Dear Claudienne, I am an account holder at both the New Kingston and Constant Spring branches of Scotiabank.

The purpose of my letter is to solicit your assistance in the recovery of J$12,455.00 that was debited from my account on October 19, 2021.

The transaction occurred at the Bill Express, Megamart – Waterloo Road where I went to pay a utility bill. The normal actions were done but the POS machine showed on the screen– IP Comm Error. Because of that message, I was asked to do the transaction again and did so. However, on checking my account I saw that the money for the utility bill had been taken from my account twice.

I first reported the issue via the Scotia Customer Care line on October 20, 2021 and subsequently, made several follow-up calls. I was advised that the report was logged and that an investigation was being done.

In January 2022, I got a secure e-mail from Scotiabank advising that the investigation was closed due to my non-response. Unfortunately, I had been unaware of an e-mail Scotiabank had sent me in December 2021. When I called Customer Care to get clarity I was advised to make a report in person to my home branch. I did so on January 18, 2022.

However, prior to submitting the report to Scotiabank, I made contact with Bill Express headquarters, and was informed that it was not their normal procedure to issue a letter confirming that the funds were not received.

To date, (March 23, 2022), I still have not received a response from Scotia, New Kingston nor is the refund reflected in my account. I also sent my report of the incident to the manager of the New Kingston branch on March 4, 2022 and again no response or even an acknowledgment of receipt.

I must add that due to this distressing experience I have ceased using the card to do this kind of payment and will not in the future.

I am tired of the run around, so could you please advise me as to what else I should do.

KB

Dear KB

Tell Claudienne contacted Scotiabank and note that your concerns have been addressed.

Scotiabank sent the following email to the column:

“Thank you for bringing the matter concerning our valued customer to our attention.

Our customer experience team has since contacted her, and the matter was resolved with the return of the funds to her account.

The bank is committed to ensuring the financial well-being of all our customers and to resolving complaints within a reasonable time span.

We sincerely regret when we fall short of these expectations.

We have apologised to KM for the inconvenience and wish to thank her via this medium for her ongoing loyalty to Scotiabank.”

Tell Claudienne also notes your e-mail of March 30,2022 that stated as follows:

“I wish to advise that following my email to you, only two days later Scotiabank contacted me and apologised, promising to investigate my query. Then a mere three days later Scotiabank has refunded the disputed amount. This would not have happened without you, I truly appreciate your efforts to resolve this issue.”

We wish you all the best.