Appalling Prestige client service

I did an immediate payment for R90 000 (which I was charged additionally for) on the evening of 24 Oct 2024 @ 23:24pm into my husbands FNB account for a vehicle, which he had to pay for and collect on Friday 25 Oct 2024 in Port Elizabeth. This payment was never received.

After numerous discussions with my personal banker, call centre agents and digital banking on Friday 25 Oct 2024, from 8:36 the morning up until 16:14pm when I was in the Standard bank Plettenberg bay branch (90km away) with a personal banker there, this issue had still not been resolved. I had shown her proof that the funds had neither been received nor were pending. I was told the funds were transferred @24:08 into the recipients account but not provided proof of this, then I was told I shouldn’t have been able to do an immediate payment after 22:00, then I was told I shouldn’t have been able to do it after 19:00, yet my banking app never reflected a cut off time, it did however say the funds would take 2 hrs to reflect in the recipients account, hence my husband taking off work and getting transport to Port Elizabeth to acquire the vehicle. After speaking to a Prestige banker in the Standard bank Plettenberg bay branch around 16:00 I was informed the funds would reflect Tuesday (which is not an immediate payment) On Saturday I received an sms, saying the issue has been resolved, yet still no funds and no one has contacted me as per the message. I contacted the number on the sms I received @ 11:20 and spoke to an agent again , who had said she will follow up and revert back to me and still no response received.

My husband had checked his bank account again and there were still no funds or are even pending in his account. FNB has also confirmed that nothing has been received.

We have now incurred additional expense in taking time off work, having to travel to the branch in Plettenberg bay (90km away) to try and resolve this issue and 400km again to fetch him from Port Elizabeth because he couldn’t get back. We have now subsequently, also lost the vehicle we intended to purchase all due the funds not being transferred immediately and still no one being able to give us a direct answer or proof of where the funds were.

This is totally unacceptable and incredibly frustrating for something that should have been a simple transaction.

As a prestige banker I have had no professional assistance in resolving this urgent matter and am highly disappointed with the level of service received.

Only after threatening to refer this matter to the National Financial ombudsman scheme for resolution as I cannot get any resolution from Standard Bank, did I receive an e-mail apologising for the inconvenience caused, which is not good enough considering the frustration, loss of the vehicle and additional expenses incurred due to their incompetence and lack of communication.

The funds were finally transferred on Wednesday 30 Oct almost a week after doing an immediate payment and threats with the financial ombudsman.

I responded to the email stating my dissatisfaction and informed them I would be moving my account to a different financial institution and not even the courtesy of a reply was received.

This is absolute shocking customer service and I would not recommend banking with them.