less than standard bank useless

<p>I have been a long standing client of Standard bank and in the past few years I have noticed a marked incline in unsatisfactory service I was recently retrenched so I went to my local branch at Bedford centre in order to put in the necessary paper work for activation of my insurance benefits on my loan account while unemployed I filed all the paperwork on the 07 June with a consultant the loan protection insurance was to cover my next 12 months of payments on my loan account or until such a time as I am re-employed needless to say money is tight </p> <p>low and behold on the 1st of July the loan was debited off my account </p> <p>I spoke to the consultant I dealt with and was told the debt order would be reversed</p> <p>a few days later a bulk payment was made on my loan account for 3 months by the insurer</p> <p>Yet once again on the 27th of July the loan was debited for the second time with no reversal taking place from the first debt order </p> <p>I then called the customer care line and sat on hold until I had burned through R25 airtime before the call was dropped what ever happened to toll free customer care lines </p> <p>I was now forced to go into the branch again on the 02 Aug</p> <p>after 30 minutes of waiting in the lounges I saw a new consultant I enquired about the reversal and weather it would happen again I got no feedback at all he left came back 5 minutes later and was told that both debt orders were reversed and the money would re-appear in my account the following day no other explanation nothing I was sent on my merry way </p> <p>On the 05 August I get a message saying my loan account is in arrears forcing me to once again go in to the Bedford centre branch </p> <p>On my arrival I asked to see a manager and was told she was busy with another client I was then sent to see a consultant to whom I explained the situation and got her up to speed </p> <p>I asked for an explanation as to why my loan account seemed to be in arrears and how this was affecting my credit record and why these debt orders were still being processed </p> <p>It was then explained to me that the credit insurer pays a lump sum for 3 months loan payments hence the bulk payment she then went on to explain that they will still debt my account for the loan every month and that I would have to come into the branch to reverse the debt order every month this makes no sense I then asked why the debt order was not cancelled and I was told that a debt order had to be recorded every month what then happens when I don't have money in my account what happens when this money is debited and I don't have available funds to pay the debts that don't have insurance on that I rely on like my cell phone contract even more what happens with the fees for the bounced transactions I was met with silence </p> <p>THIS DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL!!!!</p> <p>This such an inconvenience you are the service provider you are meant to make my life easier not harder I sit every month end going forward with a knot in my stomach for fear of the little money I have for survival being reverted into the banks pocket unnecessarily leaving me out of pocket when i need it most or even worse what i fear are frivolous unnecessary bank charges for these bounced debt orders consuming the little bit of funds I have left </p> <p>To add insult to injury I was then told that I would need to come into the branch every 3 months with an affidavit stating I am unemployed and I am still looking for work along with my ID in order to continue to have the insurance pay my loan </p> <p>I am disgusted at what a circus standard bank has become the are no longer a service oriented bank it seems the client always gets the short end of the stick if you are looking for a new bank avoid Standard bank at all costs they have done nothing but give me headaches and problems </p> <p>I have not frivolously posted this review this is simply the last straw in the past I have had credit card ***** that was never investigated leaving me to take the knock even after I contacted them via email more than once I was given no feed back and my money was definitely not returned by the bank </p> <p>I let it slide this is but one of many bad experiences with standard bank I have had an account with them all my life and I feel as though that means nothing we are only as good as our last statement </p> <p> </p> <p><br /> </p>