Scotiabank customers deserve better service

THE EDITOR, Sir:

For the last six months, I have been dealing with a customer service nightmare with Scotiabank’s New Kingston branch in Jamaica. At the centre of this debacle is an issue that has been affecting my credit card. For several years, I have had one credit card with Scotiabank that has consistently been in excellent standing. I am never late with payments, and every single month I pay the statement balance in full.

Months ago, something went awry with my account in Scotiabank’s system, causing a slew of errors with all subsequent bank statements and charges. I have been trying at multiple levels to get this resolved. I have had countless calls with customer service representatives and supervisors – every one of them promised to escalate the matter and to call me back. Not one ever returned a call.

I raised the matter to the level of the branch manager and other managers multiple times. No response. Two months ago, I finally reached out to someone who wrote a Letter to the Editor complaining about the same Scotiabank branch and she put me in touch with a customer complaint officer who has been assisting me. And yet, still no resolution. After largely being ignored for six months, I am now being told to await investigations that could take up to another four months to be completed.

In the meantime, because of the erroneous charges and balances over a period of months – which the bank has readily acknowledged (in writing) are no fault of mine – my account is now considered delinquent and my credit card is unusable. How does a customer with my record end up here? This is thoroughly unacceptable.

What I find even more unforgivable, however, is the appalling customer service that I have encountered repeatedly. Amid dozens of persons I have dealt with by phone and email, only two persons have shown genuine interest in my case and provided support to the best of their ability.

Everyone else has lived up to the reputation that Scotiabank has earned for its extremely poor customer service. Their customers deserve much better.

ALLISON BROWN-KNIGHT