standard bank

[murdock]

i have just 2 to 3 weeks to wait and i will be getting paid out for all the long hours of work which is enough to clear every single bit of bank debt overdrafts and credit cards and have some money to invest...which will in turn give me the leverage to negotiate with the new bank i decide to move to...i will set my wife on them she knows how to negotiate good deals.

The next step is my vehicle which i plan on getting rid of and investing in a vehicle which i can pay cash for. i have 2 vehicles one which i paid cash for and the other is on hp...i plan on selling both and what ever i am left with will invest in another one for cash.

i am looking at saving thousands of rands in monthly fees interest etc in the near future.

a couple of years ago i was debt free...i paid cash for everything i just had a few clothing accounts and a savings account with the bank which i managed so well that i was offered thousands of rands in overdrafts vehicle finance i had an excellant credit rating i ddint even give surety for anything and so the credit started...it has just gone done hill from there...(the bank would be pretty sr*wed if i decided to defaut on them...they dont have one cent of surety on any of my accounts or vehicle finance)


i see it happening tooo often people are given credit and the bank increases it and increases it until the interest gets so high that it begins to strangle them until they go broke and loose everything.

the bottom line is if you dont have it dont spend it...credit just makes things worse...because then you have the interest and fees to repay...eventually it catches up with you.

there are people out there who can manage money but i think most suckers are like me they give me more i spend more...lucky for me this contract came up so i have just put my head down and work my butt off...i have worked every weekend and every night since it started 7 weeks ago.

by the way i went onto hello peter to see which bank to move to...standard bank has the same reply to every single complaint and boy there are lots of them....

"This matter will be investigated and we will provide you with feedback shortly.

Kind regards
Rumaine Barlow
Standard Bank
Complaint Resolution Centre
Tel: 0860 101 101"

i wonder if they do ever get back to anyone....the only compliment are those from people going into the bank to open account etc...almost like they lure you in by offering you a nice friendly atmosphere then once they have you "sucker" try get away now...then you just pay.

[murdock]

"Good day.

Thank you, your email has been received. Please do not respond to this email.

One of our consultants will reply within 24 hours (excluding weekends and public holidays). Our operating hours and contact details can be viewed on the Standard Bank website.

In future, please ensure that either your card or account number and your ID number appears on your request. This will ensure a speedy reply.

If you need an immediate response, please call our Customer Contact Centre on +27 0860 123 000. "

Kind Regards
Customer Contact Centre"

i decided to take the customer care route and see what comes of it...this is the second response and i still wait.

[Dave A]

You will be contacted, but it doesn't always work out the way you'd like it to.

[murdock]

i did get a reply today...but i will not take the call as i requested everything must be put in writing...i have no interest in talking to anyone because i am extremely frustrated and battle to control my manner i which i speak to standard bank personal.

as one of the employees of standard bank mentioned i have just become a number in a computer system...the bank no longer has control over returned items (what a load of cr*p) there is no longer that personal touch in banking...i speak to people on a d aily basis who are also battling finacialy and they dont have the same problem i am having...one person mentioned he is with nedbank and they contact him ask him to sort out his account whever he is overdrawn...they have never returned any of his debit orders or cheques.

the thing that is burning my butt is the fact that the money is transfered the night before the debit orders run and they are only returned 2 days later when there is more than enough money to cover everything.

it s not like they have to phone me and beg me to transfer the money or it is not left for days then only sorted out.

and to top it all its not like i am a bad customer who does this all the time.

i was told by the branch manager that my accounts are well managed and have been for the past 10 years...to a point that they have offered me overdraft facilities and vehicle finance without any form of calateral or surities and now recently a bond.

[Frankincense]

"one of the employees of bank "X" mentioned i have just become a number in a computer system...."

....so it's now confirmed by others too....

Yeah...as we dwindle further into the abyss of electronic authentication it's important to manage your affairs prudently, however; even those with well managed affairs still belong to total financial incapacitation should they err.

Just don't accept the number when it's to be placed within your flesh

Happy Banking....whichever subsystem of the number you wish to switch to, appraise or curse.

[murdock]

The exact words and i quote "unfortunately it is out of our hands we no longer has any control over your account it is all done electronically" in other words you have become part of the system...just a number.

[Dave A]

This is my take-away on this thread:

as one of the employees of standard bank mentioned i have just become a number in a computer system...the bank no longer has control over returned items (what a load of cr*p) there is no longer that personal touch in banking...i speak to people on a d aily basis who are also battling finacialy and they dont have the same problem i am having...one person mentioned he is with nedbank and they contact him ask him to sort out his account whever he is overdrawn...they have never returned any of his debit orders or cheques.

That was my experience 10+ years ago when I was in trouble; when you've slipped into Standard's bad books you catch no breaks. So nothing's changed.

Thing is I still bank with them. This highly systemised approach cuts both ways; I like their systems when everything is going well as much as I didn't like it when things were going badly. And I know my money is safe precisely because they are so ruthless.

I'm just not as dependant on their goodwill as I used to be.

I know people who had their money at Saambou when it went under. It's one thing not being able to access funds that aren't really yours in the first place, but not being able to access your own money is a whole lot more irritating.

Fact is there are differences between banks. And at times it's just as well.

[Debbiedle]

On this particular issue (hellopeter) - they do reply. I had a complaint with them about a year ago, listed on hellopeter and 5 hours later the bank manager had sorted it out. She had just taken over the branch and I found her to be quite aware of client issues.

[Frankincense]

...isn't it Lucifer approaches disguised as an Angel of Light.....


...Oh let us enjoy the Great Service whichever Bank provides....

[murdock]

i did get a reply yesterday not in writting as i requested or from the incorrect department but at least they are trying

what i dont understand is why someone who has no authourity to do anything contacts me...then i am itold they will get back to me...it is clear to me that my account is not important enough for management to bother with it.

personally i dont think this will ever be resolved because i am only a small fish and they dont need my bussiness...its like virgin mobile they are tooo big to worry about people like me who complain about things i am not happy with.