Dear Editor,
ALL BANKS POORLY MANAGED
I have decided to write this letter since I see the complaints about the banks and now the PM is also criticizing their poor service.
The fact of the matter is that all the banks in Antigua are poorly managed. All. ECAB and ACB operate with Directors, most of whom are either untrained in finance or their training is 20 years outdated. CIBC Antigua only behave like they are in charge but all decisions are made in Barbados.
ACB lost millions in their RCB acquisition and the Grenada operation is a disaster. No one at ACB seemed to understand what they were doing. I worked at ACB for years. The Manager is hardly in Antigua but at her home in St. Lucia. A decision was made to work with a company in St. Kitts to manage and clear credit and debit cards. They convinced ACB to change to smart ATMs which have been sitting in Antigua for over a year as the St. Kitts company does not have the technology.
ACB is now changing companies but that will take time and, in the meantime, the old ATMs cannot take the pressure as with the acquisition of RBC, there is now more traffic. Had there been proper planning and management, this would not have happened. This cannot be fixed overnight and it will be months more of this frustration.
Meanwhile customers will have to pay the $10 to go to a teller. All we get from ACB are knee jerk reactions like now opening later and on Saturdays.
I don’t know how to fix the country’s banking issues without a total change of management and a vision. There must also be rules on charges as the banks are digging out our eyes for every service to get access to OUR OWN hard-earned money. I sometimes feel that with the miniscule interest paid, it is better to save under your bed. At least you will have access to your money when you need it and without paying a fee.
Denzel Warner
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All a dem need to wheel and come again.
The fees are ridiculous!!!!
The customer service is almost nonexistent.
The credit unions are a little better. At least dem nar kill me wid fees. But they too need to buck up.
God help us in this place.
Denzel what about the bank close to high school, up by big church?
Any thoughts on that bank?
When is antigua going to get some kind of address system?
Smh!
Asking for a friend?
Just like you Denzel, I agree that the banking system in Antigua leaves a lot to be desired; and requires a root and branch overhaul.
Staff training is definitely a must; and senior staff need to be much more aware of data protection procedures for all their customers, and keep their bank tellers up to date as well to stay in line with international changes to secure our details.
At present if you ask any bank manager about what measures they use to protect your data and personal information from being breached, you’ll be shocked at their LACK of knowledge in this particular area. I was!
Hopefully, this’ll start soon with a thorough and robust universal Customer Care and data protection awareness programme, so that in the future if you go into any bank, the customer will obtain a service of equal standard.
Kudos to the author of this amazing piece 👏🏾
Long overdue …
Excellent piece on the lack of service and banks in Antigua. The writer did not.mention the worse of them all CUB and the Credit Unions which are just as bad. Maybe a Regulatory Board needs to be established to monitor services and fees. I wanted to add ‘ and composition of Boards’, but government Boards are worse and wuserer, filled with party hacks. So who will guard the guards on behalf of the people.
CUB takes 6-8 months to approve your loan with no feedback or communication while you wait.
Whenever I walk into a bank in Antigua I always wondered if there is anyone supervising the operations because if there is a supervisor that person is getting paid for just showing up
I, too, am very appalled at the service now being offered at our financial institutions. Some frontline workers are rude and gives you attitude just for asking a question. Then, every weekend the ATM run out of money or you try to use your card at a supermarket etc and the banking system is down (God help us all) .
This drop in good customer service for banks started when all the international banks left then since there was no competition all hell broke loose. Oh don’t even talk about trying to get somebody on the phone, it’s best you go on social media and cuss because that seems to be the only time they respond.
CFCCU is disappointed me alot lately too. The workers need customer service training. Right now I’m seriously thinking of digging a hole in my yard to save my money and just plant flowers or food over it.
I am tired of this shyte.
The problem is that most of the staff have no customer service training. They are slow, disgruntled and working with antiquated systems and processes. Management has to take responsibility for this.
Too many people out there looking for work to still have staff treating customers like shit. Where are the HR managers? Where are the service level agreements for timely processing of transactions?
Come on managers and step up. Poor customer service is also a reflection on you as a manager!
@who willstepup. What managers are you calling on? ACB has an absentee manager. ECAB’s manager sits in his palatial office upstairs on Airport Road and does not have a clue what is going on in the bank downstairs and since he never visits the other branches, it is even worse. If CIBC has a manager she is never seen except in photos and at CUB, that one is invisible. We have a banking crisis and that is the truth.
And God forbid you should want to break out into Crypto investing, it appears our banks are making it completely impossible for us living here in Antigua to use our bank cards to invest in any overseas/international companies that deal with crypto. Our banks immediately shut you down. Unless you have a Stateside address or bank account, you’re screwed. What are they afraid of? We all know the answer to that question.
Antigua and Barbuda Development Bank as well is another one. After years of paying on a land loan, and finally paying it off they’re taking MONTHS to sign a letter to say the loan has been cleared and completed. Why is it taking so long? Are they misappropriation the funds? Ponzi scheme?