iStore Card Middle Man

I recently app**** for an iStore Card (Credit Card) which is operated by Standard Bank as the financial service provider.

Upon applying, I supp**** all required documentation, ID, payslip and proof of address. I was approved, and the process of getting my card was put into place. Upon receiving my iStore Card, I began the process of activating my pin for the card, and this is where the trouble began.

There is an automated telephone process to activate the pin, when I entered my cell phone number, it proceeded to tell me it didn't match the number on their records. I attempted a few times thinking I may have entered it wrong, but made sure I didn't, and it was definitely right on their system as I kept getting sms updates on my phone when waiting for the card.

I then phoned back to speak to a consultant (remembering each time I call, it's the Standard Bank Card Division I speak to, not the iStore card people). And the lady said in that case there's no other option other than to go into a branch and activate it there. So there goes the convenience of doing anything over the phone, because she said there's no way she can help me.

So that afternoon I go into a Standard Bank Branch and spoke to a very helpful teller, and the lady looks on the system for my card, only to find the status of my card is CLOSED. And I had only received it that morning. She then phones the iStore Card people (because at this point it's apparent that the Standard Bank people are the only ones that can speak to them directly), and it appears that no, they put a FICA block on my card because they didn't have my proof of residence! Even though I had uploaded it before I got approved AND had handed a copy to the driver that had delivered my card.

The teller then said if I email her the proof of residence there and then, she will upload it for me (again) and then when it's done she will phone the FICA people to get the block removed and today I could go and activate the pin on the phone again.

So this morning I phone the call centre again, again I can't activate because the numbers don't match, so again I speak to an agent. This is where the utter ridiculousness of the iStore Card comes into play. The agent then says he needs to phone the iStore Card people and speak to them, so he puts me on hold comes back to me and says no they are waiting for the driver to upload my proof of residence, which can take 24-48 hours now, but they have escalated my case.

At this point I want I start voicing my frustrations to the Standard Bank agent, with his response being that he doesn't know much of how the card works, and that he can't actually do anything about it because TECHNICALLY it belongs to the iStore Card division. So I ask him to speak to someone at the iStore Card division, but (and here's the kicker), he can't put me through to them because they don't speak to anyone directly, only VIA an agent.

So here I sit, with an iStore Card, but no actual way to ever speak to someone at the division that could assist me with anything directly. I have to go via a middle man, who are actually the credit providers, yet their hands are tied as well because not only do they not know how it works, but also can't do anything because it's not really their card.

The lady from the Stand Bank Branch phoned me straight after with pretty much the same story. The FICA block would take 24 hours to resolve, but she didn't know how the iStore Card worked either, and honestly didn't know who to put me into contact with so I could make an official complaint. It appears the iStore Card people have completely absolved any responsibility for anything going wrong, by simply making it impossible to speak to anyone DIRECTLY involved with this card.

It is the most frustrating service I have ever received from a financial institution, and I don't even know who to blame, Standard Bank or iStore?