Tom Boardman | WhaleTales Blog by Chris von Ulmenstein

The Sweet Service Award goes to Mari Bremner, new Manager of Nedbank Sea Point, for taking a long-standing Nedbank client from the Nedbank Business: Tygerberg Winelands branch under her wings. Ms Bremner shows empathy and customer service relative to many of her colleagues in Nedbank, who seem to have lost their service touch. Ms Bremner swiftly corrected cheque book charges when requested, due to an overcharge by the Tygerberg Winelands branch. She has made time to meet with the customer, and is helping her to move her banking back to the Sea Point branch, even if the main banking account was opened in Sea Point in the first place and has a Sea Point account number.

The Sour Service Award goes to Nedbank Business: Tygerberg Winelands. The customer has had a number of business managers handling her account since her most amazing Business Manager Karen Swart left Nedbank to join ABSA a year ago. The manager of this branch did not inform customers of Ms Swart’s departure, nor as to who would replace her. At least three managers have dealt with the customer in the past year, Nedbank constantly changing the allocated Business Managers. The latest Business Manager, Dirk de Villiers, has made no attempt to meet or build a relationship with his customer, and believes that he is a good manager when he sends his customer an e-mail at 7h20 when the account limit has been exceeded. The latest such e-mail was headed “Business relationship”, as if this is what the customer wants from the bank! He has never proactively contacted the customer about anything else, he does not reply to e-mails requesting clarification of unauthorised charges, constantly allows charges to be booked off the customer’s account without explanation, ripped the customer off in charging double the bank’s cost for new cheque books, and appears to charge the customer for anything he possibly can. His bosses Andre Moller and Leon Potgieter have closed rank, and refused to entertain the client’s request to not have Mr de Villiers service her account, requesting a female manager instead. The client was accused of sexism by the management, hiding the fact that they have hardly any female managers in the branch! The branch refuses to allow the account to move back to Nedbank Sea Point, despite the client’s request to migrate back to her original home branch. The senior managers have also refused the customer access to the e-mail address of Tom Boardman, the bank’s CEO (“Hi Andre, The client requested Tom Boardman’s contact details. As instructed I’ll ignore the request.” – Piet Smit)!

The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog. Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com. Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.

The Sweet Service Award goes to PG Glass in Plettenberg Bay for coming to measure for the replacement of a broken bathroom window, and replacing it within one hour, in the late afternoon before a Public Holiday the following day.

The Sour Service Award goes to Nedbank, for its ineffective new bank website. It regularly has problems in allowing one to access one’s specific account pages, and a number of times per week one cannot print the latest statement page – it just has a blank. At branch level the staff are unable to address the customer complaint, referring one to the call centre. When the client requests that she be called by the call centre, no call is received. When the customer decided to seek help right at the top, from CEO Tom Boardman, his secretary was appalled at the cheek of the customer to want to discuss this matter with him, asking what would happen if millions of Nedbank customers wanted to speak to Mr Boardman!. Needless to say, Mr Boardman has not returned the call. The website still allows one to access the “old” website, which is far more efficient than the new website, and one therefore wonders why it should change, as there is no visible difference between the two websites from a customer perspective.