Bounced cheques

I have had an account with HSBC for the past 11 years (Premier account). Recently I opened another account called Amanah account. It was confirmed to me that both accounts would remain open as I have issued a cheque on my old account. I got a text message on October 27 that my previous account has been closed and funds have been transferred to my new account. When I raised this with the bank, they apologised and confirmed that they would make sure that there would not be a cheque return on this account. However, my cheque of Dh1,000 was returned and HSBC promised to pay me the penalty — Dh250. On November 2, my closed account was activated and I transferred the funds to this account as I had issued a few more cheques.
I went on leave and when I came back I saw that my account was again closed on November 10 and the funds were transferred to the new account. A cheque was again returned and I had to pay a penalty. So far HSBC has not explained why this is happening but only apologising.

To add to my worries, I recently got a new cheque book of a new account that never existed. If I had issued any cheques from the new cheque book, it would have been a big issue and maybe criminal charges might have been brought against me for defrauding the issued party.

I have been in the UAE for the past 20 years and this is the first time that my two cheques have been returned due to their mistake. I have many emails where they have accepted the mistakes. In addition, the returned cheques are having a negative impact on my credit history. Can Gulf News please help me?

From Mr Syed Irfan Allah Hussainy
Dubai

Mr Ahmad Othman, Manager Corporate Communications, HSBC, responds:
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Gulf News for bringing this matter to our attention. We have reviewed the issues raised and would like to advise Gulf News the following:

Mr Hussainy visited our branch to open an Amanah Current account. However, due to an inadvertent oversight, his existing Prosper account was closed. We have arranged to reactivate the account and reverse the cheque return charges. We have also arranged to send an apology letter to Mr Hussainy.  Mr Hussainy has been contacted and advised about the same. He has also consented to this response by the bank.

Mr Hussainy responds:
HSBC has reactivated my account and also reversed the charges against the penalty. I thank Gulf News for its cooperation and assistance in this regard.

Early deduction

I have had an account with ADCB since 2004. Until now I have had a very good record with the bank. I have never had to pay fines for defaulting on payments, and I have had a lot of transactions with them.

I have a car loan with them and they deduct the instalments on the 6th of every month. All the instalments were paid on the due date, without any default for the past three years. But when I deposited money to clear my inward cheque on October 23, 2011, the bank deducted my car loan instalment for November in advance, and thus they allowed my cheque to bounce. The bank has fined me Dh100 saying that I have insufficient funds in my account.

I made a complaint with the bank on October 23, and the bank’s response was not acceptable. They said that when any extra funds are available in any customer’s account, for the safety of the bank they take the loan instalment first and the customer’s need is considered second.

The bank is not ready to accept their mistake and my complaint was rejected. I would like to thank Gulf News for taking up this issue, and favourable action on this matter will be highly appreciated.
From Mr Khaja Huzoor
Abu Dhabi

The management of ADCB  responds:
We would like to thank Gulf News for their enquiry, based on which we hope to resolve the situation for our customer as soon as possible. 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 all cases are investigated promptly and thoroughly to reach the best possible resolution for the customer. In the interests of customer confidentiality and information security, each case outcome will be communicated directly and only with the customer and not through mainstream media channels.