You may lodge a complaint with the OBS by completing an Application for Assistance form. These are available from your bank, or by fax from our office, or you can download the form here. Please be patient as the file takes a while to download.

Should you wish, you can complete the form below now and submit it online:

Please complete all boxes.

Particulars:

(Please read the conditions below before completing):
1. Name of the person complaining:

(Hon/Dr/Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms)

  

 

(First name/s)

(Surname)
Name of person/organisation bringing application on behalf of complainant (if any):
 


(It is preferable that we deal directly with the complainant, unless he/she is under aged or illiterate.)

2. Name of company lodging complaint (turnover more than R5 m - see below):
A partnership A company A close corporation A trust An association

(Please make a cross in the appropriate block.)
 

Full name of company:  (Full legal name/s)
Full name and capacity of representative (member/director/partner etc.):
3. All complainants:
Postal Address: Postal Code

 
Tel:
(Code)

(Home)

 (Work) (Cellular)
Fax:   
(Code)          (Number)
(E-mail address - compulsory)
ID. No:

Preferred means of contact: Post: Fax: E-mail

 
How I learnt of the Ombudsman for Banking Services:
Newspaper

Word of mouth

Referred by:
Radio

Television

My bank:
Magazine

Other:

Details of the Bank that the complaint is against:

Bank:  Branch:  Type of account:  
Bank Account No: 

Issued by the Ombudsman for Banking Services
Association incorporated under section 21 (Registration No 2000/002577/08)

Details of Your Complaint

Please note: If you do not fully complete everything on the form there may be a delay in processing or we may have to send the form back to you to complete.

Please set out your complaint below, stating only the relevant facts, including dates, times, places and names.

Make copies of all documents that support your claim and fax these to us at 011-838-0043, unless these have already been sent to us. We cannot be responsible for the loss or return of any original documents

NB: Please summarise your complaint in the space below, even if you have submitted a detailed version of your complaint to us or provided us with documents explaining the complaint.


Failure to complete this section fully may lead to a delay in the processing of your complaint or it being returned to you.

What I/we want from the Bank:

Briefly state what outcome you hope to achieve. (For example: I would like the Bank to refund/reverse the amount of R1 000.00)

 

Confirmation of Jurisdiction and Undertaking:

I confirm that I have afforded the Bank an opportunity (minimum of 20 working days) to resolve the complaint before submitting this application to the Ombudsman for Banking Services (OBS).
When I did this, I spoke to Mr/Ms of the bank's complaints division at   branch on or about    (date) and was issued with the following complaint reference number: 
You can phone our call centre on 0860 800 900 for the contact details of the various banks specialised dispute resolution departments (large banks only) if you have not yet been referred to them. Referring your complaint to this department first may result in your complaint being resolved quicker.

Please complete the following to confirm that your complaint is something we can deal with. If your complaint does not comply with any one of these conditions please contact us first before sending the form.

[Make a cross in each appropriate block to confirm that your complaint meets all these requirements.]

 

 have applied to the Ombudsman for assistance because:

My complaint -
is lodged against my own Bank
was formally lodged with the bank's complaints department and not resolved
involves the service, advice and/or products rendered, given and/or provided by my Bank
does not involve a claim of more than R1 000 000 (approximate amount in Rands  )
originated within the past three years
has caused me loss and/or considerable distress and inconvenience
is not the subject of any legal proceedings
has not yet been dealt with by a dispute-resolving body/arbitration
(Please select to verify)
If the complainant is a company (partnership, company, close corporation, trust or association) -

  I hereby confirm that the annual turnover of the company that I represent is less than R5 m (If turnover exceeds R5 m - sorry, we cannot help you, we can only accept complaints from businesses with a turnover of less than R5 m.)

General Information
a)  The OBS offers a service to bank clients to try and resolve their complaints through informal processes such as mediation or the making of recommendations. This service, however, is not the same as that rendered by an attorney and the OBS does not provide legal advice. You therefore cannot hold the OBS or any of the staff members liable for any loss or damage whether contractual, owing to a delict or any other nature that you may suffer as a result of the OBS accepting and dealing with your complaint.
b)  We evaluate complaints objectively and impartially - we are not consumer advocates.
c)  The service provided to clients by the office is free: no charge can be claimed from you for this service nor can anyone charge a fee for supplying you with an application form. It is not necessary to consult any professional person or body as the OBS will guide you through all the procedures.
d)  Once receiving your application we will assess it to confirm that we have jurisdiction. If you have attached the bank's written response to your complaint we may be able to inform you immediately whether there is a reasonable prospect of us being able to assist you. In the absence of a letter from the bank we will send your application to the bank for a response and give it 15 working days to reply (subject to possible requests for extensions). After receiving the bank's response we will assess the evidence to determine whether we need to investigate further or whether the file will be closed. You will be granted an opportunity to make submissions throughout the process.
e)  You are entitled to withdraw your complaint or to institute legal action at any time while your complaint is being investigated by the OBS. If you were to make such a decision, please inform the OBS thereof in writing so that we can close the file.
f) If, as a result of lodging this complaint with the OBS, you were to accept an amount of money from the Bank in settlement of your claim, you will have no right to claim further amounts from the Bank in respect of the complaint. The amount accepted by you would be in full and final settlement of your claim.
g) The OBS may dismiss your complaint if you fail to provide information when requested, fail to reply to letters from the office within a reasonable time or if you are vexatious, abusive or insulting when communicating with the OBS.
h) The process of investigating your complaint may take some time depending on its complexity and other factors. The majority of files are closed within two months but some may take much longer. The OBS will inform you in writing of the progress of your complaint. Please do not phone staff members to determine the progress - rather write to us if necessary.
i)  During or after the investigation of your complaint, it may emerge that the matter is very complicated, involving many complex legal issues or requires oral evidence by witnesses. In such a case we will inform you as soon as possible and refer you to a more appropriate forum such as a court of law.
j) You may be legally obliged to continue making payments on any debt owed to the Bank. The OBS generally recommends that you continue paying the debt even if the OBS is investigating your complaint. Rather seek independent legal advice before stopping such payments.
k) The acceptance of your complaint by the OBS does not mean that any pending legal action against you is automatically suspended.
l) Do not publish any of the details of your complaint in any form of media after the OBS has accepted it. This does not promote the resolution of a dispute by informal means. The Ombudsman may, in his sole discretion, decline to continue any investigation if, in his opinion, such publication were detrimental to the investigation in any way.
m) Your complaint and the documents you submit to the OBS are deemed confidential. The same applies to the documents sent by the bank. The OBS has the right to decide which of the documents received to disclose to the Bank and to you. Should you submit a document that you do not want the Bank to see, please mark it "CONFIDENTIAL".
n) Should your complaint become the subject of a court case or any other dispute-resolving process, you or your legal representative cannot subpoena the documents in your file or the Ombudsman or any member of his staff. You or your representative cannot order that any of these documents be discovered in terms of any rules of court.
o) By submitting this form you authorise your Bank to disclose any information it may have that the OBS may require to investigate your complaint.

By submitting this form, I hereby agree that my complaint be dealt with by the Ombudsman on the above terms and conditions (as referred to above and as contained in the Terms of Reference). The information provided by me in this form is, to the best of my knowledge, true and correct. I understand that the submission of a false claim may constitute the crime of fraud.

Please ensure that you have completed all boxes before submitting the form.



  

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