Contact the desk

The one mailbox

The only address for this desk is [email protected]. Write to it for a correction, a question about how a page was put together, or a source document you think we should read.

We read what arrives, but we cannot promise a response time and we will not pretend to a support desk we do not have. If your message needs an answer from a broker, send it to the broker.

Account access, fund recovery and personal advice belong with the broker or the regulator

We cannot open, unlock, close or adjust an account, and we cannot trace a deposit or a withdrawal. Those actions sit with the entity that holds your account. For South Africa, FxPro states that it is licensed by the FCA (UK) and CySEC, and that an FxPro entity holds an FSCA licence in South Africa, and it advises checking which entity your own account is opened with. Start with that entity's support channel and quote your ticket or reference number; a reference site has no access to the ledger.

We cannot recover funds, reverse a trade, cancel a withdrawal or intervene in a dispute with a broker. If you believe a firm has acted improperly, the route is the regulator that licenses the entity your account sits with, or the relevant ombudsman for the service, not this mailbox. Send the complaint to the firm first in writing and keep the reference. A message to us describing a lost deposit will be redirected to that route, because we have no power to act on it and no record to check.

We cannot give personal trading advice, and we cannot tell you whether leverage of 1:200 or 1:500 is right for you. Leverage is a cap, not a setting to aim at, and the margin figure of about $85.50 for a 0.10-lot gold position at 1:200 shows only the deposit required, not the risk. A small move against a leveraged gold position can lose more than the margin placed. Decisions about position size and risk belong with you and, where appropriate, a licensed adviser.

What to include when you write about gold pricing, platform access or a data error

For a gold pricing question, send the exact XAU/USD quote you saw, the timestamp to the second, the platform (MT4, MT5, cTrader or FxPro Edge) and your account entity. State the reference price you are comparing against, such as 4275.0, and whether the difference is in the bid, the ask or the last trade. A screenshot with the server clock visible is more useful than a description because it lets us check the same tick against the same feed. Without the timestamp and platform, a price query cannot be matched to a record and will be returned to you for detail.

For platform access problems, describe the exact step that fails: login, chart load, order ticket, or withdrawal screen. Include the browser or app version, the device, and the error text word for word. If the issue is order execution, add the order ticket number, the lot size, and the price you requested against the price filled. For a 0.10-lot gold position, the margin at 1:200 is about $85.50, so state whether the rejection mentioned margin. Do not send passwords, one-time PINs or full card numbers; we never need those to trace a platform or data fault.

For a data error, point to the sentence or figure and say what it should be, with a source we can verify. If the error concerns rand amounts, give the conversion basis and the date. If it concerns a regulator statement, quote the exact wording you believe is wrong and link to the FSCA, FCA or CySEC register entry you are relying on. We do not accept screenshots of private chats as verification. A correction request that names the page, the exact text, the proposed replacement and the public source can be checked and actioned; one that says only that something is wrong cannot.

The response time to expect and what changes it

We aim to reply within three business days for most messages, but the actual time depends on the complexity of the question and the volume of mail we receive. A clear, complete message about a factual error or a pricing discrepancy is usually answered faster than a vague query that needs several rounds of clarification. Messages sent over weekends or South African public holidays are treated as arriving on the next business day.

Response times lengthen when a message requires checking against platform data, regulatory sources, or archived pages. A correction request about a specific figure, such as the $85.50 margin example for 0.10 lots of gold at 1:200, may take longer because we verify the calculation and the context before replying. Messages that ask for personal advice or account access are redirected, which adds a step and therefore time.

We do not guarantee a reply time, and we do not operate a live chat or phone line. If your matter is urgent and concerns account access, missing funds, or a platform failure, contact your broker directly or the relevant regulator; those channels are designed for time-sensitive issues. For editorial questions, the three-business-day guide is realistic, but during busy periods it may be exceeded.

What we will and will not help with

We will explain how a figure on the site was reached, point you to the broker document it came from, and correct a page when you show us we got something wrong. That is the help this desk is set up to give.

We will not help with an account problem, a login, a deposit, a withdrawal or a fund recovery. We do not give personal advice, and we will not tell you whether to buy or sell gold or how much to risk. Those are matters for you and, where appropriate, a licensed adviser.

How long a reply takes and what changes the timing

Expect a reply within three to five business days for a complete message, and longer if your question needs a source check or a regulator register lookup. Messages that arrive with the page name, the exact text and a verifiable source are answered first because they need no back-and-forth. South African public holidays add a day. We do not promise same-day replies, and we do not run a live chat or a phone line, so a message sent on a Friday may be read the following week.

Timing depends on what you ask. A definition question about lot size or pip value can be answered from our own material quickly. A pricing query needs the timestamp and platform before it can be matched, and a correction needs the public source before it can be checked, so an incomplete message waits. If your message concerns account access or fund recovery, we will redirect it rather than answer it, and that redirect happens sooner than a research reply because it needs no verification.

We answer in the order complete messages arrive, not in the order they were sent. A message that arrives without the platform, the timestamp or the source is placed behind complete ones until the missing detail is supplied. If you send a follow-up that adds the missing information, say so in the subject line so it is matched to the original. Do not resend the same message repeatedly; duplicates slow the queue and do not move you forward.

How a correction request is logged, checked and answered

A correction request is logged with the page, the exact sentence, the proposed replacement and the source you relied on, then checked against the facts we hold before anything is changed. We do not edit on assertion alone. If the source is a regulator register, we open the entry and compare the wording. If the source is a price feed, we check the timestamp against the platform you named. You receive an acknowledgement that the request is logged, and a second message when the outcome is decided, whether or not the text changes.

If the correction is upheld, the page is amended and the change is noted so that a reader who saw the earlier version can see what moved. If it is not upheld, you receive the reason: the source did not support the change, the figure was already described as depending on conditions, or the statement was a definition rather than a claim. We do not remove accurate risk warnings because they are unwelcome. A request to delete a caveat about leverage or loss is treated as a disagreement, not a correction.

Corrections are not a route to place content. A request that asks us to add a broker name, a bonus, a spread figure or a promotional sentence is declined under the no-paid-placement rule. A request that identifies a wrong regulator, a wrong entity name, a wrong lot size or a wrong pip value is exactly what this process is for. Keep the request to one issue per message where you can; a message listing ten unrelated changes is split and each part is checked separately, which takes longer.

What to send for gold pricing, platform access, or a data error

For a gold pricing question, send the XAU/USD quote you saw, the timestamp to the minute in South African standard time, the platform name (MT4, MT5, cTrader or FxPro Edge), and the reference price you were comparing against, such as 4275.0. State whether the price was a bid, ask, or last trade, and note the lot size if relevant. Without the exact time and platform, we cannot check whether a quote was stale or simply outside the session you were watching.

For platform access, include the platform, the exact error message, your device and operating system, and whether the problem occurs at login, order entry, or during a session. Do not send your password, card number, or account number. If the issue relates to funding with a local card, EFT, or e-wallet in ZAR, say which method and the approximate time, but never include full banking details. We use these details to identify whether the fault is on the platform side or the connection.

For a data error, send the page URL, the sentence or figure you believe is wrong, and the source you are relying on. If the error concerns a calculated figure, show the inputs you used, such as 0.10 lots on XAU/USD at 1:200 leverage, which requires about $85.50 margin. Include the reference price and the pip value (0.01) if the calculation depends on them. Screenshots are helpful but not a substitute for the exact text and the reasoning behind your correction.

No guest posts and no paid placement

We do not accept guest posts, sponsored reviews or paid placement at any price. No payment changes a page on this site, and no broker can buy its way into a ranking or write its way out of a weakness.

The only commercial arrangement here is the affiliate link described on the About page, and it buys nothing beyond the referral itself. If a request arrives that conflicts with that, it is declined.

The details that make a message answerable on the first reply

A useful message names the page and the exact text, states the question in one sentence, and gives the source or the timestamp that lets the claim be checked. For a gold question, include the instrument code XAU/USD, the lot size, and the reference price if you are comparing, such as 4275.0. For a platform question, include MT4, MT5, cTrader or FxPro Edge by name and the error text. For a regulator question, quote the caveat you are asking about and say which entity your own account is opened with.

A useful message also says what outcome you want: a definition, a correction, a pointer to the right regulator, or confirmation that a statement is already accurate. That single line decides whether the message goes to the research queue or the correction queue. If you want a correction, say what the replacement text should be. If you want a definition, say what you already understand so the reply does not repeat it. Messages that state no outcome are answered with a request for one, which adds a cycle.

Leave out anything we cannot use: passwords, PINs, full card numbers, copies of identity documents, and screenshots of private chats. We do not need your account number to answer a definition or a correction, and sending one does not speed anything up. If a question genuinely needs an account detail, we will tell you what to send and why. Rand amounts are welcome when the question is about local funding by card, bank transfer or e-wallet, but the answer will describe the process, not a fee.

What we can and cannot answer about trading and regulation

We can answer factual questions about how XAU/USD is quoted, how lot sizes and pip values work, what margin means at a given leverage cap, and how the FSCA and other regulators fit into the picture. We can explain that FxPro is licensed by the FCA (UK) and CySEC, and that an FxPro entity holds an FSCA licence in South Africa, but we cannot confirm which entity your account is with. We can also describe how local funding methods in ZAR generally work without recommending one.

We cannot give personal trading advice, tell you whether to buy or sell gold, suggest position sizes for your account, or predict where XAU/USD will trade. We cannot recommend a broker, a leverage setting, or a funding method for your circumstances. We cannot comment on your personal tax position or verify your eligibility for professional client status. These are decisions that depend on your finances, goals, and legal situation, and they belong with a licensed adviser or your broker.

We can explain the mechanics of a margin call and how leverage caps work, including that 1:200 is available for retail clients and up to 1:500 for eligible or professional clients depending on the instrument, but we cannot tell you which cap you should use. We can clarify that leverage is a cap, not a target. We cannot interpret your account statement or tell you why a specific trade was closed. For account-specific facts, the broker's support desk is the correct place.

The questions we answer and the personal trading advice we must decline

We answer factual questions about how gold (XAU/USD) contracts are sized, how margin is calculated, what a pip is worth at 0.01, which platforms FxPro offers, what the FSCA caveat means, and how to read a correction we have published. We can explain that 1 standard lot is 100 oz and that at 1:200 a 0.10-lot position needs about $85.50 margin. We can point you to the entity that serves South Africa and remind you to check which entity your own account is opened with. These are definitions and mechanics, not recommendations.

We cannot tell you whether to buy or sell gold, where to place a stop, how much of your rand balance to risk, or whether leverage of 1:200 or 1:500 suits you. Those decisions depend on your finances, your time horizon and your tolerance for loss, and we do not know them. We also cannot interpret your broker statement, confirm whether a specific trade was fair, or advise on a tax position. If your question begins with what should I do, the honest answer is that it falls outside what a reference site can responsibly answer.

We can explain the cost structure without quoting a figure we do not hold: gold trading costs consist of the spread, any commission, and swap or financing on positions held overnight, and each depends on the account type, the platform and market conditions. We cannot state a spread, commission or swap number for your account because those are set by the broker and vary. Ask FxPro directly for the schedule that applies to the entity your account sits with, and treat any figure you see elsewhere as needing verification.