The persistence of a woman who felt she had been wronged by the staff of Nedbank’s Philippi Plaza branch, has resulted in her getting her money back.
Zizikazi Mlibaziso’s troubles started when she deposited R1 000 into a Nedbank ATM in July.
The money was meant for an aunt in the Eastern Cape. After the transaction was completed, however, Ms Mlibaziso did not get any confirmation as to whether the deposit had gone through or not.
Sensing that something was wrong with the machine, she said she immediately went inside the bank and alerted the staff about the matter.
She was given a form on which she outlined how the incident had occurred and filled in all her particulars.
Ms Mlibaziso said they told her they were having technical problems with their system, but assured her that the money had gone through.
Ms Mlibaziso said the consultant who assisted her promised her that as soon as the money reflected on their system she would contact her immediately.
However, after a week, there had still been no communication from the bank and so she opted to visit the bank again.
But, she said, she was told that the consultant who had helped her was on leave and they were unable to assist or provide information about her inquiry.
She said it has been nearly three months now and the person she was sending the money to, had not received it yet.
Ms Mlibaziso said the bank subsequently told her that the money had not reflected on their system – and so she demanded a refund.
What made her angrier, she told Vukani, was that the bank manager questioned whether she had really deposited the money at all.
Ms Mlibaziso said she had been forced to open a case of theft against the bank at Philippi East police station and accused the bank managers of mistreating her every time she visited the bank to inquire about the money.
Ms Mlibaziso said she also wants the bank to cover the travelling costs she has incurred each time she travelled to the bank as well as the R100 her aunt spent on travelling from her village to the town in Idutywa to draw the money which was not there.
An enquiry from Vukani seemed to speed things up.
When asked about the incident, executive for self service banking at Nedbank, Preni Naidoo, said Nedbank had noted the incident with concern.
He said the deposit was made to a third party and due to both a lack of information as well as technical reasons, the branch had initially been unable to track the transaction.
“The client has been refunded and we have addressed the matter with the employees concerned. We have apologised to the client for the confusion and inconvenience caused.
“In addition, we have re-emphasised the process to be followed with the employees involved to ensure they can meet our expected service standards to deliver delightful experiences, enabling clients to meet their financial goal,” he said.
Philippi East police station communication officer captain Bheki Nxulu confirmed that a case of theft had been opened at the station.
But, he said, only three out of 10 such cases had been successfully investigated and completed, due to lack of evidence.
* If you are ever are unsure about the status of funds you have deposited at an ATM, you should immediately contact their closest branch, or call 0860 555 111 for assistance. You should ideally have a copy of the receipt available or alternatively have the account number, the ATM location and the time of the transaction available to ensure a speedy resolution
