PC
Petro C

1 reviews | Active since Jun 2019

28 Jun 2019, 21:27

Standard bank not respecting my mother's last wishes and the elderly!

Good day. I would like to make people aware of something that happened that is a great concern and very painful. In 2014 I took my mother to our local branch of Standard Bank as she wanted them to make her will. The interviewer was very friendly and assisted my mother nicely. She issued my mother with papers, in my possession stating that mom chose that her will be kept SAFE at Standard bank. She explained to me that should my other die I will be responsible for the executors costs and the amount with my mother's wishes are all written on the papers in my possession as well as the name of the broker involved. My mother that day signed electronically and also signed a lot of papers. The papers in my posession are not signed as it is only the proof that she did go to the bank to apply for a will. Both myself and my mother asked more than once if all is in place or if we should go back again to sign. We were assured that everything is fine and the only thing needed is for me to go to the bank to retrieve the will when my mother pass on. She was critically sick and on 7 May 2019 I went to the branch to check if all is in order. I was given a Johannesburg number and was told that they can't trace a will on my mother's name. On 9 May 2019 my mom died. I went back to the branch and the issue was referred to someone in Nelspruit working with wills. No reply was received from her after almost a week. The complaints department was phoned a reference number retrieved and a promise that I will receive feedback within 48 hours. This did not happen even till today and when I phoned again a few days later I was referred back to the lady in Nelspruit. After waiting more than a week and numerous questions about where the will is I finally manage to contact the lady in Nelspruit myself. Copies of the proof that mom app**** was e mailed to her. I was told the will could not be found and does not exist! And I was told the lady that interviewed my mother and is now working at a different branch said she knows nothing about it!!!! To hear during this terrible grieving period that my mother's last wishes was not respected and that her will could not be found is more than devastating! My dad was a client of standard bank for 25 years. My mother and myself were both loyal clients for 22 years now. AND THEN HER LAST WISHES WERE IGNORED. This is ****ing me emotionally to think that she was 74 years at the the time gave her bank an instruction but was ignored and disrespected. The worse is to date I did not even receive an apology or explanation. I was just told the will can't be found full stop. I was not offered assistance on what to do now and the lady in nelspruit just said I must send her a list of my mother's assets and she will send it through for them to decide WILL THEY STILL ASSIST ME OR NOT!!! BUT I MUST BE AWARE THAT I WILL HAVE TO PAY EXECUTORS COST! I knew I must pay it because I was told already the day when my mother app**** for the will. And it was now like there is no will so just see for yourself what to do now it is not our problem.I had to make a plan myself to get the estate opened.I'm sorry but I got the impression that the estate is too small for Standard Bank and that is why they ignored my mother's last wishes and why they are not interested to assist me. If that is the case they should have been honest with my mom and told her they can't make the will. This is not about money or anything as my mother fortunately spoke to all her children and explained her wishes, it is about disrespecting the elderly, ignoring and instruction from my mother and her wishes not being respected by standard bank.If she could know that she would be deeply hurt and extremely upset. In a time that I'm traumatized broken and devastated I must found out my mother's wishes were ignored. And the worse of all ignorance and no apology from the bank. Not that an apology will make any difference. At least admit it is your mistake and try and see how you can still assist. But just ignoring and disregarding the complaint is unacceptable. I went to a lawyer who gladly assisted me to get my mother's death reported and open the estate and she went out of her way to make sure my mother's wishes will be respected. My heart is truly very sore and I don't want any other person to experience what I experienced and if Standard bank then don't want to assist me and disrespected the elderly I just sincerely hope that they will change and not do this to any other person as it is truly very very painful.

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Replies (2)
PC
Petro C's update28 Jun 2019, 21:40
Reviewer Update
Not sure why there are stars but that sentence should read it ****s me.
PC
Petro C's update28 Jun 2019, 21:44
Reviewer Update
I'm sorry I'm trying to say it makes me emotionally dead to think a 74 year old are ignored but the stars keep coming up. ????