Last January I realised that my landline number was not working, as there was nothing but a loud buzzing on the line. I initially assumed that I had not paid a bill and reported it to Etisalat. On February 6, they sent out a technician, who told me that the line was fine and my telephones were faulty. I bought a new phone, but it still did not work properly. I made a further complaint to Etisalat, and the following day some of their people turned up at 8:20am - without arranging an appointment.
Some 15 minutes later they confirmed that the problem was indeed the fault of Etisalat and that I had been wrongly advised by the technician. I am now out the cost of a new handset and have paid for a telephone line that has not worked for six weeks. Not only have I incurred these unnecessary costs, but I have had to make more costly calls on my mobile phone. Surely Etisalat should be refunding me for these costs? In addition, I keep receiving calls from people wanting to contact Emirates Bank. Has the number been duplicated? As these calls are numerous and a significant disruption, I asked Etisalat whether the number could be changed, but was told there would be a fee of Dh150. This seems excessive when I am being disturbed through no fault of my own.
SC Dubai
The matter was referred to Etisalat, and after many e-mails and telephone conversations, as well as visits from technicians, Etisalat admitted that the fault was a rusty cable, which has now been replaced. Also, service charges for the last six weeks have been waived, and the landline number has been changed without charge. Etisalat did argue that the initial fault was with the handset, claiming that customers should buy only approved handsets. Nevertheless, the company issued a refund of Dh150 to cover the cost of the extra phone. This matter took three weeks to resolve, but SC is now happy with the outcome.
I am the holder of an Emirates NBD bank account and took a personal loan from them in December 2007, to be repaid over two years. Instalments were deducted from my account from January 2008 until December 2009, as expected. But to my surprise, when I checked my account online on December 27, there was still a balance on my loan.
I immediately telephoned the call centre, but the representative was not helpful. He advised me to visit the branch. I duly went to the Ibn Battuta branch on December 29, and after speaking to several staff members they promised to call me the next day. I heard nothing, so I went back on January 3, and then to the Jebel Ali branch on January 10 and 13. A formal complaint was eventually raised and I was told I would hear back in three days, but again, no one contacted me.
I must have sent eight e-mails on consecutive days, and all I was ever told was that "we are investigating".
Every time I contacted the call centre, I was told it would be fixed tomorrow, which never happened. On January 25, a further Dh1,287.22 was deducted from my current account and the loan still showed an outstanding balance. A loan officer finally told me that the loan account should have been closed on December 12 - which I obviously knew - but additional interest has been charged since then.
MSG Dubai
MSG has spent a great deal of his time trying to resolve the matter, causing him considerable distress. I put the problem to Emirates NBD, and after some weeks of investigation they have sent this reply: "Our customer care unit was continuously in touch with MSG while investigating the query.
"The amount disputed by MSG pertains to interest on his personal loan computed for the period between the loan disbursal date and the first instalment date. This interest was not migrated to customer's statement due to a system issue. However, we have rectified the entry as agreed with the customer and provided him with a partial waiver of the interest and proper explanation through a letter sent to him."
MSG has received a refund that covers most of the costs. I understand that the remainder will be credited to him shortly.
Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser with Holborn Assets in Dubai. Write to her at keren@holbornassets.com
Letters can also be sent to onyourside@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey'
Rating: 3/5
Directors: Ramin Bahrani, Debbie Allen, Hanelle Culpepper, Guillermo Navarro
Writers: Walter Mosley
Stars: Samuel L Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Walton Goggins
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
57%20Seconds
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Birthday: February 22, 1956
Born: Madahha near Chittagong, Bangladesh
Arrived in UAE: 1978
Exercise: At least one hour a day on the Corniche, from 5.30-6am and 7pm to 8pm.
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi? “Everywhere. Wherever you go, you can relax.”
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
More on animal trafficking
Hot%20Seat
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