Question

You recently returned from a trip to Berlin, Germany. You were there from April 1st to April 4th for a conference on World Tolerance. Before you left Abu Dhabi, on March 30th at 3:30pm, you called your bank, ADCB, and informed the bank that you were traveling and to ensure your credit card would not be blocked in Germany. The bank thanked you for the call, said the card would not be blocked and wished you a pleasant trip.

Story About Your Trip in Berlin

When you arrived in Berlin at 9am on April 1st, you got a taxi at the airport and took the taxi to the hotel. You paid 30euros for the trip with your credit card.  Then you checked into the hotel at noon without problems because you booked and paid for the hotel online before your trip. At 1pm, you decided to go for a walk around Berlin before the conference started the next day.  You saw a cute little tea-shop and decided to buy packages of tea for your family and friends. You took your packages to the counter and tried to pay.  You were horrified to find out your credit card would not work.  You have enough credit on your card and there shouldn’t be anything wrong.  You are so embarrassed because you can’t pay for the tea and everyone in line is looking at you. On top of that, you now have 3 more days in Berlin and you can’t access money because your card is blocked.  

You run back to the hotel and call the bank. They confirm your card is blocked because you are in Germany. You explain that you called before your trip to make sure this would not happen. The bank said, “We are sorry for the inconvenience.  There is nothing they can do at the time”. The bank said it would take 3-5 business days to fix the mistake, but that is too long.  You are stuck in Berlin without any money.

This means you have to take food from the hotel breakfast buffet and hide it in your room for dinner. You need to eat the snacks provided by the conference for your lunch.  You must refuse invitations to lunch because you know you can’t pay. Also, you must ask someone at the conference for 10euros to take the subway back to the airport.  You are absolutely humiliated.  You couldn’t do anything in Berlin because you couldn’t access your credit card.  

You are so angry at the bank! Your trip was ruined.  The only thing you could do in Berlin is to attend the conference and walk around the city and look at the stuff you couldn’t buy. You get home and decide to write a business letter to the customer service manager, Anke Kuse, at ADCB.  The bank is in Abu Dhabi at the Airport Road Branch. The PO Box is 55567. You want the bank to refund your flight to Berlin and provide 5000aed in damages because their mistake ruined your trip. The total is 12400aed.  

This is your Abu Dhabi mailing address. You live in AlBateen in Villa #27 on 17th Street.

Answer 1

To,

Anke Kuse

Customer service manager

ADCB Bank

PO Box 55567

Airport Road Branch.

Abu Dhabi

Sub= Claim of damage for the inconvenience caused on the foreign trip due to blocking of credit card

Hi,

I would like to bring this in your notice that I have been using the credit card of your bank for a very long time recently I had to visit Germany for attending the international conference. Before going to Germany, I called to the customer care of the bank on March 30th at 3:30 pm to ensure that the credit card does not get blocked on my foreign trip so that I can do the transaction in Germany through this credit card. The same was ensured by the representative of the bank and I was given the assurance that during my trip, the credit card will remain active for the payment of transactions. I also ensured enough funds in the credit card.

But When I reached to Germany and was trying to pay for the shopping, I was really shocked that no payment was going through and when I contacted the bank, the representative told me that my credit card has been blocked as I am in Germany and it was told to me that this will take approximately 3-5 business day to get the credit card reactivated for foreign transaction This was completely shock to me as I already informed the bank about my trip to Germany and moreover after getting assurance for the same from your side, I did not carry any cash or any other payment mode.

I had to face a lot of issues due to this blunder from your side. Not only I had to face the public humiliation of not having the payment approved but I suffered a lot during m stay as I could not eat anything and relied on the snacks provided during the conference and had to take food from the hotel breakfast buffet and hide it in your room for dinner. I could not attend any invitations to lunch because I can’t pay and in fact, I had to borrow 10 Euros to take the subway back to the airport. This had created a lot of trouble and suffering to me mentally and socially. I was humiliated on many occasions because of the mistake of the bank.

This is highly unexpected from the bank like you and I, therefore, claim total damage of 12400aed that includes a refund of flight to Berlin and 5000aed in damages because the mistake of the bank ruined my trip.

I request you to kindly look into the matter and find the reason for such poor customer service and initiate the issue of damage amount as soon as possible.

Thanks.

ABC( name)

Villa #27

17th Street

AlBateen

Abu Dhabi