Latest News & Developments
ombudsman
Financial recourse for consumers
One year on and the National Financial Ombud Scheme has helped thousands of consumers locked in disputes with companies.
Russian forces killing more captured Ukrainian troops: United Nation
The UN has documented 79 executions of Ukrainian prisoners by Russian forces since August 2023, raising serious concerns about war crimes and human rights violations. The international body warns that inflammatory rhetoric from Russian public figures may be encouraging these unlawful acts, while both sides face accusations of prisoner mistreatment in the ongoing conflict.
Charity Nzuza faces financial mismanagement allegations: hearings set for February
Hearings into allegations of financial mismanagement against LPC CEO Charity Nzuza are set to commence on 3 February 2025, following multiple complaints and an ombudsman investigation.
Complaints over funeral policies, short term insurance top the list
Of the 10 574 complaints received, 4 501 were dealt with by the Ombud with some of the remainder referred to other Ombuds schemes.
Lead Ombud for Non-Life Insurance Edite Teixeira-McKinon offers advice to policy holders | The Big Interview
There are a number of challenges that South Africans in the insurance ranging from affordability to language barriers.
Housing should be the foundation of a just society
Innumerable working citizens who simply cannot afford formal dwellings such as houses, flats, townhouses, and communal or backyard rooms, are forced to live in informal dwellings such as shacks, sheds and other makeshift structures
Bank Ombudsman finds 76% in favour of banks
Of the complaints from clients of Capitec, 64% became formal complaints, 37% for FNB, 48% for Standard Bank, 64% for Nedbank, 79% for African Bank and 63% for TymeBank.
Police ombudsman on positive streak with case finalisations
The office confirmed that there are currently 30 cases that are being investigated, eight still need to be allocated, while four are yet to be finalised.
Fais Ombud helped consumers reach settlements with financial services providers
Fais offers recourse for consumers against advisers and providers who take shortcuts in order to make a sale.
The life rights experiment: property retirement model uncovered
The concept of Life Rights in real estate has become a popular retirement model across the globe.
Uber responds to customer complaints over added credit card charges
Uber has indicated that the recent complaints from customers relating to unauthorised credit card purchases could be fraud related.
Insurer ordered to honour mental illness claim
Mental illness cases are often difficult to assess, and insurers may sometimes be too hasty in deciding on their validity. A recent determination by the Ombudsman for Long-term Insurance found that an insurer incorrectly declined a disability claim for mental illness because it failed to take a holistic approach and disregarded the totality of the evidence.
Take your time telling your insurer about your life
Many people seem to treat life insurance like short-term insurance – it’s a grudge purchase and not something worth wasting too much time on, and if you are unhappy with one provider you can always switch to another.
Tax Ombud launches an educational campaign promoting taxpayers’ rights
‘Making Taxpayers’ Rights Matter’ campaign reassures taxpayers of continued and intensified promotion and protection of their tax rights
Listen: Consumers are in the dark about credit insurance
If you’ve seen the news reports about household names in the credit industry being taken to task by the Regulator for “incorrectly selling credit insurance products, was probably the first time you heard about credit life insurance, but if you have ever purchased anything on credit, or taken out an unsecured loan, chances are, you have also bought credit insurance.
Adjudicator finds Alexander Forbes erred in calculating pension fund benefits
An Alexander Forbes retirement fund’s decision to allocate a death benefit has been set aside by the Pension Funds Adjudicator because the administrator had failed to conduct thorough investigations and instead relied on a benefits calculator to tell them what to do.
Ruan Jooste’s Rants and Cents: If there is something strange in your bank, credit or insurance hood, who are you going to call?
When you have a beef with your retail bank, credit provider or insurance policy or have a grievance against Sars or your pension fund, and whether you are an individual or a business, think of calling the appropriate ombud to help you resolve the issue.
Do not go through the suffering I have already suffered for you protect yourself and find your ombudsman
This week I want to look at the word ombudsman. This is a government official appointed to receive and investigate complaints made by individuals against abuses or capricious acts of public officials. In an extended way, it could mean that he is one who investigates, reports on and helps settle complaints.
When your bank treats you as just a number…
Two rulings against (unnamed) banks recorded in the latest annual report of the Ombudsman for Banking Services show that customers often fall through the cracks of banks’ automated systems, especially when it comes to the repayment of debt.
Insurance ombuds recover R330 million for consumers
The offices for the Ombudsman for Short-term Insurance (Osti) and the Ombudsman for Long-term Insurance (Olti), which operate under a single insurance ombudsman, jointly clawed back more than R330 million for consumers in 2022.
Ruan Jooste’s Rants and Cents: Big changes coming in financial services dispute resolution
Minister Enoch Godongwana appointed Leanne Jackson as the chief ombud of the council, for five years, late last year.
Rise in rejected claims due to errors in their submission by customers and claimants
The Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance service is urging consumers to familiarise themselves with the terms and conditions of their policies.
Motor Industry Ombudsman finds in favour of customer
Consumer lawyer Trudie Broekmann warned car dealerships who refuse to replace defective vehicles, that fines by the consumer tribunal could range between R50 000 and R100 000.
Cats and other issues of complaints not for ombud to determine, court rules
A woman, Dr Natasha Groenewald, among others, wanted the ombud to order the homeowners association of Eagle Canyon Golf Estate to apologise to her for the way they had treated her.
Fraud remains a big problem for banking customers
Banking fraud, related to current accounts and internet banking remains high on the list of complaints to the Ombud for Banking Services South Africa (OBS), although banks appear to be making greater efforts to resolve some types of consumer disputes internally.