I am writing to get Gulf News’ assistance in resolving my issue with an unused and unauthorised credit card, through which the bank keeps charging us monthly, for late charges and billed finance charges.
I had my First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) card in 2015 and decided to close it in February 2017. I always pay monthly dues on time. I paid my total balance for the credit card, amounting to Dh6,202.25 and an additional Dh435 for closing the credit card. The staff member assisting me, took the card and punched it.
In April 2018, FAB sent me an SMS, stating I have to pay a certain amount. I called customer service for clarification. I spoke to different representatives on the phone, asking for an explanation as to why I still have a balance on a credit card that I closed last year? The representative offered me a solution — pay only Dh600 from the original amount of Dh1,631.22. I refused to do so, as I kept asking them, why would I need to pay for a card that I have closed?
Whenever I follow up, different representatives attend to my call and repeat my story from the start. My first complaint was on April 15, the second was on April 30, but nothing has been resolved. I went to FAB’s BurJuman branch several times for the same reason and even asked for my record but they failed to give me any record. I went to the collections department, but the representative refused to listen to me and told me: “You need to pay!”
I went to Al Etihad Credit Bureau, and as per my record, there is a card, which was closed in February 2017 and another card, which is showing as active. I presented that to the manager at FAB’s BurJuman branch. She created a report for investigation, and advised me to wait for a call three to four days after the investigation, but I received no call from them.
Again, I visited the branch to follow up, but had no response from them. I called Smart Call, asking if I can get any clearance for the closed credit card, but unfortunately, it is not possible, as I have remaining balance from a new issued credit card on record. I went to FAB’s collections department and asked the person who assisted me earlier. I showed him my credit report, but he said the only thing is to pay the current amount, which is Dh2,311.22 as of May 2018. I asked why FAB issued me a credit card without my consent and he said: “You suffer because of someone else’s fault. The person/staff member who closed your credit card did not update your record in the system.” He even advised me to pay a discounted amount for the closure of the card but still, I refused to agree as I do not have the said card. Why should I pay for things I did not benefit from at all?
I need to understand the following things:
1) Why is the bank not issuing a clearance or no liability letter upon settling my credit card?
2) Why was I issued a card without prior consent?
I want to close the unauthorised credit card account and issue a clearance and no liability letter for my FAB account, as I didn’t make any mistakes. I request FAB management to investigate this matter.
From Mr Greg Yumul
Dubai
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 Yumul, and the matter has been resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Mr Yumul responds:
Thank you Gulf News, for helping us reach the management of FAB. They have responded to my queries/complaint, but failed to explain what really happened. They reversed the amount and told us to pay for the settlement and closure of the card. To avoid further inconvenience, I agreed, but they sent only a settlement letter against my outstanding balance and it does not show whether the card is closed or not. I called customer service and they told me it would take three months for the clearance letter. I am waiting for them to clear my record. As of now, I am patiently waiting for the result, as I have really lost my trust in FAB.
FAB responds:
The bank has been in contact with Mr Yumul via email to confirm that his credit card has been cancelled, and request the required documents to update the customer’s details with Al Etihad Credit Bureau.
(Process initiation: May 31. Response from organisation: June 20. Process completion: June 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.
