The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.


Yesterday was one of those days from hell. I went to the local bank and used my card to withdraw cash at their ATM. I listened to the machine whirl as it usually does when it counts the money. Then my card came out – but not all the way – and I couldn’t retrieve it. It came out again – also not all the way – and once again I couldn’t retrieve it. Then the machine told me to contact my bank, my card would not be returned.

I immediately went into the bank and, after explaining to the young lady, who had come from her office to see what I needed, that their machine wasn’t working properly and had swallowed my card, I asked for its return. The young lady went through to the back office.

Another young lady then walked behind the counter and retrieved my card from the machine. Quite properly, she asked for my identification.

I checked my pocket to get my wallet and then realised that – as I had been using their drive-by window – I had taken my wallet out of my pocket, removed my card, and laid my wallet on the passenger seat. I explained that my wallet was in my car, that I would be right back, and left the desk to get my identification.

When I returned, the young lady who had retrieved my card was nowhere to be seen. Then the first young lady – who turned out to be the bank manager – asked me to come into her office.

There she proceeded to explain to me that it was bank policy to destroy cards from banks not doing business in the Bahamas once they had been swallowed by their machine.

My sin was that I had used a TD Bank card issued by a branch in Greenwich, Ct. I was dumbfounded. Without even the courtesy of seeing my identification or checking with my bank to see if there was anything amiss, the bank had simply destroyed my card!

When I explained again to her that the problem lay with her bank’s machine – not my card – she looked me hard in the eye and said: “Our machines work perfectly well.” Was she calling me a liar without knowing anything about me?

She had had the opportunity to see my ID and didn’t bother.

She believed she was protected by bank policy and she kept telling me so.

Had she bothered to check, she would have discovered that my family has been doing business with the CIBC here in the Bahamas for over 50 years and that the family office did business with her branch. Some oversight!

Unfortunately the damage was already done. My card was destroyed. I immediately telephoned my bank in Greenwich, Ct and asked for a replacement.

They agreed to express a new one to me immediately – which I am sure they have done.

Nevertheless, I am here in the Bahamas where things are not always timely. Sometimes an express post can take a week or more. Further unfortunately, I am booked on a flight to Portugal on Saturday the 28th.

My new card may not have arrived by then and it will have to be forwarded to me. It’s not just the annoyance at losing one’s card, or in being called a liar, it is the entire inconvenience of it.

All of those who make regular charges against it – in my case: from St Maarten, to Miami, to Greenwich, etc – all need now to be notified and issued with a new number.

It’s inconvenient for them, too. All of this unnecessary time and work is intensely frustrating and annoying.
By the way, the bank is the First Caribbean, formerly the CIBC, and the branch is Sandyport and the machine is in the drive-by window. If it is their policy and if the proper procedures were carried out, it is a stupid policy for any bank operating in a country whose prime business is tourism.

Imagine if I had been a tourist making my first stop in Nassau, then flying this week-end to Miami to join a cruise and this had happened to them. How do they get their card renewed? What happens for the rest of their holiday? What an awful and unnecessary inconvenience for them. Do you think they would ever want to visit the Bahamas again? Do you think they would ever use a CIBC of First Caribbean ATM again? Either could easily leave a very sour taste in their mouth.

Can’t anyone think anymore? Had the manageress had the simple common courtesy to have waited until she saw my ID – and then, if she still had questions, she could have contacted my bank to ensure all was in order – all of this nonsense could have been avoided. She didn’t seem to care. What’s happened to humanity?

As concerned Bahamians, we need to know if this is actually the policy of the First Caribbean Bank. If it is, we need to know what procedures are meant to have been followed and if they were followed. If we find all of the above to be the case and that this has been handled properly in the eyes of the bank, then we must do all we can to ensure the bank changes its policy ASAP. Otherwise it could hurt the tourist business. Lack of common courtesy always does. Equally, we need to find out if other Canadian banks have a similar policy and deal with them as well.

No one should be treated in this uncivilised, unhelpful and accusatory manner. Not the least of us. Not the tourist or ex-pat living here. No one whose card is in good order should have to worry about using any ATM. Now anyone who has a card from a bank which does not have a branch here in the Bahamas must be very worried – particularly at a First Caribbean ATM.



JOHN TOMLINSON
Nassau,
September 21, 2013.