Concerns addressed

Readers’ roaming service problem and frozen account issue raised with firms

Waiting for refund

I have been an avid reader of Gulf News for the past 20 years. Having seen many of our fellow readers’ complaints being resolved with the help of Gulf News , I was wondering if you could help me resolve an issue I have with etisalat that has come to a standstill.

I had activated international roaming for my BlackBerry on April 24, 2014 by paying a Dh2,000 refundable deposit. The roaming service was cancelled by me on August 24 at the etisalat Jebel Ali branch. They had informed that the deposit will be refunded within one week. Three months have passed and despite numerous visits to this branch, I have still not received my deposit back. Each time they mention that an IT issue is preventing them from returning the deposit. When I inquired on several occasions regarding expected resolution time frame, I was told it could not be predicted.

I kindly request Gulf News help me resolve this issue. From Mr Kashyap Rajyaguru Dubai

The management of etisalat responds:

Kindly note that the customer’s issue was resolved and the amount will be transferred to the customer’s bank account in 14 days.

Mr Rajyaguru responds:

to

Yes, etisalat contacted me stating that the deposit will be refunded in 14 days. Gulf News ’ intervention has definitely helped to expedite the process, and I appreciate your help to resolve this long-standing issue.

(Process initiation: November 29. Response from organisation: December 10. Reader confirmation: December 10.)

Frozen account

I have a current account with Samba Bank and my salary is transferred to the same bank on the first of every month. I too have a salary transfer loan with the same bank. According to banks, a salary transfer loan is considered a secure loan as the company gives an undertaking to the bank that the company shall transfer the salary of the said employee to the bank and shall not stop transferring the salary to the bank without getting a clearance from the bank. In case the employee leaves the company, the bank shall be informed and his/her entire benefits shall be transferred to the bank. In this situation I do not know why my account as a whole is frozen when one Equated Monthly Instalment (EMI) was slightly delayed. To date, no EMI is pending. As soon as the salary gets credited on the first of every month, pending dues, if any, get cleared off on the first itself and the balance amount can be withdrawn. The bank has violated their banking procedures and has also violated the consumer rights of the aggrieved party. From Mr Sanjay Nair Dubai

The management of Samba Bank responds:

We thank you [ Gulf News ] for bringing the issue to our notice. However, kindly note that we will not be able to respond to the raised concerns through Gulf News due to confidentiality reasons. We advise customer(s) to route their concerns through the UAE Central Bank by sending an email to complaint@cbuae.gov. ae. Once the complaint is received from the Central Bank, we will send our response directly to the UAE Central Bank. Thank you for your understanding on such matters.

(Process initiation: January 26. Response from organisation: January 27.)

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.