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Bank deductions
From Mr Nasir Khan of Dubai: I have a current account with Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) and received a call from its customer service department in November 2017, stating that due to a technical glitch in October 2016, they did not deduct 430 Wala’a points (which equate to Dh430) from my account, which I had redeemed to make payments against a mobile phone bill.
I asked them to provide me with the details of this transaction, which I could counter check with my etisalat bills, and if that is really the case, then they have the right to deduct the Wala’a points. According to them, they do not have the records because the same had been wiped out due to the technical glitch.
I told them, if they have a record that shows I had redeemed the Wala’a points in October 2016, then they ought to have the details that outline what I redeemed the points for. I told them to provide me with the details of this, and deduct the Wala’a points, to which they did not have a reply. I contacted more than four customer service representatives, but none of them could provide me with the details of the deduction that they made.
I told them that the first ever transaction I made to redeem my Wala’a points was in April 2017 and not before that, so how could they falsely claim that I redeemed the Wala’a points in October 2016? Again, they had no reply to this.
Since they couldn’t provide me with a solution to my problem, I have to seek redressal through Gulf News. Please address my complaint to the concerned department in the bank and help bring about a positive response.
The management of Dubai Islamic Bank responds:
We appreciate Mr Khan reaching out to us and we’d like to assure him that his issues were addressed as soon as possible. Mr Khan had been contacted by our Customer Complaint Resolution team at Dubai Islamic Bank to inform him that the Wala’a points in his account had been deducted to reflect a payment he had made towards an etisalat phone bill. The product team at DIB has assured Mr Khan that the Wala’a points in his account were only deducted after confirmation from etisalat pertaining to this specific transaction was received. Mr Khan was contacted, and the same was communicated to him. We now consider the case to be closed.
At DIB, we value our customers’ feedback and ensure that their requests or concerns are addressed and resolved in the best possible manner.
Mr Khan responds:
DIB personnel did contact me and have provided a detailed explanation for the deduction that they made. The same could have been done when I was contacting their customer service representatives for the past two-and-a-half months. Anyway, I appreciate the intervention of Gulf News and thank you for sorting out the matter between us. Keep up the good work.
(Process initiation: December 24, 2017. Response from organisation: January 9, 2018. Reader confirmation: January 11, 2018)
Credit shield rejected for no reason
Reader lost his job, but the bank didn’t accept his claim for credit shield
From Mr Dhiraj Prema Anand of Mangalore, India: I hold a credit card with Emirates NBD. Due to immediate loss of employment on December 5, 2016, I couldn’t pay the pending amount and applied for a credit shield claim for involuntary loss of employment on February 2, 2017. However, I got a response stating that my claim was rejected.
I managed to convert the pending amount into an instalment plan, as I had hopes of getting a new job. But unfortunately, it didn’t work out and I couldn’t pay the remaining amount and had to return to India.
I would get reminders from the bank about my payments and I couldn’t respond to them as I wasn’t in a position to do so. I have been without a job for 11 months and I received a mail from the bank saying they were going to file a case against me. I got stressed out about this and asked the bank to reclaim the credit shield.
I would like to know the reason why my first claim was rejected? Can Gulf News please help me settle this matter with the bank?
The management of Emirates NBD responds:
We are pleased to inform you that our Group Customer Experience team has been in touch with Mr Anand and provided him with the necessary clarifications.
We would like to inform you that the insurance company has agreed to review the claim again, provided that Mr Anand furnishes complete documents in order to take this matter forward.
Furthermore, please note that the bank has offered a settlement plan to Mr Anand in order to avoid further escalation of his case. As such, we cannot guarantee to stop further legal action until the customer enters into a formal settlement agreement with the bank.
We would like to reiterate our commitment to providing superior service to our customers and thank you for your continuous support in providing us with the opportunity to resolve their issues.
(Process initiation: November 27, 2017. Response from organisation: December 20. Process completion: December 30.)
Debit card replacement
Reader raises the issue of not receiving her debit card, despite placing a request
From Ms Roopa Joy Paul of Ras Al Khaimah: I forwarded my renewed documents to Commercial Bank International (CBI) on November 26, 2017, and received six text messages from CBI as acknowledgement that they had updated the documents successfully.
After that, immediately, I raised a complaint with CBI’s customer service to issue a replacement for my debit card.
I called their customer service centre several times, but none of the agents had any idea about my request for a new debit card. None of the agents took any responsibility. I spoke with another representative, who said my Emirates ID was expired and nothing had been updated so far, in their database.
When I called the customer service centre, they said that the documents had not been updated yet, so I sent it again. Since last month, I am waiting for my new debit card. I am really fed up. Please look into this matter.
The management of CBI responds:
We thank you for bringing our customer’s feedback to our notice. CBI’s priority is to provide our customers with a smooth and streamlined banking experience.
Due to a technical error, we experienced a delay in processing a new debit card for a customer. As a result, we have offered the customer express delivery for their new card, which will be delivered within one day along with an airway bill.
We have apologised to our customer for any inconvenience caused, and are reviewing our processes and systems to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.
Ms Paul responds:
I have received the new debit card. Thank you.
(Process initiation: December 21, 2017. Response from organisation: December 25, 2017. Response from reader: January 3, 2018.)
Fraudulent transactions
Reader was told to pay the amount not spent by him
From Mr Mohammad Hijas of Sharjah: I have been using an Emirates Islamic Bank (EIB) credit card for the past few months. On October 18, 2017, I got an SMS of some unknown transaction of Dh2,076 at 2.16am, Dh747 at 2.18am and Dh897 at 3.34am. I didn’t get any One Time Password (OTP) to validate the transaction. When I woke up at 5.15am, I called the bank’s customer care and they blocked my card permanently and said they would issue a new card to me. Regarding the transaction, they asked me to fill a dispute form and email it to their help desk, and I did so.
On the same day, in the evening, I got a follow-up call from the customer service agent who told me that the merchant needs to claim the amount to file the dispute, and it would take from 48 hours to 14 days. I called again after two days, and they raised a dispute for the same.
However, when I asked if I should pay the amount, they said I should or I would have to pay the penalty for late payment. It’s an amount of Dh3,720, which is almost three-fourths of my salary. I have asked the bank to keep the amount on hold until the dispute is over, but the bank said it’s not possible and it would take up to 120 days to finalise the matter. I will not be able to pay this amount in my current situation. I request Gulf News to intervene with the bank to hold the amount from my statement, and let the bank investigate and come to a final decision.
The management of Emirates Islamic Bank responds:
Thank you for bringing Mr Hijas’ concerns to our attention. Our Customer Experience team has been in touch with Mr Hijas and the issue has been resolved to his satisfaction. We will credit the amount of Dh3,720 to his Emirates Islamic credit card shortly. We would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that Emirates Islamic is committed to providing the best customer experience to all our clients.
Mr Hijas responds:
The bank called me and they have given me a temporary credit of the same amount. I did not have to pay the amount. Thank you Gulf News, for the intervention.
(Process initiation: November 24, 2017. Response from organisation: November 28, 2017. Reader confirmation: January 7, 2018.)
Inputs from Manuel Almario, Community Editor; Sanya Nayeem, Deputy Readers Editor and Shreya Bhatia, Readers Interactivity Journalist
