I would like to raise my concerns regarding First Gulf Bank’s (FGB) practice of activating products without rightful authorisation from its customers and charging us for the same.

I opened a credit card account in November 2013. In my December statement, unauthorised insurance charges (credit shield and accident insurance) were posted to my account. I contacted the bank’s call centre in January 2013 to inquire. In attempting to reach a human being, I had to go through an endless loop of options on its automated routing systems. Eventually, I gave up and decided to send my inquiry through FGB’s online account.

Upon receipt of the succeeding statement, I noticed that these fees were reflected again. I contacted the call centre and after numerous attempts, managed to speak to a representative.

I was informed that these insurance charges were pre-enrolled on my account and this was part of the bank’s ‘vague’ terms and conditions. This is an unfair practice as it was not clearly mentioned on the application form. The representative cancelled the insurance but refused to reverse the charges since I didn’t call immediately to cancel. I advised the staff member that an inquiry was submitted online but to my dismay, it was not reflected in the system.

I was advised that reversal of fees is on a case-to-case basis. In total, Dh1,669.23 insurance fees were charged on the account. Due to the insurance fees, the account went over the limit the next month, for which the bank charged another Dh170.30 overlimit fee. The representative refused to reverse the overlimit fee as well.

FGB is expected to follow a certain code of conduct. Transparency and the need for customers to be informed in a clear way should be a priority. The bank must treat its customers fairly. In this situation, the bank failed to exercise these values.

First, there was no disclosure of information on the pre-activated insurance products and they charged a customer without consent.

Second, they enrolled and charged customers for products without the consent.

Third, unfair treatment was meted out to customers with regards to their refusal to reverse unauthorised charges under the pretext of ‘terms and conditions’.

I seek Gulf News’ assistance in this issue and hope the newspaper will help consumers like us to be aware of such matters.

From Ms Elaine Therese Antonio, Dubai

The management of First Gulf Bank responds:

FGB is committed to listening to its customers and receiving their feedback to ensure that we deliver the best possible service. The bank has contacted Ms Antonio to discuss the matter and the insurance charges on the card have been reversed. The customer is satisfied with the resolution.

Ms Antonio responds:

Yes, the bank contacted me. They agreed to reverse one month’s insurance charges on my account and I’m glad that it was processed within three days. My sincerest appreciation to Gulf News for assisting me in this matter. Thank you.

Waiting for refund

I cancelled seven air tickets: one from Dubai to Kochi and Kochi to Abu Dhabi on January 12, 2014. Air India refunded two tickets, but the remaining five tickets are not yet refunded. I sent a lot of mails to its Abu Dhabi office and customer service Air India Express also, but still waiting for the refund.

From Mr Krishnan Reghunathan, Abu Dhabi

A spokesperson from Air India Express responds:

We have contacted the complainant, and all his Passenger Name Records (PNRs) are refunded.

Mr Reghunathan responds:

Thanks Gulf News for your action. A representative from Air India told me that they will refund the money within three to five days.

Billing mistakes

I had an eLife connection Double Play until December 14, 2013 and that’s when I migrated to Triple Play. I had a zero bill until end of November, but when I got my December bill the total amount is Dh781. Upon enquiring, Etisalat told me that January rental is also included. I agreed on that, but the bill shows additional charges of Dh242 (transfer from other account?) for which I don’t see any proper justification. I have called them multiple times and every time they say that complaint is still open and they are working on it. It has been 45 days and no action is taken yet. Please help me sort this issue. I am sure these charges are not correct and there is a mistake from Etisalat.

From Mr Inamur Rehman Farooqi, Sharjah

The management of Etisalat responds:

Customer has been contacted. He has some doubts regarding his bill, and we explained to him the issue. He will visit the branch to check his bill.

Mr Farooqi responds:

Thank you Gulf News for your help. Etisalat contacted me and tried to solve the problem and refunded the money. Thank you once again. Your support to common people is outstanding.

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