Credit shield
I am a credit card holder of RAK Bank.
I received my credit card in June 2011 and activated it in mid June.
As per the bank, credit shield was free for the first two months (July and August) and would be charged in the third month (September).
But I was charged Dh45 in August.
I immediately called the bank and told them to cancel the credit shield and reverse the charges.
They told me they cannot reverse the charges as per policy.
I also called the helpline but to no avail.
Please forward this complaint to RAK Bank.
From Mr Hammad Ali Chatha
Abu Dhabi

Mr Ian Hodges, Head of Personal Banking, RAK Bank, responds:
Mr Chatha was charged with credit shield in August 2011, his third credit card statement cycle.
He had requested the bank for cancellation of this cover and reversal of the related charges in August 2011.
His request was immediately processed and the charges duly reversed to his credit card.
On receipt of your email we have contacted Mr Chatha and reconfirmed that his September credit card statement reflects the reversal.

Mr Chatha responds:
Thanks a lot.
I was contacted by RAK Bank and the matter has been resolved.

Credit card closure
I would like to raise a complaint about my cancelled credit card.
I was holding a Citibank credit card until the third week of August 2010 and on August 21, 2010 I went to Citibank, Abu Dhabi branch to cancel my credit card.
I was told by the bank officer to pay the outstanding amount and come back to him to complete the cancellation process.
I paid the full outstanding amount and the bank officer collected my credit card and cut it into two pieces in my presence. I was advised that the cancellation procedures of the credit card will take one to two days and that the bank customer service would contact me for confirmation.
Recently, I received a call from the bank customer service department to pay an outstanding amount for the same credit card that was requested for cancellation.
Over the phone, the bank officer was threatening me about the consequences in case I failed to pay the amount.
I told the bank officer that I am no longer holding any credit card from Citibank and I had given a request for cancellation.
I was then told this was yearly renewal fees for the card that I was not using and which was destroyed by the bank officer.
Also, she informed me that she would send me a new card if I pay this fee and there is no other way to close this subject.
I have no proof of the credit card or documents, as the credit card was destroyed by the bank officer, except the payment receipt of outstanding amount that I paid prior to the cancellation of my credit card.
My prime concern is the undated security cheque that I handed over to Citibank while issuing the card.
I hope Gulf News can mediate in this matter and bring justice.
From Mr Hamza Kolangarukath
Abu Dhabi

The management of Citibank responds:
Please note that this case stands resolved.
After observing the phone conversations between Citibank customer service and Mr Kolangarukath, it transpired that the Citibank agent did not threaten the customer in any manner to make the payment on the card, as alleged, and it was a miscommunication between the customer and the agent who was trying to retain him as a customer.
The request for payment was only to make the card active, since the card was previously on payment-block status due to accumulated charges on Annual Membership Fee (AMF) charged in November 2010.
Effectively, Mr Kolangarukath’s card has been closed, and the security cheque will be released to him via registered mail.
He has already been duly notified.

Mr Kolangarukath responds:
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Gulf News for its support and appreciate the platform it provides to its readers to raise similar consumer complaints.
On October 12, I was called by a bank representative as part of their investigation and clarified all related issues against my previously cancelled credit card with Citibank. He informed me that the credit card has been closed and the security cheque would be mailed by registered post and the matter is resolved.
It is apparent that Gulf News’s intervention very much helped me to get rid of this long outstanding issue with Citibank.
Once again thanks for your support and mediation on the matter.

Credit restructure
As a Gulf News subscriber for several years, I am seeking the newspaper’s help after finding no other way out.
My issue is with Mashreq bank. I have been using a Mashreq card since 2009.
I was always making my payments on time. The card was used almost near to its total credit limit last year.
But a few months ago, Mashreq blocked my card without any notice and even denied my request to re-activate the card.
I then requested Mashreq to convert my outstanding balance into monthly instalments, so I will be able to reduce my outstanding balance.
But again Mashreq did not approve my request to transfer my outstanding balance into monthly instalments.
Kindly note that since the past year, I am paying around Dh1,200 per month as interest but my total outstanding is still the same.
I am unable to pay the complete outstanding amount and therefore requested Mashreq to make monthly instalments.
I request you to attend to the matter and bring me out from this bad financial situation which is making me mentally upset and putting me in depression.
Kindly help me to insist that Mashreq converts all my outstanding balance into monthly instalments, so I will be able to reduce my outstanding balance.
From Mr Yaser Imran
Dubai

The management of Mashreq responds:
Thank you for sharing Mr Imran’s letter with us.
Please note that we have investigated Mr Imran’s concerns and would like to clarify that his Mashreq credit card was blocked as per the process as his salary for April 2011 was not credited in his account. Furthermore, his request to reactivate his credit card was not approved because of irregular payments on his credit card.
We have looked into Mr Imran’s request to restructure his credit card outstanding due to critical financial circumstances and on exceptional basis, we have approved the request.
We have communicated the same with our customer Mr Imran and he was satisfied with the resolution proposed to him.
Thank you for seeking clarification.

Mr Imran responds:
Kindly note that I was informed the same by Mashreq. Furthermore, they advised me to visit the bank with a security cheque, original passport and down payment.
After fulfilling their requirements I was informed that my credit card restructure is being processed and it will reflect in the month’s statement after October 24, 2011 (statement date).
I was also informed that I cannot get any credit/finance facility anymore from Mashreq.
Thank you for your kind co-operation in this regard.

Editor’s note: If you have similar consumer complaints with organisations and wish to raise them with the newspaper, write to us via email at readers@gulfnews.com