Unfair Practice at Standard Bank

Dear Sir/ Madam,

I would like to express my disappointment with Standard Bank South Africa. In 2017, I bought a BMW X5 through SMG Durban. It was financed by Standard Bank. At first, I was happy with the deal but when I wanted to get more information from the bank as to what does the overall contract entail, I failed to get a clear answer. I wanted to get more information on what I have entered into contractually since I am not a legal person, and sometimes I prefer to get more explanation in a language I understand which is isiZulu on this matter.

I was also disturbed by endless calls and threats I received from the so-called car agents who demanded the car back when I failed to make payment for installment. Again, no one called me from Standard Bank to explain further about the processes with regard to the contract. I ended up driving the car to where I was instructed to. After that I made endless phone calls to Standard Bank to get more clarity but eventually one of the consultants gave me some clarity even though I was not totally happy with how they have handled my issue.

Now I am expected to repay the exuberant amount, and yet no one told me anything about the auction sale until I got a call from the law firm which demanded payment from me. I am still flabbergasted with how Standard Bank treated me as a customer. They have violated my rights as a customer in a sense that I was not afforded the chance to state my case on certain issues pertaining to our contractual agreement. It looks like I was involved in a boss versus employee contract where one is expected to do as he is told by the so-called boss. Am I not entitled to the right to proper information, explained in a language I would understand? Is Standard Bank correct in taking decisions that affect one’s state of mind without affording him a chance to state his case? How long will it take for South Africa to transform the banking sector that treats its clients as second class citizens in their own country? Is Transformation and good customer care a pipe dream at Standard Bank?