In Jan 2006, The first national bank offered me an overdraft by Atm as a I was busy withdrawing funds on my cheque account and I accepted without knowing the conditions of this facility. When left me previous employment I did not hear from FNB either that they were intending to delete my overdraft facility, I subsequently recieved employment elsewhere and bank with a different bank although all my debit orders were / are still running through this account and I am mainatining it the same way dispite banking elsewhere because of the exceptional service I recieved from this bank in the last 12 years. Until this morning 25.2.08 that A gentleman from the FNB branch contacted me to ascertain why my salary did not get paid on this account today, I asked him why He said one of his colleagues had contacted me sometime back and I commited to redirect my salary to this FNB cheque account , That was news in my ears because no body " I mean no body" from this branch contacted me about my salary where I commited to redirect it to this account by the 25.2.08. Then we agreed that I will redirect in March 08 only . Then a huge deposit of money cam through and I obviously wanted to access my funds and then only learnt that my account has been blocked for further use until salary gets paid into this account . I immediately visited a branch and they put me through the gentlement I had spokent to 3 hrs ago ( in the morning) He told me that hat the bank is concerned that I may not be able to pay the overdraft back since I am now bankink else where, I then asked him to deduct the amount owing in full ( the overdraft amount not even 40 % of the the amount deposited on my account) I could not understand what is the big fuss about , However this guy said He will make a deal between us that I recieve my funds in full and redirect the salary next month . I left the bank.
10 minutes later he called again that I need to sign acknowledgement of debt that I owe FNB money on the overdraft facility and that They cannot release my other held unaccounted for funds until I sign this peace of paper at the branch again.
I told him out of frustration that I find it difficult that the bank has a trust issue with me after all, because the overdraft was given to me in a clamsy way in that no one explained the conmditions of the overdraft not explained anything as all this happened on a ATM machine and noe He is coming up with Stories , AFter He apologised He hung up the phone and still failed to lift the Hard hold on my account as promiosed and It looks like He is exercising his power to ensure that I only recieve my money when he & his superior wish if I will ever .
Moral of the story is that the First National bank is became a poor service provider that only puts itself before the client and goes all out to incinvinience a client . and it means A client must go sit in the queues at the branch 4/5 times a day then it is fine with this BANK!!!
I am an extremely upset about this matter . AS the money in my account is not all I owe then, what stops them from taking their money and leave mine so that I can close my account and move one to other client orientated banks.
The choice is wide for consumers ...