!! I ask her why it is that the bank sent an email with her number which is the same i have always used and am told ' i dont knwo why they still keep giving this out as my depetmernt doesnt deal with this anymore' !!! I then wait 4 mintues to be put through to somoene who can help and low and behold they are busy ! She then tells me that she can give me the number and in my frustration i state that this will now me another call and waste of my time , i am then asked if i want to hold or not and i say yes - only to have the phone put down on me!!</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>I honestly dont know what else to do. My perosnal account is with standard bank and I WISH i had never tried FNB! I will be sure to tell as many people as possible that this procedure has been a NIGHTMARE! 2 months down the line and i still have no account. Its the 27th and i cannot pay staff , myself or expenses. The money is going to reverse in 2 days and the people i deal with dont even return my emails !! I am so frustrated and would never reccomend to anyone to deal with FNB.</p> <p><br />The advertising does not in anyway reflect the true dealing with FNB. </p>