Consumer issue resolved with UAE telecom firm du

Long wait

I had subscribed to roaming services with du, for which I paid a deposit of Dh2,000 and then requested that this be terminated as of January 20, 2013. After a month of no action, du gave me a call (just one call where my mobile phone barely rang three times) and I was unable to pick up, and because I did not pick up the phone, they closed my complaint – no call backs, no emails, no nothing; they just closed the request altogether.

Then on February 21, I restarted the process for the refund of my deposit and was told that this time around, they would be quicker (it normally takes 45 days) since the refund was approved previously and they only needed some details on whether to make this a cash refund or a bank transfer along with details.

I was told over the phone that a cash refund would take a week and a bank transfer would take two weeks. I agreed to a bank transfer wherein a representative from du told me that an email would be sent to me with some questions. I would have to complete this questionnaire before a bank transfer would take place. I received this email from du on February 28, stating that a bank transfer would take up to three weeks and I duly replied on March 4.

After follow-ups over email and via phone, I was told on March 25 that my request has secured all approvals and I would see my deposit refunded to me in 48 hours, which did not happen. Post this, I started regular follow-ups over emails and the phone, and both have yielded little at this stage.

On April 1, I was again sent an email saying that I had not provided the bank details to which they could refund the amount and I reminded du that the information was already provided on March 4; and to this the du representative replied that I should wait as the normal process takes 45 days.

Since then, I was quite angry with the du customer care call centre, and though they have confirmed that I should be getting my deposit back, the same team also confirmed that they would call me back, but never do. So I don’t know who to trust. I would appreciate if Gulf News can help raise this with someone who has the authority to make decisions.

From Mr Ghazi Ali Khan

Dubai

The management at du responds:

In response to Mr Khan’s query, we are pleased to confirm that this matter has been resolved and a full reimbursement of the deposit has been made. We would like to apologise to Mr Khan for the inconvenience.

Editor’s Note: If you have a similar unresolved consumer complaint, please raise it with us at readers@gulfnews.com and we might be able to help you seek a resolution.