URGENT: OM Bank clients locked out + no 24/7 ***** line - Merchants Pineland subcontractor failing SLA

I am reporting systemic failures at OM Bank via Merchants Pineland call centre harming clients.

1. CLIENT SERVICE FAILURES:* 1. Contact number changes take WEEKS to MONTHS to process. Clients cannot receive OTPs/SMS and remain locked out of accounts. 2. Accounts are suspended “without valid reason” and clients wait DAYS to MONTHS to access their own money. No SLA met. 3. No 24/7 *****/emergency line exists. Night shift 10pm-6:30am is covered by only 3 agents for 9 provinces. Clients reporting ***** have no urgent line.

2. STAFF CONDITIONS CAUSING CLIENT HARM:* 1. Merchants agents earn R7,300 + R1,000 shift allowance vs OM Bank staff earning 2X for same banking work = high turnover + poor service. 2. Unsafe night shifts: Only 3 agents work 10pm-6:30am covering 9 provinces. Agents face burnout and cannot give proper service. 3. Management works 8am-5pm only and refuses escalation calls. Agents work all shifts including nights/weekends with no support. 4. No meetings, no coaching, only negative QA feedback. No engagement with staff.

3. RECENT INCIDENT: A colleague resigned due to mental strain + favoritism in management. Zero support was provided. This shows the environment agents work in = directly impacts client service.

RESOLUTION I WANT: 1. OM Bank to audit Merchants Pineland operations and SLA compliance immediately 2. 24/7 *****/emergency line installed for clients 3. Contact number changes + account unblocking to be processed within 48hrs max 4. Independent investigation into staffing levels for night shifts 5. Pay parity review for subcontracted vs permanent staff doing same work

This breaks Old Mutual Values: Customer First, Respect, Integrity. It also breaches BCEA + banking conduct standards.

Formal protected disclosure lodged with Dept of Labour, CCMA, SAHRC, Banking Ombudsman + Old Mutual Ethics on 9 April 2026.

OM Bank, please intervene before more clients lose access to funds and more agents resign.