Complaint Regarding Poor Service and Delays in Account Downgrade

I am writing on behalf of my mother, a loyal Nedbank client for approximately 60 years, to express our deep dissatisfaction with the poor service and ongoing difficulties we have experienced in attempting to downgrade her current/cheque account to a more affordable option. My mother initially visited the Glen Acres branch in Kempton Park, where a staff member refused to process the downgrade and directed us to contact the Call Centre. Despite multiple attempts to reach the Call Centre, we faced excessively long hold times and, when finally connected, encountered an unfriendly and unhelpful consultant. This consultant was rude and insisted on speaking directly with my mother, despite my explanation that she is hard of hearing, and I have signing authority to assist her. The consultant refused to assist further, citing a requirement for an SMS confirmation and an indefinite waiting period for the downgrade. I then personally visited the Glen Acres branch on Saturday, 12 July, and spoke to an employee named Amy, who also refused to help and redirected us back to the Call Centre. Amy showed little concern for my mother’s hearing difficulties and stated that my mother would need to visit the branch again to complete a form with a consultant named Lucky, with a turnaround time of 30 days. This is after two months of struggling to get the account downgraded. Additionally, my mother, who is currently not receiving an income, is burdened with high bank charges. We have also received unsolicited calls from the overdraft department urging her to reduce her overdraft, and a consultant has reduced her overdraft by R1,000 without her authorization. This treatment is unacceptable, especially given my mother’s longstanding loyalty to Nedbank. We urgently request that this matter be resolved promptly, with clear communication and assistance to downgrade her account as soon as possible. Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. We look forward to your swift response. Kind regards, Eileen Venter

On behalf of Mrs Aletta S.S De Bruyn