As customers of Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited (RBGL) continue to grapple with a platform changeover that has led to account problems and long lines at its branches, one customer expressed frustration on Tuesday that he was told he would have to wait over a week before getting back his card which had not been released by an ATM.
On Tuesday, the visibly distressed RBL customer complained to Stabroek News that an automated teller machine (ATM) ‘ate’ his card, after which an RBGL customer service representative (CSR) explained to him that he must either wait until next Thursday to get his card back, or cancel his card and pay $1,500 to get a replacement.
Stabroek News visited the bank’s Water Street branch on Tuesday and was told that the appropriate persons to speak with are at the bank’s New Market Street location.
Instead of risking another possible redirection, however, Stabroek News contacted the bank’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), who indicated that she was out of the jurisdiction, and asked the newspaper to direct the enquiry to her assistant.
Stabroek News emailed the assistant at around 3:30 pm, but did not receive a response up to press time yesterday.
Denver McCaddy, 25, an employee of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), explained that on Monday November 25th, he visited the RBL ATM on Aubrey Barker Road in South Ruimveldt to withdraw cash.
McCaddy said that he successfully withdrew $30,000, the limit, and attempted to make another withdrawal before he started encountering difficulties with the machine. McCaddy said that he made three attempts to withdraw funds, but the machine indicated, on each occasion, that he did not have a sufficient balance to complete the transaction.
McCaddy said that this confused him as the receipt he collected after his first withdrawal showed that he had more than enough funds to complete his second transaction. The man said that he eventually became frustrated, and attempted to cancel the transaction, and collect his card. He said however, that when he hit the cancel button, the machine did not relinquish his card.
McCaddy said that he hit cancel several times before concluding that the machine was not going to relinquish his card.
The man said that he visited RBL’s Water Street branch on Tuesday to find out when he would be able to reclaim possession of his card, and was told that the bank will not be about to furnish him with his card until next Thursday, because they will not be “clearing” the ATM before then. McCaddy said he asked the customer service representative why he has to wait until next Thursday to retrieve his card if the bank only recently updated their machines. He also said that he told the CSR that he could not wait such a long period of time to retrieve his card as he needs to easily withdraw money to make purchases for his home.
McCaddy, like many other RBL customers at the moment, is not keen on joining the extremely long lines which have now become common at virtually every
