Funds received but not released – international payment delayed while travelling for work

I am writing this complaint because I have spent an entire afternoon trying to access funds that had already arrived through an international transfer while I was travelling for business, and despite complying with every request made by the bank the payment has still not been released. When international payments are delayed in this way it creates serious disruption for a client who relies on timely access to funds while conducting business, and the way this situation has been handled raises serious concerns about the level of support and operational efficiency currently being provided by Bidvest Bank.

Yesterday I spent the entire afternoon trying to locate the funds and determine what needed to be done in order for the payment to be released, and during this process I attempted to resolve the issue through the chat system. Unfortunately the experience was extremely frustrating because in the middle of the conversation the support agent simply disappeared and the chat was closed without any explanation, which meant that the entire process had to be restarted again from the beginning. During this process I interacted with two representatives, Precious N and Praiseworth G, and the lack of continuity and assistance during those exchanges contributed significantly to the delays and confusion surrounding the release of the funds.

After several attempts I eventually managed to reach someone through the telephone line, which itself is not always easy to access because the line frequently does not connect. During that conversation I was informed that once the mandate form was signed the funds would be released, and I immediately comp**** by completing and signing the required mandate documentation without delay. At that point I was then informed that the payment could not be processed because the team responsible for releasing the funds had already finished processing payments for the day and that the transfer would therefore only be completed the following morning.

Naturally I expected that the matter would be resolved quickly today, however by the afternoon the funds had still not been released and I once again found myself chasing the bank to understand where the payment was and why it had not been processed as promised. This situation creates the impression that customers must repeatedly chase the bank simply to gain access to funds that already belong to them, which is extremely concerning when dealing with international business transactions where timing is often critical.

The lack of continuity in communication, the fact that support agents disappear in the middle of active chats, and the apparent absence of urgency in processing payments even after all requested documentation has been submitted raises serious concerns about the quality of customer service and operational reliability currently being experienced.

I hope this matter can be resolved quickly and professionally, however if the situation is not addressed promptly and a clear explanation is not provided regarding the delay in releasing funds that have already been received, I will have no choice but to escalate the matter further through the appropriate regulatory and consumer-protection channels in South Africa, as delays of this nature while conducting international business transactions are simply not acceptable.

Antonio Carpanese