I have had a credit card with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) since 2014. This card was given to me on the condition that the balance would be transferred from it to Emirates NBD’s credit card (Dh12,000). The salesman confirmed that this transfer would be free of charge and I would pay only Dh670 per month for nine months, then I would settle the remaining amount at that time.
However, after nine months, they asked me to settle Dh14,000, which was not the deal. I asked for a statement and it showed that I was only paying for the interest of Dh12,000. When I asked about the salesman who gave me this card, they said he had left the bank and they are not responsible for what he offered, whether it was true or not.
Now the card has been inactive for more than 18 months and they are asking me to settle Dh26,800. I was always paying around Dh800 monthly, so on what basis are they charging me for interest and late payment each month? I am waiting for their management to investigate the case and get back to me. They are the ones who are late and they are charging me for more than Dh15,000 interest for it! Is this right?
I met with a manager in the Al Nahyan Branch in Abu Dhabi, and he said he would check with the management regarding my case and get back to me. But nothing happened. I visited the bank and offered to pay them Dh10,000 last year but they did not accept it; they said they need the full amount (which I will not pay without any clarification).
Every once in a while, I receive a call from them threatening me with a travel ban, visa cancellation and police case. They do not have the right to speak with customers like this on the phone. I asked many times for a full statement, even if they will charge for it, so I can see my entire history with them and all payments that were made in their favour.
I am seeking Gulf News’ help in contacting the bank.
From Mr Amir Ebrahim Bacha
Abu Dhabi
The management of ADCB responds:
Thank you for your cooperation and communication with us in the endeavour to best serve our customers and resolve their issues.
Customer satisfaction is at the very top of our agenda, which is why we have an established Service Quality Unit that is dedicated to handling all customer enquiries and complaints. While we cannot comment on specific customer cases, we do take finding a solution for our customers very seriously and approach every situation with the best interest of the customer in mind.
With reference to Mr Bacha’s issue, please be advised that our Service Quality Unit has investigated the issue and confirmed that the customer has utilised his credit card for balance transfer plus purchase transactions by a total of Dh23,528. However, the total payments amount made by the customer is Dh18,650 only, which were irregularly paid, resulting in late payment fees and finance charges. The last payment was received on April 13, 2016. Customer was contacted by the Customer Care Team and agreed to have a settlement plan to pay the current outstanding and stop accumulated charges. Case is closed now.
We continually urge all customers to contact our Service Quality Unit 24/7 by phone, email or web, should they need any further clarification regarding their issues.
We would like to thank you for bringing this issue to our attention and hence giving us the opportunity to further our servicing to our valued customers.
Mr Bacha responds:
Please note that the case is not closed yet and I am still waiting for their reply on the outstanding amount, which was accumulated due to their negligence regarding several of my direct complaints. Hence, I did not pay since the date they have mentioned. However, they stated that the amount utilised was Dh23,528 and the settled amount (irregularly) is Dh18,650, which is more than my principal amount, which means they need to allocate the same and I will pay only the difference, which is Dh4,968.
I am not obliged to pay the charges due to the delay in them taking action on my complaint for over a year now. I hope this is clear and sufficient to prove that the case is not closed now.
ADCB responds: Please be advised that our Service Quality Unit has further investigated the matter and confirmed that the customer has been contacted and we have explained the entire rules and conditions to him again. A settlement plan was offered to him by paying Dh7,000, which he did not agree to. The case is closed from our side.
Mr Bacha responds:
Please note that this is not correct; they have offered the settlement plan and I agreed on the condition that they send it in writing by email, as all the agents from ADCB keep calling and offering a different settlement every time.
Hence, I did not refuse and am still waiting for their settlement confirmation by email to proceed further; their last call was a week ago and I am still waiting for an email as promised.
ADCB responds:
Thank you for the follow up on the case, which our Service Quality Unit is handling. We have been in touch with the customer and already offered him one settlement offer, which is Dh7,000.
An email of the same has also been sent to him and he has not responded yet, and we tried to reach him on his mobile phone, but he is not answering. This is the final resolution to this case and no further investigation or action can be taken on our end.
(Process initiation: March 19. Response from organisation: April 13. Process completion: June 4.)
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.
