Republic Bank messed up my daughter’s smart phone purchase

Feb 26, 2015 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

I received a mail from Republic Bank that I needed to come in. My account at the bank has three names– mine, wife and daughter. I was told I have to supply proof of address for myself, wife and daughter. The Bank said it was the stipulation of the Bank of Guyana. I contacted the Bank of Guyana; it confirmed the information.
That was that. Life goes on. On Valentine’s Day, Digicel advertised a phenomenal sale. You get fifty percent off their latest smart phone model. The saving was seventy thousand dollars. Most people would grab the opportunity. I did. The sale was only for two hours – midnight to two in the morning.
I am not seen on the roads after 10 PM. I simply fear for my life because of my politics. Given the horrible experiences I had, I am not staying on the streets of Guyana after 10 PM and if I am, I will be with others who have to accompany me home. So midnight came and I went to cash in on the Digicel sale.
I produced my daughter’s National Identification card and mine. The sales clerk asked for my daughter’s proof of residence. I was stumped because I had no idea that such was a requirement. The sales clerk politely called me by my first name and said, it was written on the advertisement in the newspapers. I apologized for the lapse then walked away.
I was summoned back by another person who referred to me as Mr. Kissoon. With a winning smile she said, “Mr. Kissoon tell us her address so we will record it, it is alright we will accept your word.” I then declined the offer telling the sales personnel that I don’t want to endanger their employment.
I explained that two weeks ago I picketed Digicel on a matter of principles and the company will certainly endanger their employment if they abandon the policies of their company to please me. I insisted that I could not accept an exception to the rule and that I would not want to be treated with special dispensation. They were emphatic that they could waive the rule. I was emphatic that I did not want special treatment. I thank those Digicel personnel who were extremely pleasant. Such attitudes do Guyana a great deal of good.
I was accompanied back home in the uncivilized hours of the morning. I immediately checked the Kaieteur News and the advertisement did state that purchaser must supply proof of address. I had none for my daughter because of the way Republic Bank operates. My daughter gets no correspondence. She is a student.
Republic Bank sends customers a quarterly statement of account. My daughter is a bona fide account holder at Republic Bank. The account has three names, all of whom can act independently of each other. In other words my wife or daughter can transact business at the bank on their own. But there is a ‘but.’
The quarterly statement comes addressed in the following way; “Frederick Kissoon and others.” How can my wife or daughter take a document with the name, “Frederick Kissoon and others” and submit that to GPL or GWI or GT&T or Digicel or Caribbean Airlines and say this is proof of their residence? It is not.
The document doesn’t carry the name Janet Kissoon or Kavita Kissoon. The next day, I went to the bank with Dale Andrews, senior reporter at this newspaper. I showed them a copy of the Digicel advertisement in the newspaper. I insisted they make a photocopy. I was advised that in future, the full names of my wife and daughter will be on the statements of accounts. But that was too little too late. My daughter missed the Digicel offer.
What I think is unacceptable about this situation is the insensitivity of the bank. The bank had to know the importance of evidence of residence because it insists on such a requirement. How can a commercial bank that on a daily basis demands of customers that they produce evidence of where they live but in the same breath, correspond with customers without being specific when it posts mail to them?
The explanation is that everything has broken down in this country. Nobody cares about anything in this country. Everybody does what each likes in this country. What is sad is that people just accept this breakdown and accept to be like slaves. As the French people said during the turbulent sixties; “God is dead, Marx is dead and I’m not feeling too well myself.”

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Republic Bank messed up my daughter’s smart phone purchase

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