Charged annual fee on a free card
I filed a complaint with FGB on June 18, 2015. I was told by the agent before applying for it, that my credit card was free for life. Then, after filing a complaint, the bank called me and said that in order for me to reverse the annual fee charged on my card, I would need to spend around Dh2,000 through the card.
The card expiry date was also in June 2015, and since then, I haven’t renewed the card, neither have I used it.
On June 18, 2016, I received a statement from FGB with annual fee charges for the credit card. I filed another complaint.
The agent had promised that the card was free for life, and now, they are charging me even if I am not using the card. Please help me! I am just trying to finish all my dues with them, but they keep making my life harder.
In addition to this, I received a call from FGB, telling me that the only way is to reactivate my card and use the rewards points to pay the fee. This means they will not reverse the annual fee.
I tried asking them why I was being charged with an annual fee and if it was actually a free-for-life card. They told me that the card was changed, the moment it was renewed. I asked them if I had requested them for it, to which, I was told that it had been a long time and the only way to get the annual fee reversed was to use rewards points and to do what they had suggested. They also told me that someone would collect all the necessary documents on June 30, and I was even told that it is not guaranteed that my card would be approved.
From Ms Melanie Dahil
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. The bank has been in contact with Ms Dahil, and the matter has been resolved.
(Process initiation: July 24. Response from organisation: July 26. Process completion: August 14.)