Businesses need to bank on customers

Banks in the UAE might have started to focus on customer service, but there is a long way to go

Customer service, or rather the distinct lack of it, has long been one of the biggest bugbears among residents of this country, who are often left frustrated by the experience they endure in some shops, banks and restaurants across the Emirates. But is that situation beginning to change?

Consider the case of HSBC. As The National reported yesterday, the bank is refunding charges it had mistakenly imposed on some of its customers. Acknowledging the "error", the bank said that in 2010 it had abolished the Dh100 monthly fee it charged to its Advance customers, but had continued to deduct it from a number of accounts. Those customers affected by the error were asked to visit one of the bank's branches to obtain a refund. Regulations imposed by the Central Bank in 2011 scrapped a raft of such fees (including account charges), although as this newspaper has previously reported, some banks had continued to deduct monthly fees from their customers' accounts.

While the general reaction of HSBC’s affected customers was exasperation – “the explanations don’t make sense”, said one – the banking sector is beginning to belatedly understand that customers will not tolerate poor service indefinitely and do have the option of taking their business elsewhere. Indeed, a survey by YouGov and personal-finance website Cashy found that one-fifth of bank clients in this country are planning to leave their existing bank. Poor customer care, hidden charges and high interest rates are found to be the main reasons driving such decisions. Banks would do well to heed that data.

Banking is not the only sector that is realising the worth of better customer care. Earlier this year, organisers of the Sandance concert refunded the full value of tickets to thousands of disgruntled revellers, who missed the New Year’s Eve event at Palm Jumeirah amid traffic chaos. Sandance also promised ticket holders a discount for their next event.

While it is too early to hail either the HSBC refunds or, indeed, the earlier Sandance rebate as signs that the tide of poor customer care has been beaten back, both represent promising markers along the way.

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Almnssa

Started: August 2020

Founder: Areej Selmi

Based: Gaza

Sectors: Internet, e-commerce

Investments: Grants/private funding

Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode

Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

UAE%20SQUAD

%3Cp%3E%0DJemma%20Eley%2C%20Maria%20Michailidou%2C%20Molly%20Fuller%2C%20Chloe%20Andrews%20(of%20Dubai%20College)%2C%20Eliza%20Petricola%2C%20Holly%20Guerin%2C%20Yasmin%20Craig%2C%20Caitlin%20Gowdy%20(Dubai%20English%20Speaking%20College)%2C%20Claire%20Janssen%2C%20Cristiana%20Morall%20(Jumeirah%20English%20Speaking%20School)%2C%20Tessa%20Mies%20(Jebel%20Ali%20School)%2C%20Mila%20Morgan%20(Cranleigh%20Abu%20Dhabi).%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed

RESULTS

Time; race; prize; distance

4pm: Maiden; (D) Dh150,000; 1,200m
Winner: General Line, Xavier Ziani (jockey), Omar Daraj (trainer)

4.35pm: Maiden (T); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Travis County, Adrie de Vries, Ismail Mohammed

5.10pm: Handicap (D); Dh175,000; 1,200m
Winner: Scrutineer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

5.45pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

6.20pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Ejaaby, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson

6.55pm: Handicap (D); Dh160,000; 1,600m
Winner: Storyboard, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

7.30pm: Handicap (D); Dh150,000; 2,200m
Winner: Grand Dauphin, Gerald Mosse, Ahmed Al Shemaili

8.05pm: Handicap (T); Dh190,000; 1,800m
Winner: Good Trip, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Mohamed bin Zayed Majlis

'Pursue what you love - not just a high salary', universities minister tells young Emiratis

'We are betting on you - you are the future', Gargash tells young Emiratis

The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.