Reader complaint against bank for withholding gratuity and freezing credit card
Bank absorbed all my end-of-service money to my loan payment and increased the interest rate
I’ve been banking with the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), now called First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) for a few years now. I also have a bank loan with them.

Things have been moving quite well — till I changed my job in September 2018.

My account and credit card were frozen once my end-of-service pay from the previous company hit my account. This is understandable, as it is the bank’s policy.

I provided all the documents requested by the bank from the new employer. However, the customer service experience at the branch was horrible making customers wait for three to four hours with one customer service representative to attend to the customers.

After all the documents were provided, my account was re-activated when the first salary reached the account. Still, the end-of-service benefit amount and credit card were frozen.

This continued for another month. I made many hopeless phone calls to the bank numerous times.

After two months, the bank absorbed all my end-of-service money to my loan payment and increased the interest rate without any consultation with me.

It’s been three months with my new company, three months’ salary in the account, but still my credit card is blocked.

Hundreds of phone calls and complaints were made in vain. There is no way we can reach out to higher levels in this bank. Apparently, after the bank integrating with FAB, my online banking doesn’t even show I have a card.

From Ms Vandana Rajesh

Dubai
 

Editor’s note: The complaint was forwarded to FAB for comments. However, its management did not respond.
 

(Process initiation: January 16, 2019. Process completion: February 25, 2019.)
 

SOURCE : GULFNEWS