
Standard Bank Updates
June 19, 2023
VACANCIES AVAILABLE
August 28, 2023Dear Members,
DCASA met with African Bank on July 3, 2023, to address the various issues and concerns we have received from our members. At the meeting, the following were identified and resolved:
1. The portal is not working properly.
There was a problem with the portal, which has since been rectified. If not, please let me know.
2. COBs are not being received (mainly Credit cards).
Unfortunately, their systems experienced some downtime, but this has been resolved.
3. Insurance replacements
This has been a hot topic over the years, and African Bank has assured me that they are working hard to get this resolved, as they believe that it makes sense for a client to make the switch on the basis that the client saves money and maintains the same cover as they had before.
Going forward, you will see improvements. However, as the insurance department is not part of the Debt Review department, they are still trying to streamline the process. Any urgent matters can be escalated to Paul Mpolokeng.
4. Refund issues
We have discussed this at length, and African Bank has confirmed that they cancel the Debit orders on receipt of Form 17.2b.
Secondly, we discussed the reinstatement of the Debit Orders when they do not receive payment within 60 Business days and have noted that there are times when there is a delay from the PDA distribution (5 Days) and will investigate moving this accordingly to allow for the extra days before re-instating the debit orders.
Further to the above, we have discussed having the refunds paid directly to our respective PDAs to ensure that clients do not spend the money when the refund is done. This will need to be approved by senior management.
Finally, please ensure that when you send a proposal, you stick to the timelines as stipulated within the proposal (There will be allowance for PDA delays).
5. 17.3 (non-acceptance).
Again, African banks are very willing to work within the TTA and will consider all 17.3 applications on the basis that there is evidence of the problem(s) that the client has faced. (Proof of the expenses, Maternity leave, etc.) They will not accept excuses like it’s Christmas.
Should you believe that your 17.3 has been unjustifiably denied, please send a mail to Paul Mpolokeng, as he has assured me that he will review the matter.
6. Unreasonable counterproposals
As I have not had any issues on my end, please send some examples for me to take a look at. If I feel they are warranted, I will bring this to their attention; if not, I will call you to discuss it personally.
7. Glitch on some 20,000 accounts
African Bank is fully aware of the situation and is at the tail end of this problem. They do hope to have this resolved shortly and are confident that this will be achieved before the end of this month or sooner. (Please remember that these are IT issues and things can change, but as we stand, this should be a thing of the past by month’s end.)
8. Unable to receive paid-up letters on the portal
Again, if there is a problem with this, please email Paul Mpolokeng. However, before you do this, please remember the following:
Once a client has made their last installment, they will wait 14 days to ensure that the payment has cleared before making the letter available. This is to make sure that the client has not cancelled their last Debit order, forcing them to reimburse the PDA.
In conclusion, African bank are committed to making the Debt Review process work,and will go beyond the TTA to accommodate this. They have even requested that I send out a survey on their behalf on a quarterly basis to see how and where they can improve their services, so please complete the survey that you receive to have your say.