FNB's Premier Banking Suite

A

Ancalagon

Honorary Master
Joined
Feb 23, 2010
Messages
18,207
Reaction score
3,678
Is anyone else completely unimpressed with the FNB Premier Banking Suite?

This weekend, I was away for Easter, with my cellphone as the only access I had to the outside world. By Sunday, my airtime and data bundle were both pretty much out. I had enough data left to browse, so I tried to topup using the FNB website on my phone. I do have the app, but it wasnt connecting for some reason. Anyway, so I login to the site, go to Prepaid, and I am not allowed access. It says it has been disabled for security reasons and I must contact the bank. I try again later, same thing. on Monday, I get to my aunt and uncle's farm, and borrow my cousin's laptop and 3G connection. Same thing - refuses to allow me to top up.

So I give in and email FNB, telling them I cant use the prepaid functionality anymore. They tell me that some users had reported fraudulent activity, so they disabled it for EVERYONE. Nevermind that the whole OTP thing is supposed to prevent fraud. Alright, so I ask them to enable it for me. They cant, I need to phone the online banking hotline.

This is still via email by the way. I dont like talking on the phone, I dont like the bank phoning me. Which is why previously I was a fan of the premier banking suite. Anyway, at this point I throw my toys out the cot. I dont swear, but I tell them that I refuse to phone online banking or anyone else, that they must sort this out for me. When they signed me onto the premier suite, they made sure that I understood the risk that I was taking, allowing them to carry out instructions on my behalf via email. Basically I signed over limited power of attorney as far as I understand it. So I reminded them of that, and said to them, I am giving you an INSTRUCTION to sort this out.

EDIT: they still didnt, they said rules and regulations blah blah blah we are too useless you must still phone.

I dont get it - why must I phone the online banking hotline to sort something out that was never a problem? I never reported any fraudulent activity. Now suddenly I must use my own airtime, and perhaps more importantly, my own time, sorting this out. I dont want to!

And it made me start thinking, I dont think FNB has resolved a single one of the queries I have ever had for them, via email. They are just not capable of it. When they started the premier banking thing, it was supposed to be the one stop shop. You were supposed to not have to phone any other hotlines, or visit a branch, or anything. The premier suite had it all. I had my own banker. Then suddenly they changed it so that instead of having your own banker, you just contact a call centre, and they are allowed to do precisely nothing to help you. And even their attitude is such that they do not want to help you. They dont follow up, they dont ask you if the problem is resolved. they just assume it is and stop replying. And you can ask to speak to a manager, but its never happened for me. they dont take it seriously.

I would bet money that the premier banking suite is run by the same people, and in the same building, as the rest of FNB's customer service department. In other words, they shut it down but kept the branding.

Anyone care to tell me what STD has in the way of this? how good they are at resolving problems without needing a phone call or a branch visit?

I am a Platinum customer if it matters, been Platinum for about 2 years and an FNB customer for 10 years. Not that it matters to them.
 
Standard Bank just as bad

Dear FNB customer

Standard Bank is just as bad if not worse.

K.Thx.Bye

P.S. I am a "prestige" client, who has been with them since I was a kid (obviously not as a "prestige" client) when my mom opened a savings account for me. I have been a "prestige" client for about 5 years now. Service sucks and I am treated no better than the average "savings" account client.
P.S.S. See the words I put in "" ;)
 
Their social/email rapid response team.
 
Ancalagon said:
Anyone care to tell me what STD has in the way of this? how good they are at resolving problems without needing a phone call or a branch visit?

I am a Platinum customer if it matters, been Platinum for about 2 years and an FNB customer for 10 years. Not that it matters to them.
Click to expand...

The Prestige (Titanium offering) from std is also pretty poor. Very similar to platinum... but if you ask your banker for anything, you will just get forwarded the phone number / email address of the relevant department. This effectively makes the Prestige bankers a replacement for looking on the website.
 
I've emailed rbjacobs and asked him to respond to this thread.

Its sad that all banks are this useless. You wouldnt think it would be that hard. Its like they have a secret agreement that prevents any bank from actually offering good service, because it would put the others out of business.

Imagine if Platinum and prestige etc actually gave you decent service instead of a whole lot of other completely useless benefits like a few extra ebucks!
 
I've had nothing but awesome service from FNB, Premier Banking suite included.
 
I've taken this up with them before, in fact - I also have a thread on here.

They don't care - each person you talk to gives you a different reason... the most prevalent I got was that its a new "dynamic" adaptive security function that learns what you do and what time and then disables functionality if its out of your "normal" hours. Not exactly sure how you're supposed to make after-hours part of normal hours if you can't bloody access the functions.
 
Ancalagon said:
Anyone care to tell me what STD has in the way of this? how good they are at resolving problems without needing a phone call or a branch visit?
Click to expand...


STD bank literally wants you in the branch every day all day. Every tiny action on your part will consume every free and working hour of your life. If you like queues, forms, waiting, useless staff go with STD.

Otherwise acknowledge that the word AIRTIME is one of the most fraudulently purchased things in Africa. It's Africa currency. And sadly everyone has to suffer because the majority are thieves.

When it comes to doing grown up things then the premier banker is excellent. I ask, I sign something that gets emailed to me, and carry on living my life. As an ex-std customer I used to ask, then beg, then beg, then ask, then beg, then go in to sign the missing documents, then go back cause they found them, then go back cause they found them for real. Then they cock it all up.
 
encrypted said:
Otherwise acknowledge that the word AIRTIME is one of the most fraudulently purchased things in Africa. It's Africa currency. And sadly everyone has to suffer because the majority are thieves.
Click to expand...

Yes, but why does that affect me, and why is the Premier Banking Suite powerless to enable it for me? Its like, I signed that form, saying I would take the risk. But no, they still wont do it.
 
My iPad FNB banking app also isn't connecting ...
 
ambroseg1 said:
Dear FNB customer

Standard Bank is just as bad if not worse.

K.Thx.Bye

P.S. I am a "prestige" client, who has been with them since I was a kid (obviously not as a "prestige" client) when my mom opened a savings account for me. I have been a "prestige" client for about 5 years now. Service sucks and I am treated no better than the average "savings" account client.
P.S.S. See the words I put in "" ;)
Click to expand...

Standard Bank is way worse. I'm a Platinum FNB account holder and have had a few hiccups, but nothing as major as STB. Once you mess with my money, you mess with me.

If an additional service they provide to you as a courtesy (remember, this is a bank, not a prepaid topup shop, it's not their primary function, they have it there for YOUR convenience), breaks for a few hours or a day or two, I'm not that concerned. If it negatively affects my bank balance, they'll have a fight.

100% of the time now FNB has sorted me out over the phone, even when their PayPal system went down for maintenance and the dude said I had to redo the extract I pushed through the same day. Told him there's no way in hell because of the rand/dollar that day and they should honor my request at the same rate. 10 minutes later get a call back "your money will be deposited by no later than this afternoon, sorry for the inconvenience"

Unlike the "service" you get from Standard Bank
 
encrypted said:
STD bank literally wants you in the branch every day all day. Every tiny action on your part will consume every free and working hour of your life. If you like queues, forms, waiting, useless staff go with STD.

Otherwise acknowledge that the word AIRTIME is one of the most fraudulently purchased things in Africa. It's Africa currency. And sadly everyone has to suffer because the majority are thieves.

When it comes to doing grown up things then the premier banker is excellent. I ask, I sign something that gets emailed to me, and carry on living my life. As an ex-std customer I used to ask, then beg, then beg, then ask, then beg, then go in to sign the missing documents, then go back cause they found them, then go back cause they found them for real. Then they cock it all up.
Click to expand...

I have been a Prestige with Standard for several years. By and large one email & it's done - they have even brought papers to my office for me to sign ...

Also, make sure that you have your banker's cellphone number. I have on more than one occasion called after hours / during the weekend / etc
 
rrh said:
I have been a Prestige with Standard for several years. By and large one email & it's done - they have even brought papers to my office for me to sign ...

Also, make sure that you have your banker's cellphone number. I have on more than one occasion called after hours / during the weekend / etc
Click to expand...

My prestige banker once gave me her business card. Cool beans I thought, only to discover the number on it is not even the branches. Its the 08600 number. WTF?
 
I contacted RB Jacobs, who recommended I try the cellphone banking thing. Tried that, didnt work. Think its because I havent signed up for cellphone banking. Anyway, I tried online banking, and now it seems I can access prepaid again. Maybe all my email shouting did something?
 
Ancalagon said:
I contacted RB Jacobs, who recommended I try the cellphone banking thing. Tried that, didnt work. Think its because I havent signed up for cellphone banking. Anyway, I tried online banking, and now it seems I can access prepaid again. Maybe all my email shouting did something?
Click to expand...

no... try again at around 6:30pm.... or on the weekend ;)
 
Ancalagon said:
I contacted RB Jacobs, who recommended I try the cellphone banking thing. Tried that, didnt work. Think its because I havent signed up for cellphone banking. Anyway, I tried online banking, and now it seems I can access prepaid again. Maybe all my email shouting did something?
Click to expand...

I also moved from Std prestige to fnb premier. It was perfect at first. I had a banker that was great who would sort all my stuff out via email. They then changed to a premier suite. Worst experience ever. You send a mail and wait 24 hours for a response, then you reply to the mail and wait another 24 hours for a response. Things that were done in minutes previously was taking days and still not being done properly.

I eventually called in and had choice words with a lot of their people. The moved me to the suite even though I should never have been moved. After much frustration I now have a personal banker again. Much easier even though she isnt as good as the first one. I often even now end up going into the branch which is pointless.

I definitely agree that the premier suite is quite hopeless!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X