Readers’ issues raised with airline and bank
One flyer’s bags were damaged, while another customer had an issue attempting to close his credit card
Damaged luggage
M y son travelled by Etihad Airways on September 6, 2016, from Abu Dhabi to New York and returned on September 17. On his return, we noted that the baggage was damaged and raised the issue of mishandled luggage with the airline.
I first contacted the airline through their Facebook page on September 19, and was told to send an email with all details to baggageclaims@etihad.ae. I sent them an email with all the required information on September 20. Since I did not receive any response, I contacted them on Facebook again, to which they responded saying their team would be in touch soon.
I received no reply and kept contacting them through their Facebook page. I received the same response from other agents — that this was a separate department and they could not do anything. I also tried getting the name of their supervisor or concerned team manager so that the matter could be further escalated, but there was no response to this. I tried calling their baggage handling numbers provided on the website several times, but received no response.
On October 20, I spoke with someone who advised me to forward him the email I had initially sent. I did so and received a response on the same day from baggage claims. They said they required details, which were already sent to them on September 19. I responded with the required details, but till now, have had no response from them.
It has been more than two months and I don’t see any acknowledgment. I am now forced to write to Gulf News and would appreciate if the newspaper can help me sort out this issue. From Ms Sonia Nardhani Dubai
The management of Etihad responds:
We can confirm that we have been in direct contact with the guest and this issue has now been resolved.
Ms Nardhani responds:
Yes, they did contact me and the issue has been resolved. They have compensated us for the damaged baggage.
(Process initiation: December 13, 2016. Response from organisation: December 15, 2016. Reader confirmation: January 15, 2017.)
I paid up what I owed
I have been using my FGB credit card since 2015 and want to close the account. As per the last statement, my bill amount is Dh68,678.98. So I took a pay-out from another bank and FGB gave me a liability letter for Dh69,609. I made the payment and logged a cancellation request on November 28, 2016. When I called their customer service number and asked about the cancellation, the agent said that my card was not cancelled due to insufficient funds of Dh320.
As per the last statement generated on November 15, the amount I owed was Dh68,678.98, but I had already made the payment on November 29. So now, my card is not cancelled and FGB is still asking me to pay Dh320. I am not able to understand why I should make the extra payment.
Please help me to cancel this card and get a reimbursement. From Mr Syed Kadher Dubai
The management of FGB responds:
FGB is grateful for all customer feedback to which we give careful consideration as we strive to consistently deliver the highest standards of service.
The bank has been in contact with Mr Kadher, and informed him that a new guarantee letter is required in order to process his request.
(Process initiation: December 27, 2016. Response from organisation: January 2, 2017. Process completion: January 22, 2017.)
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