Signature doesn’t match

After having read so many things about the risks of bounced cheques, which potentially can land you in prison, I am writing to share a bad experience with Emirates NBD (ENBD). My story started when I opened an account in 2013 upon my arrival and when I was trying to settle into Dubai. I checked with the bank if I was good to go and got a green light to use my bank card, cheques and online banking.

We rented a house and the two cheques, one for the deposit and one for the first instalment, bounced upon the first try when our landlord tried to encash them. Not only did I encounter an angry landlord, which is understandable, but also as per the contract, this cost me Dh1,000 per cheque. The cheques had bounced because ENBD didn’t update their system: they didn’t process my signature so that the system would match it when the cheques were offered to be encashed. There were more than sufficient funds in the account.

When I complained at the Dubai Mall branch of the bank, I wasn’t successful. The representative who opened the account never responded to my 10 emails and upon facing him at the branch, he disappeared. The representatives at the customer service counter stated that all was being resolved and there was no need to complain, the branch manager was not there or had just left when I came. However, one day I met the branch manager and insisted on getting reimbursed, but he claimed that it was not possible. I could get a discount on a credit card, which normally costed around Dh2,000 per year.

Totally shocked by the lack of customer service and acknowledgement of ENBD’s error and accountability, I left it for what it was. But, after reading the successes Gulf News has had in resolving customer complaints, I request the newspaper to help me connect with ENBD regarding their mistake.

From Mr Eric Van Der List

Dubai

The management of Emirates NDB responds:

We are pleased to inform you that our Group Customer Experience team has been in touch with Mr Van Der List and resolved the matter to his satisfaction. We would like to confirm that there has been a delay in updating Mr Van Der List’s signature on the system which resulted in the cheques being returned. As a gesture of goodwill, the bank has approved to reimburse the charges levied on the customer by the contractor.

We have offered Mr Van Der List our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused and have reiterated our commitment towards continuously improving our services. Emirates NBD appreciates its customers’ feedback and will take every opportunity to further review and enhance any internal processes that require attention.

We would like to thank Gulf News for their continuous support in offering us the opportunity to further assist our valued customers.

Mr Van Der List responds:

I thank Gulf News for bringing this to the attention of ENBD and for helping to resolve this painful issue. I never thought that it would work out in this positive way.

(Process initiation: November 26. Response from organisation: December 11. Reader confirmation: December 11.)