Who will be responsible for my loss, Read review of my experience

Who will be responsible for my loss, Read review of my experience To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this letter as a formal complaint regarding the handling of my account, the events that unfolded over the Mother’s Day weekend, the lack of communication I received during the process, and the severe financial, emotional and practical impact this had on me and my family.

I recently purchased a gas geyser through Takealot using my FNB virtual card. FNB actively promotes virtual cards as a safe and secure method of payment, and I trusted that process. The purchase was made using the last available funds we had because the geyser was a necessity for our household.

After the purchase we had approximately R600 remaining, which I placed into savings. We were due to work at an event the day before Mother’s Day, approximately two hours from our home, and re**** on the expected payment from that event to cover fuel, food and our return trip home.

On the morning before the event I checked my banking profile and discovered that my account reflected a negative balance of approximately R4,700. I could not understand what had happened and was unable to obtain clarity online.

I intended to visit the branch after the event, however when we received payment for the work completed, those funds were immediately taken.

At that point my family was effectively stranded.

We had no money for fuel to get home. We had no money for food. We could not even buy a cold drink. Members of my household are diabetic, which made this situation even more serious.

Mother’s Day was completely overshadowed by this event. Instead of spending time together as a family, my husband, children and I were trying to survive a situation we did not understand and had no control over.

I contacted the ***** Department four times. Each call resulted in different explanations being provided. I requested reference numbers and asked that they be sent to me by SMS, however I am still waiting for them to this day.

The impact became so severe that I was forced to sell my cellphone, worth approximately R3,000, for only R500 simply so that I could obtain diesel and get my family home.

The matter remained unresolved by Monday. I then travelled approximately 40km to my nearest branch in an effort to obtain answers.

I would specifically like to acknowledge Elizabeth at the branch, who treated me with kindness, compassion and professionalism. She genuinely attempted to assist and showed concern throughout the process.

Unfortunately, despite her efforts, no resolution had been reached by the end of the day and I was advised to return if the issue remained unresolved.

At the same time I was required to visit Home Affairs because I had lost my ID document and needed a replacement. Part of the available funds should have gone toward that process. Because of what happened, I could not proceed and was forced to borrow money from a friend, placing us into debt and causing significant embarrassment.

I am also partially disabled due to a back injury. The repeated travelling, long waits and ongoing uncer*****y caused both physical strain and emotional distress.

Eventually the matter appeared to correct itself, however I still have not received proper answers.

To this day I still do not know:

• What exactly happened to my money • Why my account reflected the position it did • Why funds were removed • What caused the issue • What correction was made • Why I had to endure this situation without communication

WHO IS GOING TO REIMBURSE ME FOR MY LOSSES

What concerns me even further is that after all of this, I received contact from attorneys advising that I had been handed over regarding approximately R399 linked to my business account. I may or may not have said something nasty to the guy that called

I understand financial obligations exist and I am not attempting to avoid responsibility.

However, I ask FNB to place this into context.

My family had just experienced financial hardship, we were stranded away from home, I had sold personal belongings, borrowed money, missed essential expenses and suffered emotional distress, yet I was now receiving legal communication over an amount of approximately R399.

Business has declined significantly and I have continuously tried, where possible, to put money into that account despite difficult circumstances.

The timing and handling of this added even further stress to an already overwhelming situation.

I must also be honest about how this experience left me feeling.

I am extremely upset, disappointed and frustrated.

I felt unsupported, unheard and abandoned during one of the most financially vulnerable moments my family has experienced.

This was not a minor inconvenience.

It affected our ability to travel home.

It affected food access.

It affected Mother’s Day.

It affected our ability to attend to Home Affairs.

It forced me to sell personal property.

It placed us in debt.

It caused emotional distress and physical strain.

I respectfully request the following:

A complete written explanation of what occurred on my account. Copies of all transaction records, reversals, holds, adjustments or corrections relating to the incident. Reference numbers and records relating to all ***** Department interactions. Clarification regarding why the funds were removed and later corrected. A review of how this matter was handled. Consideration of the financial losses and hardship caused. Confirmation of what measures FNB will implement to prevent similar incidents from happening in future so that no other customer or family experiences what mine did. Information who will reimburse us for losses your negligence caused If calculations are made regarding the direct impact of these events, the losses extend beyond account balances.

They include travel costs, fuel, borrowed money, sale of personal property at a loss, missed expenses and the emotional impact placed on my family.

I am not writing this letter simply because I am angry.

I am writing because I believe customers deserve transparency, dignity, compassion and fair treatment.

I sincerely hope FNB considers not only the technical side of this incident, but also the human impact it had.

I request urgent attention to this matter and a full response.