Terrible customer service

have been with Standard Bank since high school and recently decided to upgrade my account to a Young Professionals Account as I’m about to start working. Unfortunately, this experience has been nothing short of a nightmare, with some of the poorest customer service I’ve ever encountered.

The initial account upgrade was straightforward, but everything that followed has been a disaster. I was informed that a private banker would contact me to introduce themselves, but that never happened. I was also told I would receive a call from the courier company once my new card was ready for delivery. It has now been over two weeks, and my card is still not ready. It seems no one has actually taken the initiative to order it.

I’ve called Standard Bank numerous times and have been repeatedly misinformed. I was advised to report my existing card (from my previous account) as damaged, which was supposed to trigger the ordering of a new card. Instead, this led to the wrong card being ordered, and I may now be charged for it. To make matters worse, I couldn’t even get in touch with the person who gave me this incorrect advice.

When I finally reached someone else, they informed me that no card had been ordered at all. They assured me that my private banker would handle it, but again, nothing happened. On Monday, I called Private Banking, and they claimed the card was being ordered and that the courier company would contact me. However, when I followed up, I discovered—unsurprisingly—that the card still wasn’t ordered.

After years of loyalty to Standard Bank, I feel incredibly disappointed. This experience makes it clear that customer service and follow-through are not priorities for the bank. I had high expectations, but this situation has left me questioning my decision to remain with Standard Bank.