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Zodwa F

1 reviews | Active since Jan 2019

11 Jan 2019, 09:11

Complaint Resolution Centre Case Number- Complaint ref ***

On 21/12/2018 our business 144 Advanced received payment from one of our clients who is in Botswana for services we have rendered to this client. We received a notification on 24/12/2018 that the funds have been received by forex & requested to respond via email to acknowledge the funds which we did & the funds were cleared immediately. I then discovered that standard bank had blocked the funds & we could not pay our employee salaries for the month of December. I then approached my business bank on 29/01/2018 when I returned from my trip to address the matter & get it resolved as our client was expecting us to deliver their goods by the 28th of December (which we could not meet as Standard bank had held the funds claiming that it is a security measure they need to resolve). A gentlemen by the name Llewelyn Goldman (the manager to my business banker) told us that he could not assist as ur banker was on leave & the individual who placed the hold is in a different department.

We were then told that they would contact us to resolve the matter but we have only received a call from a Standard bank representative after we had to report the issue with your complaints resolution center. We had to make phone calls until we got someone senior in the department handling the matter to assist & they advised us to request that our client in Botswana sent an MT199 message confirming the source of funds. Bear in mind that this is after all the delays & frustration that has been caused to use & our clients & employees. We eventually got hold of the client as they were also closed for the holidays & they went to the bank & sent this message that Standard bank requested.

Contrary to what the individual Ditebogo Letete informed us that all that was required for them to release our funds. When then phoned Standard bank once again to get feedback since the request that our client send this MT199 message back to our bank in order to resolve the issue. It still has not been resolved.

Our client is very displeased, we are facing legal action from our employees for not paying their salaries for the month of December due to this matter not being resolved & our funds released by Standard Bank.

Furthermore, our client expects delivery has expressed their dissatisfaction in the way we have harassed them asking them to go back & forth to their bank to do something that they had already done on their end to the best of their ability. Below is my last email to Standard bank relevant departments involved including the Complain resolution reference numbers, Swift Message from our client's bank & correspondence from our client.

This is the first step we are taking to get someone to resolve the matter with the priority it holds. In which if not resolved we will proceed to other social media platform to alert the public to be cautious in their choice of service provider. ATT: STANDARD BANK

This is a message to inform you of the matter concerning our the hold on our business account with you Standard Bank & are informing you of our intent to begin legal proceedings should we suffer any loss or liability due to the funds being held by Standard Bank for a payment made by our client - Instrumentation Services who are not pleased at all in the way this matter has been handled.

You have been asking us to run around & harass our client asking them to go back & forth to the bank sending messages & for what reason I do not know.

Below are some of the communication from our client that we have to now manage on top of the legal proceedings we are facing due to non-payment of our employee salaries in December 2018.

----------------------------------- Wilson ********** Goldman ********** Maasdorp ********** Xaba ********** Complaint ********** **********

Our Account Representative in this organization is Mrs. Sunita Muzumdar has obliged you and she has already gone to our Bank, FNB and pointed out your requirements. The Bank has dutifully done the same and corresponded directly with your Bank as per proof of the attached MT199 which they have sent to us. Please note that our directors will not be back in the country until February 2019 and our client is simply not going to go through this rigmarole with us any longer. They will put an end to this charade by canceling this order shortly if we do not deliver these goods to them now! You have a responsibility to deliver these goods to us as a matter of extreme urgency. Please let us draw a line in the sand under this.

Many thanks for your prompt and positive response on the same.

Warm Regards

Pako

Instrumentation Services

{1:F01FIRNBWG***XX ********** 000}{2:I199FIRNZAJJ***XN}{4:

:20:S719T ********** 89-2

:21:ZAR/SERV/VN8000

:79:ATTENTION VENISE NIEMACK

WE REFER TO YOUR SWIFT MESSAGE OF REF ZAR/SERV/

VN8000 UNDER OUR REF FNB ********** 901666 FOR ZAR

145556.79 IFO 144 ADVANCED PTY LTD T/A 144 POWER

SUPPLIES VALUE DATED 181221.

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE FUNDS ARE FROM

INSTRUMENTATION SERVICES PTY LTD COMPANY IN

BOTSWANA, BEING PAYMENT FOR PSI 9000 POWER SUPPLY

UNIT INVOICE NO ********** 0398 AND ALSO FOR DELIVERY COSTS.

THANK YOU

REGARDS

KEITUMETSE (FOREX)

TEL + ********** 686 ------------------------------------------------------

I trust that a reputable senior manager in the relevant department will do whatever they need to solve this matter as our client is expecting delivery of their goods tomorrow Friday 11/01/2018.

As stipulated, I am willing to may time in my busy schedule to come again to the branch & resolve the matter however the last time I was at the branch I was not assisted but rather informed that the individuals dealing with the matter are in a separate department & I need to get hold of them for assistance.

Here I am almost a month later trying to resolve this & you asking us to keep harassing our client so the next time I will be at the branch will be to withdraw all our funds & take our business to a bank that value their clients & take them seriously.

So far it is evident we have not been taken seriously & we believe based on the current pressure we have from attorneys, the client & stake-holders , it has come to us having to take radical action. below is the initial swift message received on 24/12/2018.

(When replying, please use this e-mail address. Please do not change the Reference Number contained in the Subject line.)

Good day

We hereby confirm receipt of an inward payment of ZAR 145,191.79, reference number IT18354ZA ********** from Remitter INSTRUMENTAL SERVICES destined for your account number ********** 2091.

To enable processing of your payment, please reply ASAP to this email stating:

Balance of Payments (BOP) category code if you have it or, alternatively, Reason for Payment Your payment will be processed at the prevailing spot rate, unless you are a direct dealing client, or you have pre-arranged an exchange rate or you have an existing Forward Exchange Contract. If any of these apply, please provide your cover number or Forward Exchange Contract number.

If your payment is export-related, loan-related or related to a specific Exchange Control Approval, please provide additional information and supporting documentation, as per exchange control regulations.

For your benefit, we have listed the 5 most commonly used BOP categories used by Individuals, should these apply to your payment:

Gift (401) Non-resident Income (303) Holiday Travel (261) Migrant Worker (416) Tuition (285)

Original MT103 Instruction

:20:X44 ********** 182-2 :23B:CRED :32A:181221ZAR145191,79 :33B:ZAR145556,79 :50K:/ ********** 9110 INSTRUMENTAL SERVICES PLOT 14390GWEST INDUSTRIAL GABORONEBOTSWANA :52A:FIRNBWGX :53A:SARBZAJ2*** :57A://ZA051001 SBZAZAJJ*** :59:/ ********** 2091 144 ADVANCED PTY LTD T/A 144 POWER SUPPLIERS 54 ATLAS ROAD BONAERO PARK JHB 1505 RSA :70:MERCHANDISE IMPORTS :71A:SHA :71F:ZAR365, :72:/REC/NTNRC

I have sent the proof of payment, the purchase order from our client to Standard Bank as proof of the source of funds on top of all the request that Standard bank has asked us to provide (all to no avail).

0
Replies (12)
Standard Bank
Standard Bank's reply11 Jan 2019, 10:52
Official
 Thank you for posting your comment.  We assure you that as an organization we are committed to providing the best possible service and assure you that this will be addressed as a matter of urgency. 

We apologize for the inconvenience and undue frustration, this has caused.  We greatly appreciate your continued support   Kind regards  Complaint Resolution Centre
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 *** (fax)
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ZF
Zodwa F's update11 Jan 2019, 11:18
Reviewer Update
Good day I believe your response is inadequate based on the level of this case. I requested you to provide the current status on this internal Ombudsman case otherwise provide us with the next step to proceed with the public ombudsman as our business is suffering loss due to this case not being resolved. Furthermore, contrary to your claim in providing the best possible service, this has reflected the exact opposite as currently we are sitting with an unhappy client, legal proceeding by our employees for not paying their salaries & backlog in assisting our client in the service they have paid us for. I have spent numerous hours using my own time & money to try and reach someone who can assist me in the relevant department & all we get after being promised the best level of service for choosing you as our financial service provider is grief & empty promises and statements. I am ready to go to my business banker at Promenade & withdraw our business & go a service provider who will honor their valued clients & respect their consumer rights.
ZF
Zodwa F's update15 Jan 2019, 09:13
Reviewer Update
Greetings I have sent a response to your reply asking if you have further information except that you are doing your best to resolve the issue. I have not received any correspondence from any Standard Bank representative to show that anyone is working on the case & furthermore our client has threatened to cancel their business with us due to the many requests that Standard Bank are asking to add to all the requests that they have asked us & our client to do & we comp**** to. May we get feedback on this matter urgently.
ZF
Zodwa F's update16 Jan 2019, 10:30
Reviewer Update
Good day I will be in meetings with our stakeholders for most of the day so feel free to drop me an email & I will be sure to get back to you soonest.
ZF
Zodwa F's update16 Jan 2019, 11:54
Reviewer Update
Thank you for your email. It is sad to note that our has been affected very negatively by this issue & are in discussions to pull out of our deal. As we speak, we had to pay our employee salaries from my own pocket for the month of December as I was facing legal action from their attorneys last week. On the commercial end of things, should we suffer financially by our client pulling-out because we have been postponing due to Standard Bank holding their payment, what steps could we take in order to address this in the right accordance? Would we be eligible to press charges against Standard Bank in the event that we lose business due to them not releasing the funds even after the client had been ordered back & forth to their bank to do confirmation of the transaction of which they did, or is this a separate matter to approach privately? I will look forward to hearing from you
ZF
Zodwa F's update16 Jan 2019, 12:05
Reviewer Update
Thank you kindly We will await your response. Is there an ETA on the resolution of this matter? So we can inform the relevant parties on our end?
ZF
Zodwa F's update16 Jan 2019, 12:13
Reviewer Update
Thank you for the update. May we kindly know what feedback is being waited for so that we can set the right expectations on our end? We know that the client has been to their bank in Botswana (FNB) & sent then later sent an MT199 message for the confirmation of funds as requested by your investigation team. How then does RMB fit in all this. I will appreciate your positive feedback
ZF
Zodwa F's update16 Jan 2019, 13:14
Reviewer Update
From what I was told in the beginning, I believe the lady's name is Tahira Maasdorp who reports to Diteboho Letete. Our client paid to our account from FNB their bank who processed & released the funds to our new Standard Bank account. Standard Bank then blocked the funds due to you not expecting us to receive a payment of such amount (as per your agent's advice). Which then led to you requesting further acknowledgment to be done by our client together with their bank. (Which they confirm & we acknowledge) they approached their bank and sent follow-up verifications to our bank as requested. Now we as an organization need to know that at the end of the day, Was this an issue which was triggered by our financial service provider i.e Standard Bank. Can someone please take ownership & responsibility in order for us to make an informed decision?
ZF
Zodwa F's update16 Jan 2019, 14:35
Reviewer Update
Good afternoon Nkululeko This is really odd to put thing plainly. The funds paid by our client are actually in our account & the client confirms that the funds left their bank at the time the transaction occurred. We received confirmation of inward bank transfer from our client's bank & then you later requested that we inform our client to send an MT199 to confirm the funds of which was done. Clearly, this should have initiated from Standard Bank's end. This is all that we need you to acknowledge Call me back with the questions I have laid to you as my financial service provider. Unless you undermine me as your client, but I advised you that the reason for the questions is to also give our stakeholders the feedback they have requested. Kindly address with the relevant parties handling this at Standard Bank. You cannot push this back to FNB yet this eminated from Standard Bankside. Looking forward to hearing from you
ZF
Zodwa F's update17 Jan 2019, 09:37
Reviewer Update
Nkukuleko Sithole Thank you for this reply. I have forwarded the same to our stakeholders. This still is not clear as to how this led to our client being questioned on the source of their funds. Please clarify how a hold that Standard Bank placed, leads to our client's bank who approved the transaction would now be questioned all of a sudden. This does not make sense. Are you saying that Standard Bank now inquires from all third parties regarding their source of funds? Furthermore, where does it state in your terms and conditions that a new business account should not receive payments of any certain amount on their accounts? Are you saying businesses should not operate and rather use cash payments as a means of trade and avoid your bank and it's inconveniences? So when we open business account what do you think is the purpose then? For the accounts to not transact and become in arrears or only to transact the amounts that you deem little enough for the livelihood of our businesses according to your own jaded limitations. We have business accomplices all over South Africa who have opened new business accounts even recently and because they are white, they have traded & received funds of over 500 thousand to over a million of Rands & were never questioned or were their any of their business accounts put on a hold. They also have received funds from abroad including Botswana & have never faced what were are facing. I am beginning to believe that this is a racial ************** matter. Your statement regarding the funds being held because the account is new & because of the amount received on our business account is a clear example of your undermining young black entrepreneurs who have gotten a breakthrough and now your system is abusing our rights and preventing us from contributing to the economy & our previously disadvantaged backgrounds. It also implies that only old business accounts are entitled to free-trade & to be able to do business our a business needs to have operated for a certain time-period determined by your before we can trade in substantial trade because we are young women trying to make a living in our society. We will certainly take this up further with the ombudsman. I am inquiring further on the process to escalate this to the external (public Ombudsman) Please provide the process & the relevant parties to deal with for this escalation process to proceed further. Thank you
ZF
Zodwa F's update17 Jan 2019, 10:27
Reviewer Update
Thanks for your response. I know you are just doing your job sir. I understand the definition of the term, all I am saying is that all this seems to be a matter of profiling. Are you saying all new business accounts that receive funds undergo the same process? The reason this does not make sense is that we have business partners & close friends & relatives who have opened new business accounts, some with Standard Bank & also trade both nationally & internationally but have never been through this. In fact, a close Indian friend of mine recently opened an account with you & received funds from Tanzania from one of their clients for an amount way higher than the payment received by our company. They just got a mining deal & she is 7 months younger than me but nothing of this nature was done on their account. Is there something specifically singled out on all new black business accounts of women or men my age who are in business with international organizations? profiled & monitored differently to other races in our liberated South Africa? I have first-hand testimonies from these people who can attest to what I am saying.
ZF
Zodwa F's update17 Jan 2019, 11:41
Reviewer Update
Sir, can you kindly response to my below email with the requested step for external ombudsman escalation proceed. I have already told you that I had to resort to paying some of my employees from my own pocket because of this major setback. How can I proceed with this escalation to the point of the public (not your internal Ombudsman)? I need to follow your processes & align so that you do not later come back & say that I did not follow your internal process first. You also refused to discuss this further with my attorneys & said you only need to deal with the business account holder. It seems this is not taking us anywhere so I believe we have to take the necessary steps for this to be resolved. If my other colleagues who also have business accounts with you had gone through the same then I would not see the need to see this as possible racial or gender ************** on the basis of your account profiling but this needs to be taken further & let the public ombudsman decide.