To FNB or not to FNB that’s the question.
A reader sent this as a “Have Your Say” post
I recently received the obligatory annual increase from FNB where I hold a business account.
It got me to thinking, as they tried to justify the increase with additional services that I don’t need, that I should in fact be receiving a discount from FNB on a monthly basis given that the St Francis Branch is only open three days a week .
Open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays relates to just over 50% of the service due to you by FNB for the fees that you pay. Second to that only one teller is provided regardless of the queues of frustrated customers shaking their heads and muttering under their breath.
And that’s not all as the teller doubles up as a trainer for all those people who have not had bank accounts before and leaves her station to accompany the customer outside to explain the entire process. This is clearly a necessary service but it’s at the expense of all the other customers standing patiently in line looking at a blank booth for 15 to 20 minutes.
One has to wonder what boardroom table this decision was made around as surely there is no logical business reason behind irritating your existing client base. One has to assume that their rent is the same regardless of whether they are in the branch or not. So no saving there.
Perhaps the plan is to utilize the two staff members elsewhere on the 2.5 days when they are not present in St Francis Bay thereby making marginal saving off the bottom line but losing your customer loyalty in the process. There is no logical business explanation to justify this situation.
On our travels we have driven through many small towns in the remotest places one of them being Koster which one would argue is smaller than most. Take a guess how many days a week the FNB branch in Koster is open for. No prizes for guessing standard banking trading hours. So what makes us so special to deserve less service than Koster or any other outlet for that matter?
It’s a bad decision and I am not happy and I am sure there are other account holders who feel the same. I am paying for a service and you (FNB) are giving me less than what I am paying for. Something not right about that! I am sure there is a consumer counsel case in this somewhere but couldn’t be bothered. Imagine Vodacom shutting your cell phone down for 2.5 days per week. Do you think the FNB management would have something to say about that?? You bet.
Get with the programme FNB
Recent Comments