Charges on Prestige Account

I was upgraded to a Prestige Account at Standard Bank with the communication that you receive a Rebate should you keep a daily minimum balance in your account. The below is stated on the website:

Rebate – if you keep a daily minimum balance in your account for a full calendar month we will refund a portion of the service fees incurred under the ‘Pay as you transact’ option.

Over the past two years this option was not activated by the Bank. This only came to my attention when I needed to review my account for a different reason that I was not receiving this rebate as it had not been activated by the Bank. The Bank states that it is the responsibility of the client to have brought this to their attention.

I feel that the onus should be on the bank and not me who failed to activate the rebate option on my account. It clearly stated on the details of the account:

As a client the rebate should be done from the moment I was charged for transactions without a rebate despite meeting the minimum criteria. How can the customer be accountable for not notifying the bank, when the indication was provided at the start of the account that a rebate system is in place? My Branch has indicated that I am liable as a client for not checking this. The premise of banking with professionals is that they manage the banking. The Bank has an equal if not greater responsibility if the agreement was made at the beginning that a rebate option will apply.

However the final resolution still maintained that clients are responsible for informing the Bank of any charges. I urge others to monitor their accounts because the Banks are not willing to take responsibility even if their advertising states otherwise