Reader issues successfully resolved

No internet

Since January 24, 2013, I do not have internet connection or a phone line from etisalat. I had lodged complaints with etisalat thrice in January and four times in February. I want to lodge a complaint that whenever one calls 101, etisalat provides a complaint number and says they will send a technician to rectify the problem. Until February 13, nothing had been rectified. For the past 15 days, I haven’t had internet connection. When I asked etisalat about the reason behind the disruption of services, I was told that the technician had called me on my mobile, but it was switched off. This is simply unacceptable.

From Mr Mohammad Arif

Dubai

Kindly be informed that Mr Mohammad Arif’s issue has been resolved and his internet connection is working perfectly now.

Mr Arif responds:

Thanks for your kind follow up. I hope this doesn’t happen to other customers.

Delayed delivery

I would like to get an issue with Barclays bank addressed through Gulf News and for readers to know how laid-back a bank can be when dealing with a customer issue. My credit card was returned to the bank because I could not collect it on time from the courier company. On making several phone calls to the bank, I was assured that the bank was looking into the matter though there was no concrete result. I have visited the bank in Dubai Mall, travelling a long distance from Al Qusais, only to be ill-treated by the counter staff as if I had committed a grave sin by going there. They did not even have a feedback form! Recently, when I called them, they said my phone number at the place of work needed to be updated. They assured me that they would deliver the card in a week. They gave me a reference number. I made calls every week to that number, only to be provided with the same reply — that a reminder would be sent to the concerned department. How long does a bank need to solve a simple issue? Can anyone in this bank really spend a few minutes to address this issue? The last person I spoke to said the verification had been done and it would take 72 hours. Yet, even after 300 hours, nothing has happened. Why does it need more than a year to deliver a card that was returned?

From Mr Santhosh Kumar Vishnumangalam Kunnummal

Dubai

The management at Barclays bank responds:

Kindly note that our customer care team immediately contacted Mr Kunnummal and ensured that the courier company delivered the card.

Mr Kunnummal confirmed receiving the card on March 20, 2013 and is currently satisfied with the resolution.

Late payment charges

I have a personal loan at Mashreq Bank and I have been paying on time or sometimes even earlier than my due date. I had four payments to go before I’m done with my loan from Mashreq. I have all my receipts to prove that I pay on time and never skipped my payment.

However, since November 2012 the bank said they have updated their system, so everyday somebody from the bank calls me saying that I didn’t make my payments and they will be charging me extra interest. I have called many times to raise a complaint regarding this and even went to the branch of Mashreq at Dubai Mall many times. They always said they would get back to me, but until now nobody has sorted out this issue.

I didn’t know where to go to lodge a complaint about this matter, so I even put in a complaint with the Central Bank, because as far as I know, if I have not skipped or delayed the payment, the bank does not have the right to charge extra interest. I hope somebody can help me in this matter because the bank keeps harassing me with phone calls.

From Ms Mari-Angelyn Malicsi

Dubai

The management at Mashreq bank responds:

Thank you for sharing Ms Malicsi’s letter with us. Our investigation revealed that the customer was not aware of the due date for instalments, hence the charges accumulated. We have communicated to Ms Malicsi the correct dates for instalments and advised to make payments prior to the due date. As a goodwill gesture, we have reversed all charges to the customer.

Furthermore, we have stopped all calls made to the customer by the Collections Department. We are pleased to share that Ms Malicsi was happy with the resolution offered to her.

Thank you for seeking clarification.

Editor’s note: If you have any unresolved complaints, raise it with us at readers@gulfnews.com and we might be able to help you seek a resolution.