I have been reading the complaints section of Gulf News and I really appreciate the work the newspaper does, in assisting to resolve many readers’ issues. I now have an issue with Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB). I have been an ADIB Visa Infinite Edge card holder for the past four years.
In the summer, I received a promotional flyer on my registered email address, stating that if I spent more than Dh2,000 internationally, I would get five per cent cashback.
Accordingly, I sent the SMS, ‘5POFFER’, to 2400 and proceeded to my vacation destination on the same evening.
During my vacation, I used my ADIB card, believing I would get five per cent cashback on my spending. On contacting ADIB after not receiving any cashback in October 2016, they first said that the system did not register my request, as the sent SMS syntax wasn’t correct. On sending proof of correct SMS syntax, they said that even though I sent the SMS, the system didn’t register it, as I did not receive the registration SMS. This is why I was not eligible. They closed my complaint, denying due cashback.
By denying cashback, it makes me believe that the bank flyer was just to attract people. When this offer was actually over, there was no point asking people to register. They should have clearly written that customers who sent a registration SMS, after receiving a text message, would be eligible for cashback.
From Mr Prasad Panda
Dubai
The management of ADIB responds:
Upon receiving the complaint, ADIB’s customer complaints unit contacted the customer and explained that the failure to process the cashback was a result of the wrong SMS format being sent to the bank. The issue stands closed. We would like to thank the customer and Gulf News for bringing this matter to our attention.
Mr Panda responds:
I received a call from ADIB’s complaints unit. They apologised for the inconvenience caused due to a system error. As such, there was no discussion or mention about a wrong SMS format during the discussion. They advised, in the future, to ensure a receipt of confirmation SMS from the system within 24 hours. Otherwise, the customer should contact customer care to avoid such a situation. The representative confirmed that due cashback would be credited within two working days. Now, I can see in my online statement that the cashback has been credited to my account.
The issue has been resolved to my full satisfaction. During the process, I found that ADIB’s complaints unit acted promptly and swiftly.
I sincerely thank Gulf News for taking up my case with the bank.
(Process initiation: November 23. Response from organisation: November 27. Reader confirmation: November 30).
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.
