Charged for a card
I would like to highlight an issue with my credit card and appreciate if Gulf News could take it up with the bank and see what could be done.
I am holding a Mashreq Bank Air Arabia Platinum credit card and have a consistent payment record. I want to share my bad experience using this credit card. When I received it, I was told the card had an annual fee of Dh350 and instead of that, I would get a single return ticket from Air Arabia, with a Dh50 food voucher and 20kg extra luggage every year. Everything was fine in the first year and I got free ticket and vouchers as well.
I travelled to Pakistan in August 2015 and made the full payment, which showed in the August statement. I then had to go to Hajj and knew in that particular period, it would be difficult to check emails and alerts from the bank, as I would be in Saudi Arabia. I returned to Dubai at the end of October and came to know in that particular period, two statements had been generated, one on September 23 and another on October 23.
In September’s bank statement, they had placed a Dh350 annual fee and in October’s statement, the bank charged another Dh395 as late payment fees. At the same time, I called the bank and informed them I was not here for about 70 days due to Hajj. The customer support member was not ready to listen to anything and told me the free ticket was valid only in the first year. Later on, I lodged a complaint and the bank sent me a message saying they would reverse the late payment fees. I called the bank again but they are now telling me the annual fee will remain the same.
This particular card has a credit limit of Dh5,000. I have some other credit cards, including Mashreq’s Smart Saver card, and their credit limit is much higher than this. All those cards are free for life and I am getting a lot of benefits as well. I really don’t know who will accept an annual fee of Dh350 for a lower credit limit card of Dh5,000.
I am very upset with the bank. Why are Mashreq’s card sales representatives giving false statements that every year, customers will receive free tickets and vouchers?
As a customer for over 15 months, I am really very sad and sorry to say that they have lost my trust. I either want a single ticket or the annual fees to be reversed.
I urge Gulf News to help resolve this issue.
From Mr Qismat Gul Rahim Gul
Sharjah
The management of Mashreq Bank responds:
We have thoroughly reviewed the issues raised by Mr Gul and found that he had delayed the payment of his credit card bill for September 2015, due to which he was charged with late payment fee for a month.
Mr Gul was charged with the card’s annual membership fee, which remained unsettled. It was levied as per the terms and conditions agreed by him at the time of applying for the credit card. We also confirm that e-statements were being sent to him.
Since the complaint was raised last year in November, Mr Gul had proceeded to close the card with the bank and as per process, the late payment fee charge was reversed as a gesture. His credit card stands cancelled since December 2015.
We have gotten in touch with Mr Gul again to reconfirm his satisfaction on the issues highlighted and offered Dh350 worth of vouchers as an extreme gesture.
We take this opportunity to thank Gulf News once again for bringing a customer issue to our notice.
(Process initiation: January 5, 2016. Response from organisation: January 7. Process completion: January 14.)
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.
