Just a small overcharge

19 May 2015 - 02:01 By Wendy Knowler

One of the downsides of our technology-driven lives is having to remember far too many passwords. Forced to come up with character strings sufficiently complicated to thwart criminals, we often find that we're frozen out due to our inability to remember them.So it was with Maria Soares, co-owner of a Rosebank, Johannesburg coffee shop, when she sat down at her computer recently to transfer R750 000 from her Standard Bank credit card account into another account with the same bank.Having got her electronic banking password wrong three times, her online access was blocked and she was forced to go to the bank's Rosebank branch to change her password."As I was explaining to the consultant what I wanted to do, he didn't let me finish, saying that he'd do the transfer there, in the bank," Soares told In Your Corner."At no time did he advise me that there would be a charge."That was a rather large omission, as it turned out.Had Soares emerged from the bank with a new password and done the transfer with a few clicks of her own, it would have cost her nothing.But because those few clicks were made by a bank employee on her behalf - at his suggestion - it cost her a whopping R11 285.She could have bought a return air ticket to spend Christmas in New York for less.We are accustomed to being stung with hefty fees at every turn, but that one's in a special league.Even the branch staff seemed "pretty shocked" when Soares complained about it, she said."But they said there was nothing they could do; I'd have to contact the card division."She did, and was told that she ought to have been advised by the branch that a charge of 1.3% would apply to the transfer.To complicate matters, the bank's credit card fee brochure states that inter-account transfers over the counter at a branch cost R42.Next, Soares e-mailed the bank's complaints resolution department, and in response she got a call from a consultant. It was an inconvenient time for Soares, so the consultant said she would call her the next day. "That didn't happen, so I e-mailed them again - no response."She added: "I am not sure if I am an isolated case or if this is their general modus operandi with unsuspecting clients."Making a mistake is not the issue - failing to fix it, repeatedly, is.I raised Soares's case with Standard Bank, questioning both the fee and the lack of disclosure around it, particularly as Soares did not go to the branch with the intention of having a staff member do the inter-account transfer for her.This was the first response I got: "Standard Bank has looked into Ms Soares's query and can confirm that the charges were applied in error."We have been in contact with Ms Soares to resolve the matter. We sincerely apologise for the frustration the error caused."A classic "say as little as possible" corporate response.More probing on my part had the bank confirming that the fee should have been R42. Soares has been refunded the R11 285 in full."The error and delay in resolving Ms Soares's query is the result of a service issue and we take full responsibility for it," said Standard Bank."We are working to address the issues that are impacting on the way our customers experience the bank."ContactE-mail: consumer@knowler.co.zaTwitter: @wendyknowler..

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