Abuja: Banks’ customers have decried the delay by some banks to reverse their monies in the event of a failed transaction.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, some of them who spoke in Abuja described the experience as exhaustive, tiring, and capable of making one forfeit the money to the bank.
They appealed to banks to reduce the number of days it took to resolve customers’ complaints from seven working days to at most two days for better service delivery. Mr. Gbenga Akintoye, a customer of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), who narrated his ordeal, appealed to the bank to upgrade and unbundle their customers’ service points. Akintoye urged banks to create at least four customers’ complaints desks to facilitate complaints resolution. “Most times, when you go to the bank, the customers’ services queue is usually very long, discouraging us from even lodging the complaint. Due to this long queue, I have forfeited my money totaling like N10,000 to my bank. This is painful,” he said.
Mr. Chukwuemeka Victor, a customer of Access Bank, said there was the need for banks to employ more hands to handle their customers’ services. Victor alleged that the work was currently overwhelming staff of most banks. “I did a transaction with my bank application and my account was debited but the receiver did not receive the money up till now. I quickly rushed to the bank to complain to them but I was surprised they told me it will take three working days to be resolved. The receiver was supposed to use the money to buy medication but the money is still pending,” he said.
Mrs. Praise Adewumi, a customer of First Bank, said the process of countless visits to the banking hall to facilitate reversal from a failed transaction was frustrating. Adewumi appealed to banks to find lasting solutions to addressing consumer complaints promptly. “Most times, the bank will tell you that they need time to investigate and check where the money from a failed transaction entered. Yes, I agree with them but sometimes, is it that they never find out where the money went to because sometimes, you will wait endlessly for the money to be returned to your account but it never comes,” she said.
Mrs. Olaedo Jones, a customer with Zenith Bank who resides in the United Kingdom (UK), appealed to banks to prioritise customers’ satisfaction as it was one of the basis for their existence. “Sometimes, I receive debit alerts from my bank for transactions that I didn’t initiate or authorise. Though the monies most times are small but if they debit such monies from like 1000 customers, we should be talking about millions of naira,” she said.
Tunde Adelabu, a customer of Stanbic IBTC Bank, appealed to banks to strike a balance between telecommunication companies to determine who paid for airtime money debited from an account without crediting the number.