Blocked for no reason
I have an auto loan from Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB). My date for the equated monthly instalment (EMI) is the 15th of every month.
However, ADCB blocks my money whenever my salary is credited to my account. My salary is credited on the 25th of every month. ADCB is using my blocked money for 20 days (from the 25th of one month to the 15th of the next).
If ADCB wants to block this money, why have they given me the option of paying EMI on the 15th of every month?
Also, there is no such condition in the loan documents I had signed whereby they stated they would link my auto loan to my salary. Hence, ADCB should not block the money.
I have been requesting the bank to show me a document wherein it is mentioned and I have accepted that the money can be blocked when the salary comes to the account. I am not at all happy with this kind of operation by ADCB.
I have sent multiple e-mails to ADCB regarding this. The issue gets sorted out for a month and again from the second month, ADCB starts to block the money.
Does ADCB have any standard operating procedures or is the bank working as per individuals’ wishes?
From Mr Nisar Ahmad Patel
Dubai
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.
It is important to note that 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.
All ADCB customers can contact this unit 24/7 on 800 2030; or call collect +97126210090 from outside UAE; alternatively they can visit our website (www.adcb.com) from where they will be able to log their complaints, recommendations or suggestions.
Please be advised that we have directly communicated our feedback to the customer and this case has been closed from our end.
Mr Patel responds:
Thank you very much for your support. As of now, the case has been resolved by ADCB. However, I wish to inform the newspaper that, in past, this case was resolved by ADCB many times but on a temporary basis. This time, I need an assurance from the bank that the case will be resolved permanently and that ADCB will not block my money once my salary is credited to the account. The bank can deduct the EMI as per the agreed date.
Editor’s note: The complaint was forwarded to ADCB for comments. However, its management did not respond.
Hold on
I have two credit cards from Union National Bank (UNB). After a lot of problems, I got the cards. But surprisingly, I am paying a heavy cost for calling their customer care.
Each time you call, you need to hold the line for at least 20 minutes to get an agent to serve you. Sometimes, it’s not guaranteed that you will get the attention of an agent, even if you wait 15 minutes. Additionally, for each minute you are on the call your mobile phone is charged Dh2.
To get the first card activated and to track my missing second card, I paid Dh10. I eventually got the second card but to get it activated, I had to call the customer care centre five times. I finally managed to have someone attend to my call after 20 minutes. All the previous times, I held the line for 15 minutes each time and had to disconnect in the end, with great frustration.
On my most recent call, I got someone online and requested to activate the card. I was told that there is a problem with the system and the card could not be activated. I then asked to activate internet banking, as by doing it online, I could activate the card within seconds.
I have several credit cards from different banks. For most of the banks, the customer care number is toll free. If any bank charges a customer for a call, then they should have a very strong number of customer care representatives so that clients do not need to hold the line for more than a minute.
In the present case of UNB, each time, a customer has to hold the line for 15-20 minutes which would give the bank an income of - at a minimum = Dh30 to Dh40. Is this just a way of earning for the bank?
Just for activating a credit card, I have spent almost Dh160. Isn’t it wrong for a bank to burden customers in this way? If I want to cancel the card tomorrow, I’d have to call the bank and pay for it! What is my stand in this?
From Mr Pradeep Kumar Sahu
Abu Dhabi
Editor’s note: The complaint was forwarded to Union National Bank for comments. However, despite repeated reminders, its management did not respond.
Mistakes made
I availed a loan of Dh15,000 on my credit card from Barclays Bank, based on the terms and conditions provided by them over a telephonic conversation.
According to their terms and conditions, the loan was to be adjusted in six months with zero per cent interest and the due date for monthly payment was mentioned as the 7th of each month.
Based on this, I made the first payment within the provided deadline. Despite this, I was charged for overdue payment with an amount of Dh175 as penalty charges and Dh432 as interest charges.
I then officially lodged my complaint over the phone and during the conversation, a Barclays Bank representative told me to adjust the entire amount of Dh15,000, including the penalty and interest charges. Otherwise, they would not file my complaint. Therefore, I had no choice but to abide by their rules and regulations.
After the adjustment of the entire outstanding amount, they accepted my complaint and agreed to reverse the overdue penalty of Dh175, but disagreed about reversing the interest amount of Dh432.
Logically speaking, if they agreed to reverse the overdue penalty, they should also agree to reverse the interest amount, but unfortunately they didn’t.
Moreover, the penalty and interest amount that I was being charged for was also their mistake, as I made the initial payment within the deadline mentioned.
Furthermore, over the telephone, they mentioned that the deadline for payment is the seventh of each month. But according to the statement of account sent by them, the deadline given was the sixth. This again is a contradiction to their telephonic conversation.
I had a very long conversation with their representative and told him personally not to close my complaint as the solution offered to me was not acceptable, yet he closed it and sent me an SMS confirming its closure. I then lodged another complaint by calling their call centre again.
From Mr Raidullah Shafe’ei
Sharjah
The management of Barclays Bank responds:
With reference to the complaint letter from Mr Shafe’ei, kindly note that our customer care department reached out immediately to him. They have updated Mr Shafe’ei about the interest calculation process, his payments’ due date and provided him with a resolution. He is currently satisfied and has agreed to close the complaint. Mr Shafe’ei has no further concerns.
Mr Shafe’ei responds:
Due to Gulf News’ intervention, Barclays Bank immediately called me and resolved my problem by reversing all charges. I have been a regular reader of Gulf News since a long time and really appreciate the services provided to its readers. Many thanks for resolving my problem.
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
