Paying for a mistake
I have an issue with my credit card which is driving me crazy, and I would like to request Gulf News’ help in resolving the issue.
In March 2015, my credit card from Dubai First was somehow used in the US. There were four transactions made overnight that amounted to almost Dh20,000, before my card finally got blocked by the bank. I realised this early in the morning and immediately called Dubai First to inform them I am in Dubai and not in the US, and the card has to be cancelled. In effect, after one week, I received my new credit card.
Here, there was a moment of misunderstanding. I believed the matter was resolved and the transactions would not be debited from my account. To my surprise, when I received the statement, the charges were all still there!
I called the bank and they said I would have to raise a complaint, only then would they investigate. They said I would receive a proper answer after 120 days. I was fuming because the card had been cancelled, they issued a new card and still, they allowed the transactions to go through.
Anyway, I then raised a complaint and time started to drag on, in spite of several follow-up calls. In July, I was finally called into their office to show my passport.
After it was proved that I was in fact in the UAE and not in the US, they said all was clear and they would reimburse me in my next statement. Two more statements have come and I have still not received a refund. Of course, I had to pay the amount, and since I did not have enough money for that, I took a loan on my credit card from them and divided the Dh20,000 in three-month installments to be able to cope. Otherwise they told me I would be penalised with the blocking of the card, all relevant late payment fees and such consequences.
I keep following up, but the conversation over the past two months have all resulted in the same mechanical answer: ‘We are still investigating and will come back to you once we are finished’. They never do so and I call back again and again.
Please, can Gulf News help?
From Mr Paulo Feyh
Dubai
The management of Dubai First responds:
Dubai First is a customer-centric organisation and employs best in class technology and processes to minimise fraud risk. In this case, our fraud algorithm had identified four transactions on Mr Feyh’s credit card as suspicious and our 24/7 fraud unit instantly blocked the card account temporarily as a preventative measure. The customer was also immediately contacted and upon confirmation, the credit card was permanently blocked and reissuance of new card was initiated.
Dubai First is bound by the regulations stipulated by international bodies and follows internationally established standard process for fraud investigations. As per the process, Dubai First is able to initiate investigation on disputed transactions only after the explicit written request by the cardmember, and such investigations take approximately 120 days, as for the conclusion of each case, Dubai First is dependent on the response from all involved parties.
Whilst there has been a delay in resolving this case, we are happy to inform you that Mr Feyh’s case has now been closed with a positive outcome. The disputed amount has been reversed and credited to his credit card account. This has been informed to the customer, and he is satisfied with the resolution.
(Process initiation: October 4. Response from organisation: October 8.)
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.
