Tardy service and high bank fees

I have been a Standard Bank account holder for close to five years, and I am extremely frustrated and disappointed with the level of service I have received, particularly over the past month.

I have submitted several service requests recently, and the tardy, inefficient handling of these requests is honestly unbelievable. Basic banking needs are not being met, and follow-ups seem to go nowhere.

What made this situation even more unacceptable was discovering that my bank fees amounted to a staggering R9,800 over just six months. That averages to roughly R1,600 per month. When I contacted the bank to ask what value I am receiving for these fees, I could not get a satisfactory answer — especially considering that even my most basic requests are not being handled properly.

As a result, I have quite easily opened an account with Capitec, largely because they offer significantly lower bank fees. Unfortunately, in South Africa, poor service has become the norm across many institutions. However, even if Capitec were to provide the same bad, pathetic, and tardy service that I have experienced from Standard Bank — specifically from Yolande de Klerk — at least I will be paying far less for it.

This entire experience has left me extremely disappointed and questioning why I stayed loyal to Standard Bank for as long as I did.