Dear Editor,
I am a senior citizen who has been a loyal customer of Republic Bank since it was Royal Bank. I opened my first bank account in 1975. Over the years, my business relations with the bank have allowed me to interact with most of the Loan Officers and I have always been treated with respect. One Loan Officer in particular – Mrs. Serene C. Persaud, has always given me sound guidance. In light of the excellent service I have received over the years I never saw the need to go to any other banking institution to access loans or any other financial services. All my financial needs are well taken care of at Republic Bank, and I have introduced many friends, family members and business colleagues to Republic Bank.
However, a recent experience has left a somewhat ‘bad taste’ in my mouth. During the month of July 2019, my wife and I went into the bank to service our loan, and as we have done over the years, we went upstairs to complete this transaction. When we got there, we were told that they could not accept our loan installment because the new management had made a decision prohibiting the receipt of monies on that floor, and that we would have to go downstairs to pay the loan installment. We were very perturbed to hear this because the ground floor was full of people and there was nowhere for pensioners to stand, much less sit.
My wife and I left the bank without completing our transaction. We returned a week later only to find the same situation – the ground floor filled to capacity. We went upstairs once more and voiced our concern over the situation and were allowed to pay the loan installment through the kindness of the supervisor. What is upsetting to me is that no prior notice was given of this new management decision and nothing was put in place to accommodate customers like myself who have a long history with the bank, especially with the Loan Department. This situation caused me to reminisce on the time when Mr. John Alves was CEO. He was so approachable and concerned about excellent customer service, that I could have spoken to him about any sudden change that was adversely affecting customers and he always ensured the situation was remedied.
I was informed that the gentleman who is now at the helm is also a very nice person and approachable person. If that is indeed the case, I am asking that he reexamines the decision that was made to disallow loan repayments being made upstairs, since having to utilize the ground-floor facilities is very uncomfortable for customers, especially seniors.
Yours faithfully
Arthur Taylor
