Pathetic and Poor Service

I am deeply disappointed with the level of service I received to date from Standard Bank Trust, especially the poor service from the Estates Department Management Team. I submitted al required documentation on 9 February 2021 to Standard Bank Trust to kickstart the process of resolving my husband’s estate. I received an email from Catherine Verryne on 12 February 2021 confirming the receipt of the documentation and she shared the contact details of the Estates Team. From March 2021 I made monthly follow ups with Standard Bank Trust to find out what the progress was. I requested feedback from the manager, Danie du Toit, on several occasions. He did not even have the decency to call me personally when he dropped the bombshell, on New Year’s Eve 2021, that nothing has been done to date. This was his pathetic email response when my daughter ask for feedback;

''Unfortunately, very little progress has been made in your father’s estate as we still await the Letter of Executorship from the Master of the High Court. I also did a search on the Master’s Portal and could not trace any record of your father’s estate. Further investigation will be required on why the above is still outstanding after all these months. The outstanding Letter of Executorship is delaying the administration of the estate as we are unable to liaise with SARS, close bank accounts etc. '' My email plea sent to his immediate manager, Ellen Nel, went unanswered as well. I escalated the matter to the head of department, Penny Bibby, and again NO response. Not even an email or a phone call from anyone from Standard Bank Trust to at least give me the peace of mind that the matter has been attended to. My health is deteriorating by the day and I can’t get my own affairs in order due to the delay at Standard Bank Trust. My husband’s first and his last banking account was with Standard Bank, which he opened in 1978. He was a loyal customer for 43 years and this is how Standard Bank is rewarding him. I must currently relying on government hospital facilities and social grants, which does not even cover the current utilities account. I am relying on family to assist with my chronic medication and maintenance related issues on my house. The uncer*****y is impacting negatively on my health, physically and emotionally. My husband worked his entire adult life to ensure that should something happen to him that his family will be financially looked after. This is how Standard Bank repays my husband’s 43 years of loyal service.