AVOID STANDARD BANK AT ALL COSTS BEFORE YOU CONSIDER OPENING AN ACCOUNT

I have been with Standard Bank for more than 6 years, have 4 accounts of which one is a business account. I had fantastic service when Mrs L van Schalkwyk was still at the branch I dealt with from day 1, Laaiplek. She has then be promoted and became a team-leader visiting branches to provide support services. She retired last year. Her service was impeccable. Actually, I cannot fault any of the staff at the Laaiplek branch, even after Mrs van Schalkwyk left. They are doing their utmost in trying to assist, under I believe very difficult and unfair circumstances due to Standard Bank Head Office. Your new TV adverti*****t is also a joke, misleading and totally misrepresentation of your so called services, or as you say in your ad: "we will walk with you all the way"! You actually meant and must change the adverti*****t to say: "We will walk all the way with you from the counter to the door of the branch, thereafter you are just another number for us!" My personal account is a "Prestige Account" with a "personal banker" to attend to your needs. Really, what another joke and pathetic excuse to try and convince prospective customers that they will get the best possible service. In all the years I have been with Standard Bank, the only contact I had with the so-called personal banker, was via email to say I am your new personal banker. I had one call from the personal banker last year - yet a new one again. When asked if she can assist or any needs I had to address, I asked about an overdraft on my business account. Her response: "But there is funds in your credit-line account"! Wow, what an eye opener, I the client, have no idea what is going on in my accounts!! Pathetic, to say the least. I paid the money into the account, idiot! I believe the personal bankers are glorified clerks who you did not know what to do with and as a last resort, make them "personal bankers". I then contacted Mrs van Schalkwyk and discussed the possibility of an overdraft facility on my business account. She told me it can only be handled by a branch handling business accounts and will get back to me, which she did. She contacted the Centurion Branch Business Division and asked them to contact me. A gentleman did contact me, but told me I only qualify for a R2000 overdraft due to the fact that only R15 000.00 went through the account. I was shocked and totally flabbergasted! I told him to go back and do his homework before he contact me again. I knew for a fact that a couple of Hundred Thousands went through the account. Needless to say, I am still waiting for his call - two years later almost. Another example of how pathetic and non-existing your service is. I recently asked, November 2017, the Laaiplek Branch to draw a summary of deposits that went through my account for the last 3 months. Unfortunately, I do not want to disclose the amount here, but can say it was in excess of a Million Rand. It is a known fact that your fees are the highest in the banking sector and are trying to provide a more personalised service to your clients. Really, when and how? Maybe when you understand the meaning of a more "personalised service" to clients, not leaving everything to computers to make a decision. Should also learn from other banks how to treat clients, e.g. Nedbank. Allowing a grace period of 3 days to cover any debit orders that were presented and no funds were in the account. In many cases, there are external or other reasons why there are not funds in an account when debit orders go through – salaries paid in late, debit orders stopped at service providers, yet it gets presented – to name but a few. I believe it is your aim to deliver a more personalised service to your client, to have “one on one” contact. If that is what you are trying to do, you should go back to the drawing board and rethink your strategy. The first point on an agenda for such a meeting or discussion, is to inform and teach your staff the meaning of service, which you clearly also have no idea what it is all about. Milking clients in service fees is the only thing you are interested in. Disgusting, to say the least.

I have moved my account to another bank which offered me a package you can only dream about, at rates I am sure you will difficult to match. Why do I even mention that, clearly you could not care a dime!! Also ask your people at the call centre to stop calling me. Firstly, they have no manners what so ever. Just start talking without even asking if a person can talk. Do you think that you are superior and above all and everything? Sorry for you, you have it totally wrong. Actually, I do not know why I waste my precious time to even write this letter. Your motto: “We are always right and the client always wrong”. Pathetic is an understatement of what you stand for, how you treat your clients and service provided – if you can spell service!