Unauthorized Credit Check Performed and HORRIBLE customer service!!!

Nedbank conducted a hard credit check on me that reflects on my credit profile and affects it negatively. I did not authorize this credit check, nor did I apply for any credit facilities or a loan of any sort-which means it was a completely unnecessary and unauthorized check in the first place. I logged a complaint with them and a request for them to remove this check on my profile with credit bureaus on 13 February 2023. I received a reply from their customer service on 14 February advising that they did this check as I opened a current account with them. I advised them that I opened a current account with no credit facilities and I did not apply for credit nor a loan and as such it should have been a soft credit check if any at all to which she requested a copy of the report which I provided on the same day. I followed up with her a day later asking why I was sent a customer survey when the ticket has not been resolved and she advised that she escalated my query to the relevant department. On 21 February the customer service agent advised that she is still attending to this matter (8 days after complaint was logged).

On 22 February the customer service agent provided this feedback; "We confirm that we conducted a credit check on *** Date while opening your current account This is done systematically and it will leave a foot print on your credit profile Based on the above we confirm that the enquiry was done correctly and cannot be updated."

On the same day (22 February) I rep**** that It is understandable that a soft check will be done systematically, but that hard checks are only required when a person applies for credit, which I did not. It can also only be done with the express permission of the client - I did not authorize this.Again I requested for them to send a request to the major credit bureaus to have this unauthorized and completely unnecessary check removed from my credit profile or to escalate this matter to her superior.

As at 7 March I have not received a response to my last communication at all - 13 days after my last email and three weeks after I logged the original complaint.

HORRIFIC customer service from Nedbank! I also brought to their attention that Nedbank published an article on their website advising people to be very cautious about conducting hard credit checks as this affects your credit profile negatively AND to be so careful that people should not even check their own profiles without first confirming with the credit bureau whether it will reflect as a hard credit check. (see https://personal.nedbank.co.za/learn/blog/what-you-need-to-know-about-your-credit-score.html). Great advice except that Nedbank is so irresponsible about how they conduct credit checks for their clients (who aren't even applying for a loan or credit facilities) that their conduct negatively affects their clients' credit profiles...unacceptable!

It should be noted that I logged the same issue experienced with Capitec bank with Capitec customer service and they investigated the matter, apologized for incorrect credit check (hard check not soft check) conducted by them and had the query removed from all major credit bureaus within 24 hours of me raising the matter with them....FANTASTIC customer service by Capitec!