Bank admission of fault, yet not prepared to put things right

thumshie

check out
http://www.urban75.com/Mag/troll.html

jul64marty

Thanks Thumshie and Al Mac - will keep it all in mind

jonesMUFCforever

I would like to know what this special account is all about and the fee.

I can guess that it is an added value account where you pay a monthly fee for such things as 'free travel insurance' but OP has not confirmed this.

I agree that if he does not sign disclaimer then bank will not pay out.

jonesMUFCforever

jul64marty wrote:

I have said why Regularsaver - I disagree with it. the bank have admitted they made a mistake which resulted in me not being able to access my money while away [this bit is clear]. they have offered compensation which I am happy with [this bit is also clear]. they want me to sign a disclaimer that the medical infection I contracted is not their fault, which I have agreed with in writing to them, as it is not their fault I caught a bladder infection. They want to take this a step further and want me to agree that it is not their fault that I couldnt get medical treatment for it while away. this is the bit I disagree with, if I could have got to my money, I could have paid the medical bill and got treatment. the fact that I couldnt get to my money, directly due to an error that the bank have admitted to prevented treatment. That is why I wont sign their disclaimer. There is not much chance of me putting in a further claim either at a later date, the infection has completely cleared up now and I am happy to put it behind me.

I'm afraid the part where your argument falls down is when you say I would have paid for medical treatment if I had money to pay the local doctor - sorry but I would have made sure that I had sufficent currency easily exchangeable for local currency before leaving the airport.
My point of having more than one type of card is also very valid.

regularsaver1

Amercian Express Card - Travelers cheque card?

jul64marty

ejones999 wrote:

I'm afraid the part where your argument falls down is when you say I would have paid for medical treatment if I had money to pay the local doctor - sorry but I would have made sure that I had sufficent currency easily exchangeable for local currency before leaving the airport.
My point of having more than one type of card is also very valid.

Well, as I said earlier, hindsight is great. Everything that has been said is valid, and many good points have been raised. the account was an upgrade type thing, which guaranteed that I could access my money without local bank charges. I purchased travel insurance. Taking the extra currency [which would have had to be Euro] may have worked, I took the risk of taking 100 through, but there is a high risk that they will be consfiscated by airport police as you are not allowed to take money into the country [and believe me, they go through everything, I had mine in a tight pocket so got them through]. The 100 I took was just enough to get me a quick overnight stay [ I arrived at 4.00 am and you dont risk travelling by road in the dark in Cameroon], and transport to Limbe in the morning. Your point of taking two cards, again a very good point, but would get you nowhere unless one of them was an Electron card. That is the only card you can use over there. Travellers cheques, credit cards, debit cards, and other forms are not recognised. Even if you are lucky enough to have some Euro left by the time you reach your destination, you will only get a fraction of their worth on the black market - dont even think of changing them in a bank.

I think that covers all you wanted to know, and thanks for your suggestions, they will all be kept in mind for when I return. By the way, he is a she, and she has decided to go with the general consensus in here an accept the offer, sign the form and be done with it all.

Thanks everyone for all your comments. Have a good one.

By the way - Cameroon, despite the problems we had while out there, is a wonderful place. Full of rainforest, wildlife and culture. I will be returning [with an electron card] early next year to see much more of it and climb mount Cameroon, which I had planned to do last time.

karen3_2

Hi

It seems as though you have come here to get some good advice of which it also seems no-one can offer!! (including me im affraid)

Although i would like to say i feel you have thoroughly investigated this country before you entered, so anyone who says you have not are prety stupid, i think they have to ask themselves if they would also enter such a 3rd world country without doing proper research and if the answer is no, then why would they feel anyone else would be so stupid to?

Banks are getting away with far too much these days!

The only advice i can offer is to seek legal advice, i dont think anyone on here can provide you with answers you are looking for.

Ps, i also think you should name and shame this bank!! It wouldnt suprise me if this was HSBC, they seem to make !!!!-ups of everything else!!
Good luck.

Good luck, and keep us posted, im sure the pesamists would like to know how you got on!!

jul64marty

Thanks Karen,

I did look into it all before going, thats why I went to my bank for advice. I didnt know the extent that the problems would be though until I got there. I knew enough to know not to take too much currency through customs, and to hide well what I did take [thank goodness for that]. I will not name the bank, that wouldnt be fair really as they are not here to defend themselves. But generally speaking most of them would be acting in the same way probably. I will keep you posted of course, but for now I am going to accept their offer I think.

Mozette

My way of reading this is that you asked the bank for FINANCIAL advice, i.e., 'how can I access my money in Cameroon?' not travel advice. I would expect a bank to know about money, and if they told me doing such & such would enable me to get my money, why would I not believe them, that is their job. Were they a firm of merchant bankers?!

jul64marty

Thats pretty much it in a nutshell Mozette. I had all the travel advice, which I then took to the bank to find a solution of financial advice.