# General Business Category > Business Finance Forum >  effen B

## wynn

Your account is only worth the last four months, and don't expect us to contact you we have six million clients.

One of my businesses is a cc that does business with contractors who buy large amounts occasionally.

Imagine my surprise when I looked on my internet profile and saw that my cc account had GONE!!

OK I know the last time I deposited anything was end November, but December and January are lost months in the contracting industry and everybody knows there is a 'recession' and that the 'political musical chairs' playing out provincially and locally means that contracts that should have been awarded in December before 'shutdown' still haven't been awarded so it was my fault, I was remiss, I never deposited the non existant deposits.

So I tootled down to my local branch of 'effen B' to get them to re-instate it.

Bongani "Your Account is closed"

Me "What was that you said?"

Bongani "It is closed and I can't open it again, you must open a new account"

Me "But what about the people that know my account number, I must tell everybody a new number?  get authority to reopen it!!"

Bongani "Sorry but the section that deals with it hasn't the authority to re-open it"

Me "Well then go over their heads to someone higher up!!"

Gets Grant? on the line.

Grant 'Well you see, we have six million accounts and we can't contact everybody before the system closes the account and dumps your FICA details after four months of in-activity, it costs seven thousand rand to re-open an account you know, but I will re-instate it this once, if you let it go stale again, that's it, but you have to pay us the R50.oo that we wrote off and do 'FICA' again"

Hours later 11h30 to 15h40 with a trip home to get my FICA documents, I have my account again, what a rigmarole wasted half a day to reopen an account that existed last month!

If the system can close an account, surely it can suspend it for a few months before they close it and dump the FICA details so it is a simple code to re-instate it and not cost money?

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## tec0

There is a bigger picture at work here. Imagine a small amount of those six million customers have reopened their accounts again and again how much money do you think this bank is making and how many of those people had no alternative then to pay the seven Thousand rand? Now if only ten people did this then you are looking at seventy thousand rand for doing nothing. 

*If it was me* I would have added that damage is being done to my business due to their actions, and that this is a form of sabotage. I would ask for my original agreement when I opened my account and look at their terms and condition section. If it was stated back then there is not much you can do about it other than paying in and amount of *R100 per month via one of my other accounts.* 

However I will also shop around and move my account and give this lot the finger and then go public by writing these troubles in a newspaper article. I do also wonder how many of those six million customers had a look at the fine print??    :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## tonyflanigan

I don't get this... :Stupid: 

When the earth was younger (bc), banks would pay you to be their client, and made you feel like something other than a smell smear under a shoe...

They have become streamlined, cut back on staff because we are now doing what they used to, AND we are treated like the smelly smear. 

I think it's quite simply too late for us. Because we're basically all nice people, we allow the banks to f**k us thru the ears. 

Unfortunately, we don't have the option of using our matresses anymore, and the banks know this. We will always be screwed over by the banks, no matter which one we use.

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desA (18-Mar-10)

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## Dave A

> Grant 'Well you see, we have six million accounts and we can't contact everybody before the system closes the account and dumps your FICA details after four months of in-activity


WTF has the number of accounts they have on their books got to do with it?

Surely they can't simply close an account for inactivity without any form of prior notification. It's the banking equivalent of terminating a contract without putting you on notice to rectify a breach - if one can consider an account being inactive for 4 months a breach  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 

If there were insufficient funds to cover ongoing bank charges they'd have a reasonable defence - but on the grounds of inactivity alone?  :No:

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desA (19-Mar-10)

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## desA

Sounds like a skimming tactic.

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## tec0

Forcing people to pay the bank for administration and or lose your account is a good tactic it insures that the bank will always have funds available thus keeping all the fact cats very happy. But I donât know people are beginning to question motive?

Six million billable transactions, six million customers paying for administration... Honestly where is all that money going??  :Confused:

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## wynn

No not skimming, I only paid the outstanding fee R50.oo but the fact is they dropped the account without notice, no communication nuffin, very inconvenient and inconveniencing.
I should be able to pick up the phone and ask "How much? just do it"

I just wonder how many clients would just give up and walk out? will add up to six million before long.

 :Headbutt:

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## tec0

Well, most people stick with the devil they know... Banks especially have their own cult following and a few angry people is not enough to upset the balance. But again people will get angry eventually and just walk out.  :Cool:

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## twinscythe12332

when they decided to close the account, was the bank balance positive? if so, was it positive after all this crap?

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## wynn

The account was R48.oo overdrawn

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## tec0

Well in all honesty, it is not uncommon for a bank to just close an account if that account is empty and unused. However I felt a simple inexpensive SMS that stated âPlease deposit a minimum amount of X into your accountâ would have prompted you into action...

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## wynn

> Well in all honesty, it is not uncommon for a bank to just close an account if that account is empty and unused. However I felt a simple inexpensive SMS that stated âPlease deposit a minimum amount of X into your accountâ would have prompted you into action...


That is exactly what provoked the six million account holders comment.

 :Headbutt:

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## wynn

Looks like they are closing branches not just accounts!!!

http://www.businessday.co.za/article...aspx?id=104753

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## wynn

Late as usual with my VAT returns and I find that I haven't recieved the last 3 months Aug through Oct statements from 'effen b' 
They were supposed to have been emailed to me, missed that my bad I keep tabs with internet banking so printing and filing email statements is just a pain.
Speaking to the 'voice' to get my outstanding emails I was told that they had a major problem with their computers and data and emails (hints that a whole lot of data was dumped and the system was soooooo sloooow) and that was why my last three statements for the financial year were not sent!!!

So I say effem effen b

If this is the reason I was not notified of how much was to be swept for my petro card resulting in a bounced debit that cost me +- R600 what with penalties and extra interest etc. etc. I feel I need to take a trip to my personel manager and vent a little anger (stamp my feet and hold my breath) perhaps he will take me out to a R600 lunch???

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## murdock

so how great is fnb..
what happens is you need help and call them for assisitance...what does it cost?
what if you need to draw money from a different bank?
is the internet service as simple as standard bank?
do you have your own bussiness banker...or better still your own bussiness bank manager?
what if you need to increase your your internet payment limit...do you do it online?
can you increase your overdraft online?
if a debit order is returned...fee?

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## Justloadit

Hi Murdock,

Been with FNB for some years now, however a huge chunk of money floats through my account monthly, so I may be in a different category.

However

Nor sure what you mean - Drwing money from a different bank - is this with your DR/CR card? Fees are high
Internet is way much easier than Stranded - more friendlier easy to navigate

I have a business banker appointed to me, but never see them, maybe once a year when they are renewing my overdraft

Increasing Internet payment limit can only be done through a call center - number on bottom of page with a reference number which comes up when you are banking. Quote the account number and reference number and jump a few hoops and done. 
What I have done is I have created a separate profile, which has a limited features and has a limited amount of payment. I can change this any time from the main profile. So the main profile I use occasionally which has all features. I use the created profile to do my payments with However if it gets compromised, they can not make payments to any accounts, only the beneficiaries that I have created on the system. If I have to pay someone who is not on the beneficiary list, then I use the main profile, and only do this from my personal computer. You also have the Cellphone app which can do all your banking as well.


Not sure about the overdraft, because it depends on how much, you need to sign paper work for this because of the risk factor on the bank.
Not sure what the charges are for returned debit orders. Check  FNB Pricing Guide

I can not remember when I went to a branch to do any paperwork involving the accounts.

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## wynn

> Hi Murdick,


Are you being insulting?? :Rofl:

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## Dave A

Let's hope it was a typo  :EEK!:

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## Justloadit

> Are you being insulting??


Definitely a typo, when I tried to correct it, I changed the 'i' for a 'u', but quickly fixed it  :Oops: 

Murdock please accept my apology

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