Business

Dubai HSBC customer queries rejection of service charge refund

Keren Bobker helps a customer who saw stories of the advance service charge being refunded, but told otherwise by the bank.

Keren Bobker

19 September, 2014

I have been paying HSBC's "advance service charge" of Dh100 per month for nearly seven years. I have seen news stories saying that this was being refunded to account holders, although I was not contacted [directly by the bank]. A friend, who has an identical account, was offered a refund and told he would no longer be charged this fee. All he had to do was have a salary of Dh15,000 or more per month credited to the account and produce a salary letter to this effect. I also fit these criteria, so I went to the Jumeirah branch with a suitable letter on August 31, but the bank staff refused to help. Why is this refund of charges on the account not being offered equally? Can you assist? DS, Dubai

I referred this issue to my contacts at HSBC who investigated and after a few days a spokeswoman advised: “We would like to confirm that we have contacted Mr S and resolved his concerns. Thank you once again for bringing this matter to our attention and we assure you that we take customers’ feedback seriously and investigate all issues thoroughly to ensure a fair outcome for all our customers.” Mr S has been advised that he will be receiving a refund of charges and is delighted with the outcome.

Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser with Holborn Assets in Dubai, with over 20 years experience. Contact her at keren@holbornassets.com Follow her on Twitter at @FinancialUAE

The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek appropriate independent legal advice

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