I have a difficult situation with First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB). It was the first ever credit card I got in the UAE and I have been using it since 2007. My payment due date for the April statement was May 11. I made the full payment through a money exchange on the same day.

When I received the statement for the next month, I was surprised to see a late payment penalty of Dh250 and a finance fee of Dh70.23. I called their customer service and they informed me that though the payment was made at a money exchange on the due date, it was only credited after two days. Hence, the late payment fee as well as interest for two days would be applicable. I raised a request for a waiver, but it was turned down, saying that it was a standard charge.

I found their stance very unfortunate as they didn’t consider the fact that a full payment was made on the due date itself to the exchange house. Unfortunately, it was a weekend and hence it took two days to get the payment credited to the bank. I have always been a regular payee since 2007 and I use my FAB card extensively for my retail purchases as well as utility bill payments. I have also used FAB for `quick cash’ (loan on card) multiple times and I still have an outstanding loan payments. The point I am trying to make is that I am contributing to the bank’s business in terms of card usage and interest. They should have considered my card’s track record and payment history.

In this juncture, I request Gulf News to take up this issue with FAB and try to waive off penalties and interest fees. I would greatly appreciate Gulf News’ support in this regard. Many thanks in advance.

From Mr Geo Francis

UAE

The management of FAB responds:

FAB supports the growth ambitions of its stakeholders and goes beyond financial products and services, and as such, we are grateful for all customer feedback as we strive to consistently deliver the highest standards of service. The bank has been in contact with Mr Francis and the issue has been resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Mr Francis responds:

Yes, FAB had contacted me and waived off the late payment fee, though the finance fee of Dh70.23 is still applicable. However, I feel that’s still a fair deal. I greatly appreciate Gulf News’ support and I thank you wholeheartedly for facilitating such a platform.

(Process initiation: June 21. Response from organisation: June 22. Reader Confirmation: June 29.)

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.