Good, bad and not-so friendly

Dealing with banks is an inevitable part of life. For some the experience is merely a quick trip to the cash machine, but for others it's a true hardship — leaving some to wonder if we wouldn't all be better off keeping our money tucked inside our mattresses.

Gulf News reader Mohammad Ali might have written a book on his experiences with banks as he's dealt with almost every bank in the UAE.

The Dubai-based business consultant explained his experiences have been "worse than pathetic".

He said: "I get promotion calls almost every day even though I tell them I am not interested. This morning, I got a call at 2am. It has gotten to the point where I just hang up when I hear they are from a bank.

"Once I even had two banks return cheques from my clients without their signatures on them."

According to Ali, good banking experiences only come from "having a good banker not the bank".

Elaine Fernandes, an administration executive in the Dubai retail industry, agrees.

Her best banking experience came while she was doing banking for a friend.

She said: "It was my first time at this bank. I had filled out a slip and the representative came and informed me that I had forgotten [to add something]. He was so sweet and very attentive."

Fernandes explained that generally, bank representatives are "like robots".

She said: "They are not aware of the customer and you don't get a friendly response. I work in a company whose motto is ‘we treat our customers like kings', but you don't usually find the same in banks."

For some it is more than a lack in customer care.

In Daoud Khalaf's case, he explained he thinks banks will "let you walk all over them to get customers" and then make it difficult for you to leave.

The Dubai-based director of contracts and procurements said: "I was dealing with one bank and wanted to change to another. I needed a certificate of liability, but I found out that my old bank had opened a new credit card for me without my permission or signature. This made it more difficult for me to leave and I had to fight with them to get them to release me. It took six weeks for me to sort the mess out."

However, he doesn't think all banks are like this.

He said: "Some of the other banks I have dealt with are super. Everything is electronic so transactions are quick and go through smoothly. Charges are also moderately low and there are no hidden ones.

"Over all I would give banking services in the UAE a six [out of ten]."