Item: Standard Bank
Rating: 1
Author: Tershia T

TT

Tershia T's updateReviewer Update

16 Mar 2026, 13:31

Please take a chapter out of other bank's books. I have been with another bank since 1999, so happy. I have joined a new bank a month ago and I have received service from them in a month that I have not received in 25 years from Standard bank and clearly never will!

Standard bank, you have lost all my trust and it seems like I am not the only really unhappy client if I read the Hello Peter reviews you've recently received!

While you are making money of us every day, you clearly do not care about if your clients are happy or not, as long as the money keeps flowing in! So sad..
Over the years I made use of quite a few of the services Standard bank offered, never missing a payment and always ensuring I pay more than what’s expected or the minimum payments. This was never appreciated or even acknowledged when vehicles were purchased other banks always offered better interest rates, so sad but true!

Service I’ve used:
*Garage card – years ago – but paid it up and closed it (or that is what I thought!)
*Term loan - I took out for someone else – paid it off years ago
*Revolving loan - I also took out for family members – paid it off in a few months
*Revolving loan – activated it again to assist family in trouble – paid it off
*Overdraft also took out to assist family members – managed to arrange pay off
*Credit card – still being paid off

Never once did Standard Bank contact me and say, wow you are an excellent client, you pay more than you should, we will drop your interest rate, or next time you buy a vehicle we will give you the best interest rate.

At the end of January, I decided I’ve had enough of Standard bank’s high banking costs, that they are ignoring my plea to move finance charges that go off every month a week before my salary clears and so many other reasons. So, the first week in February I opened a new account with another bank. It’s been such smooth sailing with the new bank, goodness I wish I did this years ago!

After struggling for weeks, I finally successfully closed my Standard bank account. Ensuring while up and down to the bank, (that run around which never should have happened), I ensured that all my accounts have now been paid up and settled, except for the one credit card that I was aware of and I ensured that there was a debit order loaded at my new bank for this payment, because I never want to miss payments, even during Covid I managed to cover my payments, even if it meant going to bed hungry and this is why I am so furious with Standard bank!

The Saturday I was in the WoodMead Branch and I really did not feel well at all. I sat for over an hour before being assisted, I had to hear there is skeleton staff and the manager isn’t there to attend to my concerns. They were going to mail Midrand branch with whom I dealt with first and they will contact me. A week later still no response from either of the branches. I went back to the Midrand branch and the manager kindly assisted me there.

But before I left the branch (for the last time) and all my accounts were successfully closed according to the branch manager and the consultant that assisted me, my accounts were still open two weeks thereafter. When I realised that is still wasn’t closed, I have been admitted to ICU with a terrible virus. During this time in ICU, I still tried to close the accounts.

Eventually the accounts were successfully closed. I couldn’t take any calls during the last three weeks of first being in ICU an then in isolation in hospital!

Not only have they caused so much distress, they’ve overcharged, affected my credit score because finance charges kept being deducted on the 18th or 19th of a month after I’ve made arrangements for it not to be done. Their excuse was, people eat their money when their salaries come in so we take the money before the time to ensure a payment is made. I said excuse, me? Am I people? I have been a client at this bank since 2001. I’ve been loyal, I have kept my promise of paying back money every single time sometimes huge amounts that I borrowed on my name for other people! So that excuse is not good enough for me. I was not successful in moving the date of the finance charge until this morning when a lady from card division spoke to me.

Now I wonder how many other people have suffered because of this? And if I did not open my new bank account I would not have picked up on this money that has been going off for this garage credit card that I haven’t picked up or even used in 13 years. I am still in shock!

As mentioned, if I knew that this was the treatment my bank would reward me with after 25 years of loyalty. I would’ve left a long time ago! I am not disappointed I am utterly disgusted to think that I trusted you with my money for so long!

TT

Tershia T's update16 Mar 2026, 13:31

Reviewer Update