Information contained in bank Notifications.

Dear Standard Bank.

I am hoping that you can clarify for me one aspect of how you operate as a bank.

So sometimes a client might fall behind on one of their accounts. So you send them a text message telling them one of their accounts is in arrears and requesting them to rectify the situation. Nothing wrong with this - SO FAR !

However, in the sms message to the client, you do NOT identify which account is in arrears, and YET you expect the client to remedy the situation.

Now when the client calls your HELP line to ask which account needs rectifying they quite happily inform the client and he/she goes away and rectifies the situation.

Now when the, irritated, client asks the HELP Line why the original sms does not identify which account is is arrears (and don't get me wrong, I do realise that for the sms to contain the clients account number would be a security risk and possibly a contravention of the POPI Act), bearing in mind that there are a number of ways the offending account could be identified to the client, he/she is told that "legislation does not permit the identification of the account in question in the sent sms".

So, if I have fully grasped the situation :

When Standard Bank notifies a client that one of their accounts is in arrears, legislation does not allow Standard Bank to identify, to the client, which account. And yet legislation REQUIRES the client to rectify the situation, on an as yet unidentified account. Additionally, although legislation does not permit Standard Bank to identify, to the client, which account is in arrears, legislation DOES permit Standard Bank to take action AGAINST the client, for failing to rectify the situation on the, as yet, unidentified account !

Does that sound about right to you ?

REALLY Standard Bank, this is NOT ROCKET SCIENCE. You are one of the largest banks in the country. SURELY even you can do better than this !

Regards

Paul