Desperate to close bank account
Knowing about Gulf News’ efficient way of communicating and getting complaints resolved, I thought I would share my experience with Emirates NBD.
I had visited a branch in Ibn Battuta Mall to issue a liability letter as I wanted to take a loan from another bank and wanted to cancel my account with Emirates NBD. I visited the mall on September 29. It took more than an hour for them to call my number and finally, when I requested the letter, the person told me it would take around 20 days to get it issued. I once again asked him why it takes 20 days and he said that it’s the time the bank would take and a charge of Dh100 would apply. I agreed to the same and told him to process it.
I left for vacation in three days and when I arrived to pick it up after 18 days, I got to know the letter was issued within four days of applying and it had a validity of 15 days only. By the time I collected it, there were only two days left until expiry. Due to this, the new bank could not process the loan.
I called the bank and asked them why they said it would take 20 days when they issued it in four days? The person was saying that mall branches cannot give an exact date and when I said I need another letter, they said I had to visit the branch and make a fresh request for another Dh100.
My question is — why did the bank inform me it would take 20 days? Because of this, I thought I would finish my vacation and come and collect it later, or if they had informed me it would take around four to five days, I would have requested a letter after returning from my vacation. Even after having several conversations with the bank, they told me to visit the branch and meet the manager, who is available till 3pm Sunday to Thursday, which means I would have to take a day off to meet the manager. Also there is no guarantee that she would agree to it.
I desperately want to close my account as soon as possible.
From Mr Carson Almeida
Abu Dhabi
The management of Emirates NBD responds:
We are pleased to inform you that our Group Customer Experience team provided Mr Almeida with the necessary clarifications and the matter has been resolved.
We wish to clarify that Mr Almeida had raised a request for a liability letter and was advised by the branch staff that the maximum turn-around-time for issuing a liability letter is 15 working days but the exact day when the letter will be issued cannot be confirmed up-front. The letter however, was ready within four days and an SMS was sent to him once the liability letter was issued, but he was out of the country. As per the Bank’s policy, the liability letter is valid only for 15 days from the date of issue. Upon his return, the remaining validity on the letter was two days, which could not serve the purpose for which it was issued, hence the need to issue a new letter.
As a service gesture and a token of appreciation for his relationship with the Bank, we have arranged to waive off the charges for the new liability letter.
We would like to reiterate our commitment to providing superior service to our customers and thank you for your continuous support in providing us with the opportunity to resolve their issues.
Mr Almeida responds:
Thank you, Gulf News. I really appreciate the help given to me to solve my issue.
(Process initiation: November 25. Response from organisation: November 25. Reader confirmation: December 9.)
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.
