Scotiabank has committed to keeping the doors of its full-service branches open for an extra hour-and-a-half once per week, as it seeks to make amends with disgruntled customers who have experienced challenges at its ABM network in recent weeks.

The bank, which is ranked the second-largest in Jamaica based on its assets, says it will extend its opening hours from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm on Fridays for roughly six weeks, starting Friday, January 12 to Friday, February 29, 2024, for customers conducting cash withdrawals and deposit transactions.

“Over the past few months, we have been experiencing challenges at our ABM network due to a recurring technical issue. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this has caused,” Scotia said in a public notice.

It added that the temporary changes are being made at the 15 full-service branches islandwide to accommodate more cash transactions while it works to correct the issue at its ABMs.

Scotia advised customers in November that it officially completed the enhancements to all its deposit machines to accept the new banknotes. The bank was slower than its biggest rival in its acceptance of the new notes, due to what Scotia said were recent issues within the security industry as well as technical issues in the incorporation of polymer notes into its machines.

The bank’s explanation for the prolonged adaption was later backed by the Jamaica Bankers’ Association which confirmed that the complex configurations, cost for upgrades, and a spike in criminal activities targeting these assets, were some of the reasons for the slower-than-expected transformation of automated teller machines (ATMs) to facilitate the use of polymer banknotes.

Still, customers took to social media to air their dissatisfaction.

At the time, Scotia said it was “working assiduously to correct these problems” and to restore service to its former standards.

“Over the next few weeks, we will be implementing a solution to address the dispenser issues affecting withdrawals across the island,” the bank said in November.

However, in a recent update to the public, Scotia says it continues to work on correcting the issue.

“We take this opportunity to thank our customers for their patience and assure them that Scotiabank remains unwavering in our dedication to offering accessible, responsive and customer-centric banking services to all,” the bank said.

Scotia’s full-service branches are spread across Brown’s Town, Constant Spring, Fairview, Half-Way-Tree, Liguanea, Mandeville, May Pen, Morant Bay, Negril, New Kingston, Ocho Rios, Santa Cruz, Savanna-la-Mar, Scotiabank Centre, and Spanish Town.