Yesterday, like thousands of GTBank current account customers, I woke up to an unwelcome, ill-timed gift which arrived in this format:
“Desc: SI TRANSACTION (DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS)-GeNS CHARGE FOR 26NOV2015-06JAN2016.”
It appeared that I and others had been once again, unexplainably robbed debited of our hard-earned money. At the last count, I counted over 50 complaints on Twitter (to which GTB typed out the generic response: “Enter our DMs”) and I have been boiling ever since.
What does “Different Customers” even mean, and how does it qualify as a reason to charge whatever the hell they like, right in the middle of a month and without any warning? The most annoying thing about this is that this charge has come in addition to a separate, unspecified charge for November – December. I mean, how can you justify this sort of repeated financial rape from a body that should be begging for your services? Are they shoring up my hard-earned money for an inevitable “MTN style” fine, or now that the CBN directive has abolished Commission on Turnover charges, is this their new money making scheme?
Either way, this is unacceptable and if these banks won’t do the right thing, it is about time we the customers make them sit up and realise we pay their fucking salaries. With the current state of the economy, we cannot sit back and let these guys continue to screw us over and act like they are doing us a favour while doing so. Some of the bank staff even have a misplaced sense of sovereignty over our rights as customers, so it’s up to us to educate them on how to treat customers.
This year, let us use the little we have to change our situation.
What is little known to the public is that the CBN will listen to customer complaints, as long as the complaints are lodged using their guidelines. So let’s do this. If you’ve been affected, it won’t take much of your time, plus I will make this as easy and pain-free as possible in 2 easy steps. However, I will need your commitment to join us in complaining by following the steps below. This is our money and most of all, this is our country and for the sake of our children, we the people must salvage it from the hands of those who want to create a culture of intimidation. Let’s do this.
What are the CBN guidelines for lodging complaints about banks?
Step 1. Lodge a complaint with your bank in-branch, and give them 2 weeks to respond. I would suggest first backing yourself up by sending your complaint via email in advance. What you are after is a confirmation that your e-mail has been received and is being dealt with (you will need this if you need to proceed to step 2). If you do get a confirmation, print it out and make a photocopy. Now, you can take a copy of your complaint letter the bank branch.
Below is a free guidance template you can download and adjust to your taste before taking to the bank.
According to a 2011 CBN circular, all banks are required to provide a consumer complaint help desk and/or expand their ATM help desk to deal with all kinds of complaints. Before you take your complaint to the branch, ensure that you take a photocopy, and ask someone to stamp this to confirm that the branch has received your complaint.
Step 2. If the bank fails to address your complaint after 2 weeks, escalate it to the CBN’s consumer protection department. Please note that you cannot escalate the issue without lodging a complaint with your bank first, so please follow the steps as prescribed.
Here is a free template letter you can adjust to suit your taste.
Letter of complaint escalation template to CBN
Please personalise this as much as you can, so that it doesn’t look like you just copied it word for word off the internet. Then send to the CBN by email and then by post.
Here are contact details for the CBN:
E-mail: cpd@cbn.gov.ng
Letter: Director, Consumer Protection Department, Central Business District, Abuja
Your letter of complaint should be addressed to the Director, Consumer Protection Department. You can submit your letter at the CBN Head Office or at any of of their nationwide branches.
Lagos branch:
Tinubu Square, Lagos, Nigeria. PMB 12194. +(234) 01 2660100, 2660934, 2660624, 2660647
Abuja branch:
Zaria street, Garki II, Nigeria. PMB 0187, Garki, Abuja. +(234) 09 2342132-4, 234332-6, +(234) 09 23435363
Port-Harcourt branch:
2 Bank Road, Nigeria – P.M.B. 5134 Port Harcourt. +(234) 231019, +(234) 084 230539
Some more CBN guidelines to support your complaint:
Your complaint should be clear and concise to avoid ambiguity. The Complaint letter (petition) should contain amongst other things the following:
- Name, Address, Contact Phone Number & E-mail of the Complainant;
- Name of your Financial Institution;
- Personal banking details (Do NOT include PIN & Passwords, please;)
- History/Date of the transaction in dispute;
- Amount claimed (if any)
- Attach relevant documents to support you claim and
- Evidence to show that you have first lodged the complaint at your bank.
Wait for a response, and follow up if you hear nothing after 2 weeks. Please let me know of your progress in the comments section, let’s keep this open an transparent. All the best!
This is good insight. I’m taking my bank (Diamond Bank) heads on. They’ve recently ripped me off of about 100k in charges over a 2 month period describing it as “invested interest”.
My first email goes out tonight and the first letter tomorrow morning. WIll keep this forum posted.
EXCELLENT, Kunle!
This is exactly what I love to hear. Please let us know of your progress and let me know if you need help with anything! I am on your side and am more than happy to look through correspondence etc. N100k is too much money for you to lose to s large bank! I have already got templates on the site which could be of help in building your case. All the best, and waiting to hear from you!
I was robbed by zenith bank, if I Lodge my complain with cbn following the guidelines, what drastic action will cbn take against zenith bank
A letter from CBN to Zenith might encourage Zenith to look into your complaint a bit quicker. Have you contacted Zenith in writing?
I have complained on over deduction of loan by FCMB. I will take them on soon armed with this wonderfully helpful info
uba double my account number and make fraud deduction on my bank every month sunday throught mt etisalat number and email address i want gorverment to prosecute those responsible for this fraud
Gtb return my money
Am not happy with Zenith Bank Jabi branch, Plot 502 Obafemi Awolowo Way, Opp. Conoil, Jabi, Abuja. Tel: (09) 2905651, 2905527, 2905649, 2905629. I feel I was over charged by the above bank over issuing me a confirmation of bank letter which amounted to Two Thousand, One Hundred Naira (N2,100.
I want to know the CBN mandate over bank charges on my own complaint.
There was unauthorized transfers from my account, Zenith bank I have written to my bank
Nigerian banks are quite criminal and very dubious with there terms and policies. I opened a dollar account with no hidden charges or commissions. After sometime the bank enacted a new policy and deducted 50$ from my account saying now they charge 10$ for account maintainance and 40$ as the minimum u should have in your account. So finally is have lost 50$ to First Bank fraudsters.
Please, how do I go about the issue of incomplete/unsuccessful transaction for which my money was deducted by Diamond Bank Plc?
I made a POS transaction at the Federal High Court which was unsuccessful or declined.
I have complained though verbally to the branch at Maryland where i do most of my transaction via its customer care desk for which i got an SMS from the bank acknowledging my complaint and with a promise to review it.
two days after, i got an SMS from the bank promising to refund the money to me in July 2018. The date of refund elapsed and the money was not credited. So, i went bank to the bank and i was asked to called the customer care line which i did and a text message again promising to refund on the 24th of August 2018. Today is 29th August 2018 and NO refund again.
Please how do i go about this to enable me get remedy. Diamond Bank cannot declare my money as part of their profit for this business year.
Access bank will not win this time around, I can’t lose #2,520 to them. I was debited on the 27th of Sept, and I went to one of the branch located at Unity Road Ilorin Kwara State to login the complain, I was only asked to put down my account details and the amount deducted (illegally) which I did, till date I am yet to hear anything from them, not even a SMS to acknowledge my complain or to apologise for the illegal deduction. This is a slap on me.
I just made my first online complain via their customer service email address, I will be hoping to hear from them.
MRPEPE please be ready to be of assistance to me after 2weeks.
Thanks