No customer service, no respect for the elderly

<p>To Whom it may concern</p> <p> </p> <p>During November my sister phoned the Nedbank Uitenhage branch on three occasions to query the process of my mother’s accounts and her having power of attorney. She was told that she would not be able to make an appointment on a Saturday but that the bank policy is to assist the elderly in queues ahead of others. She was told that Nedbank cannot make exceptions as they are busy.</p> <p> </p> <p>On Saturday 26 November, I contacted the branch and was told the same information. I warned Mariette of the Uitenhage Nedbank branch that my mother was elderly, that we had moved her to an old age home the previous week, that she was on medication and that stress can cause a panic attack leading to her being unable to breath. I warned that paramedics would be required in this event and that all we were asking for was a contact person they could ask for on arrival. On this day there was a carnival in Uitenhage making it even more difficult for my sister to then take my mother in to the bank. As my mother is in an Old Age Home in Kirkwood and both my sister and I work it is not viable to take her during the week. </p> <p> </p> <p>On Saturday 26 November, via some investigations, I was able to trace an employee of Nedbank who contacted Jeanette who was in charge of the bank on that Saturday as the manager was not on duty. She then phoned me and explained that it was not possible for appointments. However, she was most obliging and helpful and suggested that we come in to the bank on 10 December where she would attempt to assist my mother. However, with my mother’s health deteriorating, my sister took her on 3 December as it is vital that the power of attorney from lawyers be processed by your bank so that my sister has signing power as the Old Age Home needs payment and other financial matters need to be finalised and we cannot merely wait for a Saturday where the bank might not be busy!</p> <p> </p> <p>On 10 December, my sister and mother waited in the line. In spite of my mother being frail and of ill health and in her 70s, and in spite of being told telephonically that the bank moves the elderly to the front of the queue, my mother was forced to wait in the line and received no special help due to her age.</p> <p> </p> <p>I wish to place on record that my mother has been a client of Nedbank for decades having been with Boland Bank before.</p> <p> </p> <p>I phoned the customer care line early on the morning of Saturday 26 November and was put on hold for a substantial amount of time while the customer service officer supposedly phoned the Nedbank branch – she then came back on the line and said she would phone me back shortly. One week later and I am still waiting for that return call! She also DID NOT provide me with a reference number which she was required to do according to the voice message I heard on the helpline before the call was answered. There was no customer service from the customer service team!</p> <p> </p> <p>Furthermore, my sister ensured she had all the documentation required but the bank refused to accept her proof of address and needed a police affidavit – she was not advised of this when making telephonic enquiries. Having stood in the line at Nedbank for a long time, she then had to go to the police station and then return to the bank queues again. All of this with a sick and frail elderly person with her!</p> <p> </p> <p>Other banks arrange to go to the elderly for financial affairs but NOT NEDBANK WHICH HAS CREATED A FRUSTRATING AND POOR EXPERIENCE at a very traumatic time for my mother and her family – moving her from her family home to an Old Age home was hard for all of us, but even harder was the callous, disrespectful and frustrating manner in which this matter has been dealt with by Nedbank via its non-existent customer relations department who never phoned me back to the Uitenhage branch who failed us.</p> <p> </p> <p>I trust that I will receive feedback on how your company slogan of a commitment to first class service is supposed to work as opposed to how it does not exist in the case of one of your most loyal and oldest clients with decades of business with your bank! I furthermore trust that an apology will be tendered directly to my mother!</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>