I have a Multiflyer business class ticket to India, bought at Etihad Airways’ counter, Abu Dhabi. Out of the six return journeys, I have completed five journeys without any issues. I have now booked the last trip from Abu Dhabi to Thiruvananthapuram, India, for May 4, 2016, returning from Cochin to Abu Dhabi on May 9. Unfortunately, after confirming the seats, the airline has not reissued the tickets. The Multiflyer policy allows me to change the destinations and the dates an unlimited number of times. My ticket will expire on May 20 (according to them) and I would need to utilise this by flying on the above dates. I am at the topmost frequent flier tier member of Etihad (Platinum tier).
I have visited their office twice and made at least 20 follow up calls that caused me a lot of grief. If this is not resolved and adequate compensation is not given, I have decided to move legally. It is appalling to see the irresponsible behaviour of Etihad’s counter staff. They seem to pass the buck to others and give excuses. They have confirmed to me that there is no mistake from my end at all, rather the mistake is by Etihad staff.
Can Gulf News help me to resolve and settle this issue?
From Mr Reji John
Abu Dhabi
Editor’s note: The complaint was forwarded to Etihad Airways for comments. However, despite repeated reminders, its management did not respond.
(Process initiation: May 9. Process completion: May 17.)
Penalty keeps increasing!
Recently, I raised an issue with FGB regarding my credit card. It is unused, yet I am being unnecessarily charged, even though I have a free-for-life credit card. Now, they are telling me about hidden charges.
After I got their message, I raised the issue, because FGB has not been responding to my calls. I called a contact number that I was given, but they didn’t respond to my cancellation request and the request to waive the hidden charges. They are telling me to pay the amount. I have sent them a fax as well for the cancellation.
I need the help of Gulf News. They are increasing my penalty fee every month and not cancelling my service.
From Mr Mohammad Kamal Al Deen
Dubai
The management of FGB responds:
FGB is grateful for all customer feedback to which we give careful consideration, as we strive to consistently deliver the highest standards of service. FGB has been in contact with Mr Kamal Al Deen and the matter has been resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
(Process initiation: May 2. Response from organisation: May 11. Process completion: May 25.)
Where’s my money?
On October 20, 2015, at 5.33am, I received an SMS alert that a transaction of $1,018.47 (Dh3,740.89) had been made at CVS Pharmacy in Sandy Springs, US. At 6.31am and 6.54am, two additional transactions worth $1,023.55 (Dh3,759.65) and $1,084.30 (Dh3,982.69) respectively, were attempted but declined.
After confirming to Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) that the $1,018.47 transaction was indeed a fraudulent one, and that I am currently in Dubai, I initiated a dispute resolution process, upon getting the required documentation from ADCB.
ADCB advised me that the investigation would take up to 120 days and thereafter, I would be advised about the outcome.
Despite regular follow-ups with ADCB’s fraud risk section and at a branch level, there was no indication of an outcome by the bank.
In January 2016, I went to their branch in Al Qusais, where the ADCB staff confirmed that the amount was still reflecting in my statement and that it was payable unless revoked.
Upon following up again, on February 4, with the fraud risk section, I got a staggering response on February 8 that the fraudulent amount had been credited back on November 25, 2015.
This is surprising considering that the branch had issued a different statement two weeks earlier. My follow-ups have since been ignored and ADCB now wants me to pay for a debt which, I clearly did not incur.
This issue would not have occurred in the first place, if ADCB had issued a chip and personal identification number (Pin) card as requested, because, on numerous occasions in 2015, each time I asked for it, I received a standard response that it would be issued upon the expiry of my existing card.
ADCB has now devised a creative way of claiming that the amount has been refunded, yet there is no physical indication of it in my outstanding amount.
I require the assistance of Gulf News to have the Dh3,886.73 and interest charged, to be deducted from my outstanding amount as of March 26, 2016, since I never authorised the transaction in the US.
From Mr Maurice Abondo
Abu Dhabi
The management of ADCB responds:
Thank you for your cooperation and communication with us in the endeavour to best serve our customers and resolve their issues.
Customer satisfaction is at the very top of our agenda, which is why we have an established Service Quality Unit that is dedicated to handling all customer enquiries and complaints. While we cannot comment on specific customer cases, we do take finding a solution for our customers very seriously and approach every situation with the best interest of the customer in mind.
With reference to Mr Abondo’s issue, please be advised that our Quality Unit has investigated the matter and confirmed that the customer had disputed a transaction of Dh3,886.78 dated October 20, 2015. The dispute was logged on November 23, 2015 and the refund of the transaction amount was already processed on November 25, 2015. Post receipt of the customer’s email through Gulf News, the customer has been contacted and informed that the refund was processed in November and it was reflecting in the statement dated December 15, 2015. Statements are regularly sent to the customer email address listed with us. Customer has agreed to check his statement and get back to us in case of any issues.
We continually urge all customers to contact our Service Quality Unit 24/7 by phone, email or web, should they need any further clarification regarding their issues.
We would like to thank you for bringing this issue to our attention and hence giving us the opportunity to further our servicing to our valued customers.
(Process initiation: April 13. Response from organisation: April 25. Process completion: May 10.)
Penalty keeps increasing!
Recently, I raised an issue with FGB regarding my credit card. It is unused, yet I am being unnecessarily charged, even though I have a free-for-life credit card. Now, they are telling me about hidden charges.
After I got their message, I raised the issue, because FGB has not been responding to my calls. I called a contact number that I was given, but they didn’t respond to my cancellation request and the request to waive the hidden charges. They are telling me to pay the amount. I have sent them a fax as well for the cancellation.
I need the help of Gulf News. They are increasing my penalty fee every month and not cancelling my service.
From Mr Mohammad Kamal Al Deen
Dubai
The management of FGB responds:
FGB is grateful for all customer feedback to which we give careful consideration, as we strive to consistently deliver the highest standards of service. FGB has been in contact with Mr Kamal Al Deen and the matter has been resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
(Process initiation: May 2. Response from organisation: May 11. Process completion: May 25.)
Editor’s note: Do you have similar issues that you would like to raise with us? You can write to us at readers@gulfnews.com.
