Reader’s grievance addressed

Cash back promo
I am writing this to get a proper response from Mashreq bank, as the bank did not respond to me when I wrote to them directly. In May 2011, the bank launched a “cash back” plan for its customers and I received an SMS from the bank along with a letter. I opted for the plan and registered myself for the same. Unfortunately, I was not able to make the payment for my card on time as the machine I had gone to pay was out of order. Since no other machine was nearby I left it for the next day.
On July 12, I got a call from the bank asking me to make a minimum payment immediately as my payment was overdue. I did it on the same day. I had inquired with the person regarding the continuity of the “cash back” promotion and was told that I needed to contact the bank for the same. Later, when I called the bank, the representative told me that if I made a full payment of the outstanding amount before the next statement, I could continue to be part of the ‘cash back’ promotion. I asked if I could be given a confirmation, but he said nothing written could be provided. On July 20, I received an SMS from the bank stating that I had been chosen for the ‘cash back’ promotion. Thinking this to be a confirmation that I was still eligible for the promotion, I made full payment of the outstanding amount on July 26. Thereafter I was spending a minimum of Dh2,000 every month, as per the promotion requirements.
Once the promotion got over, I did not receive the expected ‘cash back’ and upon inquiring with the bank, I was told that since I had made one late payment I am not eligible to receive any cash back.
I put in a complaint that I was given the wrong information and would like someone to give me a call back but to no avail. The bank can check and see how many times I have missed out on my payments. My grievance is not about the ‘cash back’ not being given, but the fact that the bank staff misled the customer.
I see no reason for paying Dh650 annual fees for being misled by the bank staff. I intend to cease my relationship with the bank soon.
From Mr Syed Mohammad Rizwan
Dubai

The management of Mashreq responds:
Thank you for sharing Mr Syed Rizwan’s concern with us. As per our investigation, Mr Rizwan opted for the ‘cash back’ promotion, in which customers were required to spend a certain limit from May 1 to October 31, 2011 on their Mashreq credit card to become eligible and ensure full settlement of monthly statements during the promotion period.
Mr Rizwan was not eligible for the ‘cash back’, as he did not make payments against his statement during the promotion period. Moreover, we have checked all communications with Mr Rizwan regarding this, and we confirm that nowhere have we mentioned that he is eligible even after missing the payments for his statement.
We have communicated the same with Mr Rizwan and explained the rationale behind this decision. We thank Gulf News for seeking clarification.

Mr Rizwan responds:
I am awaiting the generation of this month’s (February 2012) bill so that I can make the payment in full and close my account. Mashreq failed to mention that if their CDM machines are out of order, it is not because of their clients. Nor did they give a reason as to why an SMS was sent again to a customer in July if the said promotion was from May to October. When I inquired the same with their representative, he again claimed that there were terms and conditions involved. Does the bank not already know that the customer is ineligible for the promotion and there is no point sending the message again? They are not even looking at my payment history. With the exception of that particular payment I have always made the payment on time.

Mashreq responds:
Thank you once again for sharing Mr Rizwan’s letter.
Please note that we have more than 100 machines (cash and cheque deposits and allows withdrawals of cash) strategically located across the UAE to offer convenience to our customers.
Mr Rizwan was eligible for the promotion hence an SMS was sent to him along with the terms and conditions, however when he did not make the payment towards the outstanding on his card, he was no longer eligible for the ‘cash back’ promotion.
Kindly note that all our customer communications stated that terms and conditions apply and these conditions were uploaded on the website and sent to the customers through emails. We thank Gulf News for seeking clarification.

Editor’s note: If you have similar consumer complaints and would like Gulf News to help you address them, contact us via e-mail at readers@gulfnews.com