REASON FOR PETITION:

Like some other clients, I received a quote for Covid-19 Cash Relief, indicative of monthly installment, interest rate and date of first payment due (quoted as 1 August 2020). The message received also indicated that I might qualify for FNB Life Credit Protection, in which case the Bank offered to assist. Having read through the information I clicked on AGREE. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it offered some relief as it would cover my monthly payments towards the Bank.

On the Bank App, Account Balance summary, it shows the quoted amount in the negative.  Yet, none of this money has been transferred to any of my accounts (cheque, credit card, revolving loan). On the Detailed Balance Tab , it says my first installment is due on 1 May 2020, contrary to the quote I accepted.

Your Media Statement informed the public that claims under FNB Life Credit Protection will be dealt with first, before Cash Relief.

However, in practice, following the natural flow of the Bank App, this is not the case. Which begs the question: are you (FNB), trying to make extra interest out of your customers by first getting them to agree to the Cash Relief Agreement, before processing their Credit Life Claims?

While I can appreciate the fact that customers are offered an additional loan at a lower interest rate, the fact of the matter remains: Had we known the outcome of the Credit Protection Plan, few clients would still require an additional loan. Clearly the Cash relief only covers the client’s indebtedness to the Bank and nothing else! I thought that is what the FNB Life Credit Insurance was all about! So effectively, clients are paying (with interest) those amounts which the Credit Life Insurance should have covered, but now disguised as Cash Relief.

With all this technology at our disposal, I challenge you; try to contact the Bank for more information through any of the contact numbers / e-mail addresses  available to the public. It is an absolute nightmare! Who in the world has 5-10 days to wait for an answer when you are faced with a problem of this magnitude?

Questions like when or how the Relief Cash will be applied (presumably by the Bank?) still remain to be answered. Status on Bank App still indicates "Account in the Process of being Opened". 

Each and every document submitted via the Bank App is allocated a new case number. When submission via the Bank App fails and one submits documents via e-mail, a complete different range of reference numbers are used. In the fortunate event of establishing contact with one of the consultants at FNB Life, they can't trace one's documents simply by ID number. No Sir, I need your reference number. If your system then fails to identify all the client's submitted documents and treat them as one claim, how can the assessor make an informed decision? Instead, messages are posted on the Bank App informing customers "your claim could not be assessed as the document(s) submitted are irrelevant". How do you expect us to know which documents you are referring to if the Bank then fails to quote a reference number in their reply?

All of the products used at FNB were offered and accepted on the proof of income as deposited with FNB based on their affordability assessment. To think that customers would be satisfied with a loan at prime to cover their indebtedness to the Bank without them thinking further than that is an insult to our intelligence, integrity and loyalty towards the Bank.

One would imagine that if your systems could identify clients with overdue /outstanding accounts it could also identify those clients who have applied and have been approved for COVID assistance. So why do the Bank still sent messages on the Bank App reminding clients of the overdue amounts? Until such time the Bank decides to apply the funds to the relevant overdue account(s), there is absolutely nothing the client can do to remedy the situation!

Where is the logic and common-sense in all of this?!

Your high-handed approach through all of this makes it impossible for the man on the street to navigate his household through this CRISIS.

NOT KNOWING WHAT THE BANK IS UP TO, THEIR TIME FRAME AND CRITERIA IN ASSESSING CLAIMS ARE MORE WORRYING THAN THE VIRUS ITSELF!

We are almost 6 weeks down the road with this virus; do you really think it is fair to keep on posting notices telling clients they can / should  only expect a further announcement regarding covid-19 WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS?

Or worse still, your advice to clients to make use of their Bank App during the lock-down. What use is the Chat-channel on the App if it tells you, at 9 o'clock in the morning, you are number 503 in the queue? Only to see you finally had a reply at 15H30, but because you did not respond within 5 minutes, you see the hideous remark: " No further response from you. Good-bye"? 

Most of the functions on the Bank App you advise your clients to utilize are also available on Internet-Banking. But for whatever reason, Covid-19 is only available on the Bank App. You can not retrieve or print any of the messages on the Message Tab in order to follow up or lodge a complaint with Customer Care. Or is that your aim? 

PROPOSED SOLUTION

1) Increase human resources allocated to all Call Centre Numbers, especially to the Chat -channel on the Bank App.

2) Update the Bank App : FNB Insurance

• Show Insurance Claims Received and Reference Number allocated
• List all documents received and reference number allocated.
• Indicate where in the process the claim is (workflow)
• Indicate which documents are still required by assessor
•  Communicate reason why rejected by assessor 
• Explain the workings of the Credit Protection (once approved, what happens next?) 

3) Update the Bank App : Covid-19

• Show Application Received and Reference Number allocated
• List all documents received and reference number allocated.
• Indicate where in the process the application is (workflow)
• Indicate which documents are still required by consultant
• Communicate reason why rejected by consultant
• Change workflow in order to ensure Credit Protection is finalized prior to assessing Covid-19 Relief.

4) Customer Rating at end of Call

• I am in support of the rating tool to assess and determine the efficiency of the Consultant, but 
• You should also seek to determine the overall customer satisfaction with you as The Bank. 

5) Turn around time: In order to beat the competition this will have to be reduced by 50 percent.  Three days MAX.

CONCLUSION

Social-Media is flooded by negative reports all aimed at the Bank. While various reasons are on offer, most of the complaints stem from the fact that clients feel they are not being considered by the Bank. The mood out there is one of despair.

At the time of the American Independence, Abraham Lincoln had this to say. Independence is not doing what you want,when you want.

Independence is doing the right thing out of your own.

Please listen to your clients; it's the right thing to do.