First National Bank [FNB] South Africa
Reviews and Complaints

I am not happy with FNB, I have a cheque account with FNB where my salary is paid and on the 10th of May 2021 I deposited 4k into my account and immediately after that the money was deducted from my account I then phoned the customer care and the consultant told me to wait 24hrs, then I wen to the branch still I was not assisted instead they told me to log into my banking app where this deduction was not showing in order for me to despute /reverse the transaction then I waited until the following day same thing happed with the consultant he then told me that the money can not be reversed I must call the company that deducted the money of which I don't even know who the company is. They are suppose to be protecting my money but I was referred from pillar to post, I am very disappointed with the service I have received. The consultant told me to close the account and open another account with them.

I am so annoyed by this and they must know that I am going to close that account because it was not the first time that something like this happened to them.

Very angry and disappointed with their service,

Thank you

Good day
My card expired on the last day of april 2021. I was promised that I will get a new one which will be delivered to me. I tried calling the [protected] without success. My work number is [protected]. Email address
[protected]@vwpolokwane.co.za. Id number [protected].

Terrible service

I was suckered into signing up for an FNB Private Clients account, with the high monthly fees because they apparently do so much for you as a valued "Private Client".

Total rubbish. I've called 6 times into the Private Clients call center for my private banker to contact me regarding a Single Facility application.
It seems my private banker has either died or left the planet.
It's been over two weeks.

Every time I call there, the people seem confused. As if I'm asking them to solve Quantum Physics problems.
To make matters worse, it seems the only person that can help me is my "dedicated" private banker, who has suddenly gone AWOL like Jason Bourne.

They have a team full of private bankers but apparently their protocols are such that no other private banker could possibly assist me with my insanely complex requirements.

FNB private clients - for getting scammed privately.

FNB did not advise me that they needed the fica papers. My email on their file is a south African email address. I am stuck in the UK and cannot get back. I advised them of my UK cell number many months ago.

It is a business account and there is also my personal credit card.
Now they have blocked both accounts - I called, sent them emails etc.

I have completed the forms and sent them 5 times. They call my business in SA asking to speak to me - the manager gives them my UK number - they never call me despite saying they will. They are fully aware I am in the UK as my number is on all the FICA papers that have been submitted but they choose to call the office.

Then finally they send me an email after a week of going back and forth saying that all is sorted...that they have cleared everything - but I still do not have any access to my accounts. They have cleared the FICA papers but have not unblocked the accounts, When I call them I wait 20 minutes before someone takes the call.

I have called them four times today being shoved from pillar to post and it is still not sorted. The calls are costing an astronomical amount too.

The service has been pathetic to say the least. How am I expected to run a business with this debacle? I also do not have the credit card opened - so I cannot buy anything. FNB needs to improve their service urgently.

I Andile Isaac Klaas ID [protected] lost the job on 07 Oct 2020 and my salary was not paid on the 15 as was supposed. Debit orders were not paid (bounced back unpaid) my account remained at - R1, 400.00. Early November 2020 went to Pretoria West end branch but was not helped, the was given a phone, spoke to a lady but told me to stop debits from the debitors. I called debtors to stop them from debiting from the account as there was no salary going into the account anymore.
Some of the debtors complied but some carried on debiting and went to FNB again to ask them to protect the account from those uncomplied debtors but without success. My account is at - R6, 361. Can Hellowpeter intervene by stopping to accumulate high charges on the account and I can not close it as all my money from my previous employer will be deposited into the same messed up account.

My Email address; [protected]@live.com
Cell phone no [protected]

I am Frans Ferreira managing director of f&m lewende hawe trading as karoo-ochse fnb registered bonds over different properties that I have been the owner. I sold my property and business to my son in 2017 we paid fnb in full. Rob McWilliams attorneys uplifted my bonds in 2017. Mr McWilliams passed away and his office can't get my title deeds from fnb. I need my title deeds for plot 567 portion 54 of Zwartkops River Wagensdrift Uitenhage Rd Despatch. Can some responsible person from fnb phone me urgently on [protected]. The service from fnb in newton park first commerce centre is very bad I saw mr ugen cuppan he was supposed to come back to me. I left messages on his cell phone [protected] without any reply.

How do you handle fraud situations? One of your costumer commited fraud and is getting away with it! I am a victim of fraud. One south african man has all of my money. I came across a website that claims he can do magic. I believed him. Come to find out he is a scam. He blocked me from communicating with him. And I lost a lot of money. Which I am supposed to get back. Please help me figure out this problem. I am financially hurting.

I am absolutely appalled by the service that I received from FNB in trying to open up a Business Account for our Family Trust. The account was according to FNB "open" for more than a year. I transferred R500 into this account from my Nedbank account on the 18th of February 2020 to activate it but when I tried to review a statement a few days later I realized that I did not have access to the account on my online profile. This was AFTER I collected my card from my FNB branch (they assisted me on the same day that I collected the card with the activation of my online profile). I then assumed that it was because the account was not opened as yet. The FNB Jurisdiction Department then phoned me and forwarded me a Self-Certification Jurisdiction form on the 4th of August 2020 which we completed and forwarded back to them on the 12th of August 2020. I phoned the FNB Jurisdiction Department @ [protected] on the 10th of October 2020 to find out what the delay was and spoke to Prudence. I was then told that there is ONE section on the Self-Certification Jurisdiction form that was not completed i.e. the "Capacity of Signatory" field on page 9. I could not believe that FNB could not reply on the mail that I forwarded them to request that this ONE field be completed. I had to phone them back to enquire. I completed the field and returned/ forwarded the form back to them the same day i.e. on the 10th of October. I then phoned FNB again on the 3rd of November and spoke to Prudence again. She then informed me that everything on the account was received and that the account is now in order. I asked her about the online profile. Prudence transferred me to the Business Account department so that the business account could be linked to my online profile. I was transferred from the one department to the other and was put on hold numerous times. I was then told that the Family Trust account is closed due to inactivity.
My question to FNB is this. How can you close a account without informing the account holder that you are closing it? How can you close an account to which the account holder(s) NEVER had access or for which he/she NEVER received a statement? What happened to the R500 that was deposited into the account or was this used for BANK FEES for an account NEVER used once? I urgently require some answers. I also insist that you contact me to sort this out urgently!
I logged 2 complaints (3 Nov and again on 06 Nov) with [protected]@fnb.co.za. I did receive a return e-mail that FNB acknowledge receipt of my e-mail and will respond to me within 24 hours. I am still waiting. I also logged a complaint (2329874) but are still awaiting their reply. I am just wondering if FNB want's our business or if I should go to another bank.

Ilse Cronje [protected]

hi my name is heather I want to get a hold of the bank manger or top person who runs the bank bank manger or owner I got scammed and con and ripe off pray and extorted money out of me took me for my money for his own gain he has an account with this bank I have been wiring him money a lot of money I paid for something I didnt get I want this fixed and resolved I want my money back I sent a lot of money to his account hes been scamming me and ripping me off for money and using his account to do it I want action he con me pray on me hes been taking me for my money and using the bank to do it I want my money back he needs to pay for what hes done I need your help

Stop hiring lazy people who don't want to work. If you put someone on a phone job, that person must be a people person.

It's disgusting that you continue to refer people to the app. For what exactly are you getting paid?

We pay for service; give it to us!

Hard hold was placed on my account after sars paid my refund into the account. That was on 25/07/2020. Untill now I cannot get my salary etc because they froze my account. My sars money has not gone back to sars and now fnb tells me that my easy zero account does not accept sars refunds but yet I phoned twice and confirmed that the account indeed can after speaking to fnb easy desk and fnb mybranch
I keep getting the run around with no straight answers as to why my account was frozen in the first place.

FNB has frozen my investments accounts due to needing a Botswana VAT number (as I am a resident of Botswana but citizen of South Africa), according to them it's a 19 digit number yet Botswana VAT number is a 12 digit number, anyone can google the same and I have also checked with BURS (Botswana's equivalent of SARS). I sent them all the information they needed repeatedly even to the extent of confirming that I in no way owe SARS, BURS or anyone else for that matter. They still insist that their system is right yet the rest of the world says otherwise and that is the reason I cannot access my funds.

Phathiswa the lady who was assisting today (Tuesday 21.07.2020 between 10.40am, 11.10am and 11.14am) me put me on hold for 13mins, 3mins and 32min on an international call, then proceeded to speak about me in Isizulu (saying "this client is so difficult, can she just hang up already") presuming I don't understand. When I asked for her to email me all that she required to fix this problem, she said they are not allowed to email clients or be on a call with a client for more than 15min. I asked for the matter to be escalated, only to be told she will escalate and "hopefully they" will contact me on email, same email she is not allowed to send.

I am purchasing a house with the money in the investment accounts and now likely to be in breach due to FNBs incompetence. If that does happen, I will be formally lodging a legal claim against them for damages.

To resolve this I just want my money taken off hold immediately and to use it to buy my house. I will likely therefore want to close all my accounts with them

I am out of the country due to COVID but am available on minah. [protected]@gmail.com or +[protected]

Forgive me for not being able to this far back now. I took our a home loan through FNB in approximately 2007/2008 - It was for ZAR 750K. The property was repossessed while I was living abroad in the UK. I also bought the property while I was in UK and all transactions took place via post and email.

I became incredibly ill and went through a divorce which left me in a very difficult situation while at the same time the property market and the banks were going through a global crisis. I at the same time was self employed and working in the property market. My clients were months behind with their payments and were unable to pay me.

During this time the FNB offered SA Homeowners an opportunity to pay (I stand under correction) about 50% reduction of the monthly repayments over a period of 6 months in order to give them some breathing space. They would not allow me to do this because I was living abroad, even though I am a South African citizen and at no time a citizen abroad and am still not today.

The property was repossessed and on top of the divorce and illness all happening at the same time I then had my thyroid removed. This caused me great instability for many many years and still causing physical and emotional instability as of today (this of cause can be proven with medical records).

I returned to South Africa a couple of years later with absolutely nothing to my name and extremely ill. I finally found a job after being hospitalised in South Africa again for about 4 months.

FNB advised me that the property was sold for under ZAR 500 K and I now owe them about ZAR 750K, basically the amount of the original home loan. I have had an intense amount of calls from Pienaar Sithole and Associates chasing me for money of the last couple of years. During this time the money I was earning was not enough to even cover my basic bills. I have not been in the position to even afford private medical aid which is something I so desperately need. I have Crohns Disease, had my thyroid removed, psoriasis and others that I don't feel comfortable mentioning via email.

I started making payments of ZAR 300.00 a month a few months ago as the solicitors were unable to give me a sort code and online banking would not accept just the account number. I eventually found the sort code, no help from them. I then starting making payments. They were not able to trace the payments so I sent them remittances and was advised I would be sent statements. This has never been received.

I received a call on Wednesday from 0027 64 676 8290 at 15:16pm requesting payment and reminding me of how much money I owe. I advised that I was making payments but the lady on the phone had no idea this was being made and they are unable to trace the money.

I sent them another message this morning asking them to look into this and once again requested a statement. I have had not response (Saturday 25.01.20 at 11.26am).

I will never in my lifetime be able to ever pay my debt back. In fact I am hoping that I actually die before the payments are all made. The fact that this was done so unscrupulously and the flat was probably sold to someone's friend in the bank, or to a cash buyer who probably too has multiple existing property portfolio and access to large sums of money.

The bank could not allow me a few months to get back on feet? This is how South Africans treat their own people. Shameless. Was this to a foreign investor? FNB have acted with an extreme lack of empathy and integrity with absolutely no regard for me as a person.

I was in no position to defend myself at the time in anyway. I am gaining strength daily. I am really interested in taking this further, besides the fact that I not in a financial position but it's the moral situation here that erks the hell out of me.

You throw Ebucks around and charge massive interest rates all over the show but what do you really actually do? I know it's just not FNB but the entire South African banking system that behaves this way.

Whenever I speak to someone at the solicitors office they are unbelievably confused and never seem to get what I am saying at all.

I have requested meeting with someone but they are not will to do this. So here I am, no medical aid but paying for a property I don't have and not even being able to afford my own basic bills.

How many other people are you planning to kick down and keep down?

I will never be able to buy another property again? So what now, should I also end up on the street the so many in South Africa.

Let me know who I can take this to. I assume you will probably not be doing anything about this but I thought I would just check to see if you even bother to respond.

More than 3 years ago (2016), my husband transferred funds (EFT from FNB) to my account.

The money was taken from his account, but never appeared in mine.

FNB stated that there was a case of internal fraud, and were busy investigating it. We were supposed to get refunded after the enquiry.

It is now 2020, and nothing has been resolved.
Even the banking ombudsman are not able to help us get the money back.

We are desperate as no one seems to be able to help.

I am definitely leaving FNB after this. I have never been so irritated with any bank ever. It seems the consultants all have different Ideas of what can and cannot be done. After over 600ZAR was stolen from my account I was I formed my card was tapped and I could either cancel the feature or make using the feature require pin. None of which consultants I spoke to for over 60 minutes knew how to do. But poorly trained staff aside...

It seems that our cards are being used consistently at 4 toll gates Pumulani, Capricorn, Boabab and Kranskop plazas for multiple transactions at once. Not only that the transactions continue even after the card has been canceled. FNB is aware of this but just doesn't care enough to refund the money back to its clients or shut down this scam. Not to mention they made it seem as though I lost my card when the transaction is a 412, the type where my card number and cvv were used, I also do not know how they managed to get the OTP or get approval through my app. Making me suspect that FNB employees play a part in this. My other 412 transactions stopped immediately after I canceled my card but not these. Clearly FNB cards have a weakness and/or FNB employees are part of this and they are trying to cover themselves and blame us. I have been trying to resolve this for three days but I still have no idea when these transactions will end. I cannot even use my own bank account.

Actually i will provide as little information as possible, simply because im not in the mood to type out a long sad story, ill see how i feel tomorrow or next week or next month. For now let me just share some of the emotions the people working for FNB made me feel in this past 2 months...
Degraded
Worthless
Stupid
Mentally retarded
Frustrated
Angry
Tricked
Decieved
Robbed
Ignored
Inferior
Opressed
Invisible

Basically every emotion you can feel when someone treats you like a piece of [censored] and to that add all other emotions when that someone works for the award winning bank.
And then think about all the great things FNB claims to be only they forget to mention the greatest benifit THE NON EXISTING CUSTOMER CARE THAT THEY COULDNT CARE LESS ABOUT

Worst bank to deal with ever. The bank removed access to our accounts due to a query on CIPC status. A few years ago we indicated the company business name had changed and the bank assured us all had been updated. Now they simply just say sort out with CIPC which is closed over the festive season and I responded indicating to them that what they were requesting was not possible. Their client centre not a branch was able to assist and the simply don't respond to the email address I was advised to contact. Now they have our company funds and are putting our business in financial ruin as we cannot access the funds to pay our creditors.

I deposited a huge amount into my bond account two years ago, our financial situation required that we access our funds. The arrogance in both the feedback and lack of assistance is disgusting.
After 30 years of banking I will be moving all my accounts including my home loan based on principal alone... Please note that I have never missed a payment!

I have loan of 49000 with Fnb.. My first installment started last month 25 November 2019 it was paid successfully .. But now they Tryd to debit again on the 13 of December 2019they found nothing . they debited again.. Yesterday and it says its for the 17 of December 2019 like what is that?

Can you please explain nonsense FNB coz thats not the agreement we had😠.
Can please have my money back