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I am writing to express my total frustration with the consistently poor service and inaccessibility of ACB Caribbean, a bank that many of us in Antigua and Barbuda rely on.
What was once considered a bank for the people has, for many “normal people” like myself, become a source of utter exhaustion.
My experiences over the past years paint a clear picture of a bank struggling to meet the basic needs of its expanded customer base.
The most evident issue is the unreliability of the bank’s ATMS.
I have personally encountered non-functional ATMs at various key locations including Epicurean Fine Foods, Thames Street, and Village Walk.
It is not an isolated incident; there have been instances when virtually none of the bank’s ATMs across the entire island were working, leaving customers stranded without access to their own cash. This is unacceptable.
To make matters worse, if you use the ATM of another bank to receive cash, your account is charged for the transaction. It goes without saying, ACB Caribbean does not refund that charge.
Adding insult to injury, ACB Caribbean is, to my knowledge, the only bank that levies a charge on its customers for using ATMs not directly attached to a branch. This policy, combined with the frequent outages, feels like a penalty for attempting to access one’s funds conveniently.
The problem is compounded by the bank’s geographical limitations. All of ACB Caribbean’s ATMs and branches are concentrated within St. John’s environs.
The locations are Market Street, Thames Street, High Street, Village Walk, Epicurean, Townhouse Megastore.
For anyone living outside the city, this means a mandatory and often time-consuming journey just to withdraw cash, further exacerbated by the unreliable ATM network.
The situation has deteriorated significantly since ACB Caribbean acquired Royal Bank of Canada’s customer base.
While expansion is a business goal, it seems to have come at the expense of service quality.
The closure of the Thames Street branch, a vital location for many, has funneled an even larger volume of customers into the remaining branches, leading to perpetually long lines and extended waiting times inside the bank.
It is disheartening to arrive at a branch, endure a lengthy queue, only to find that even the ATMs inside the bank are not working, forcing yet another wasted trip.
ACB Caribbean began with a mission to serve the local population, including those who were historically underserved.
It is deeply ironic and frankly, infuriating, that it has now become a source of such significant frustration for everyday citizens simply trying to manage their finances.
I urge ACB Caribbean to urgently address these critical issues: invest in robust, reliable ATM infrastructure, reconsider their ATM fee policy, and decentralize their services to better serve
customers across the island. Our hard-earned money deserves accessible and dependable banking services.
Sincerely,
A Soon To Be Former Customer of ACB Caribbean.
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Not one lie told in this article. It is sad the state ACB Caribbean is becoming… Rather has become…
Disappointing
I completely agree with this article. Often, I find myself having to use machines from other banks because ACB’s own ATMs are down. I’m really frustrated. It’s disappointing that a bank that has been in business for so long can’t seem to get one basic thing right. It’s ridiculous!
Every ACB customer shares the same frustration. It has become such a long-standing joke for customers queuing up to use the ATM that simply entering then exiting the ATM too quickly with a disappointed look on your face signals everyone to leave.
This must be ACB’s strategy to help us save.
It is a shitty Bank period. I dread having to go there, even the elderly are treated less than human, when you go in the dedicated line you stand there until you feel as though you are going to pass out, they are the worst bank when it comes to that service also. Sometimes I wonder if the supervisor is sleeping on the job
You’re so correct. ACB also boast of having the most ATMs but their boast should really be ” having the most unreliable ATMs”
Just change your bank people, cut ties and switch bank those of us who can.
I had to run from ECAB since the transaction from Scotia Bank which was chaotic and there is still no service at times, you waiting for assistance and some of the clerks head at the customer service just in dem phones and don’t even raise dem head, sometime one person a work with a toxic attitude while others on lunch break.
We have other options, find another bank, at least the one I’m with is better than the crossing ECAB and their no service most of the time and don’t care attitude staff.
I just heard about ACB and I stay far from them, I don’t even walk close to dem building.
It’s not just ACB. Banking as a whole in Antigua is inefficient to deal with customer demand. The same problems associated with ATM management can be attributed to Community First as well. ECAB straight up steals peoples’ money for profit. Not to mention the poor customer service as well. So many problems smh.
Okay… some of you sound like delinquent ECAB customers because I have NEVER had that problem with attitude. Don’t give and you won’t get. Some of you walk in with your nasty attitudes and expect employees to bow to that.
In this big old age of contactless payments… you need to learn to do E-transfers. ATMs are a convenience, so if the bank decides to recall all of them, you’re outside. Only a few street vendors accept cash now, take cash when you need it, 20% of your pay seems like a fair figure. School tuition, rent, supermarkets and almost all places for bill payments accept card or offers on-line services.
EVERY bank charges for cross use of ATMS so that is nothing new. And I’m sure that when you created the account, you agreed to all terms and conditions outlined during the application process.
Anyways, CIBC is a dream of a bank and will remain one in my opinion when it comes to ATM service and customer service. Many of you refuse to get with the times and schedule appointments for in bank services or send an email but still complain about having to in line. Your account documents need to be updated? Send an email or call, it wouldn’t kill you.
Setting up an account at CIBC was a breeze and I only made the switch from ECAB because my employer does not pay directly to that bank so transfers take 3 – 5 business days.
All of this to say that you all need to exit that stubborn donkey mentality and learn to do things for yourself. I can only see myself in the bank to collect a card or make a deposit when the ATM is down. The sheep mentality of only going when you get paid needs to be cut out. If you know you get paid on Friday, try to withdraw some money the Wednesday prior from your savings reservation so that when the credit is applied, you have it there and don’t need to go until you feel like. If you have no savings reserve well… that’s a money management issue babes.
@Sparkle
You probably have either a fairy Godmother or Godfather if you never had problems, personally I believe you are a liar or you might be a worker pretending to be a customer
THE FACT THAT SO MANY COMMENTS HEREIN EMBEDDED COINCIDE WITH THOSE OF THE AUTHOR OF THE ABOVE PELLUCIDLY WRITTEN ARTICLE REGARDING THE $HITTY SERVICES OF ACB CARIBBEAN IN RECENT YEARS, COUPLED WITH THE I-COULDN’T-CARE-LESS DISPOSITION THAT IS PERVASIVE THROUGHOUT THAT BANK, SPEAKS VOCIFEROUS VOLUMES. ALL OF THE PROBLEMS THAT THAT BANK IS NOW PLAGUED WITH EMANATES FROM THE MANAGEMENT LEVEL & TRICKLES RIGHT DOWN TO THE LINE STAFF, AS THE SAYING GOES, IF THE HEAD IS SLACK, THE WHOLE BODY IS SLACK. IT’S ONE THING TO SAY USE ELECTRONIC MEANS SUCH AS EFTs, WIRE TRANSFERS ETC TO TRANSFER FUNDS BTWN ACCOUNTS, BUT THE ONLY MEANS OF WITHDRAWING FUNDS IN CASH IS EITHER VIA A HUMAN TELLER OR AN AUTOMATED TELLER (ATM), & WHEN ATMs ARE CONSISTENTLY DOWN & ALSO CONCENTRATED ONLY WITHIN A CERTAIN LIMITED RADIUS, THAT IS ESSENTIALLY COMPELLING PPL TO HAVE TO WAIT LONG HOURS IN A QUEUE TO WITHDRAW THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY. IT’S NOT JUST AS SIMPLE AS UTILIZING COMPUTERS OF SMART PHONES FOR FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS, PLUS MANY PEOPLE ARE NOT TECH SAVVY, & MANY ARE STILL LIVING FROM HAND TO MOUTH. THE REMEDY FOR THESE INCESSANT WOES THAT ARE NOW HEAVILY LADENED UPON THAT BANK LIES NOT IN PEOPLE THAT ARE JUST PLUGGED FULL OF FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE, BUT RATHER IN VISIONARIES, CRITICAL THINKERS WITH SOUND COMMON SENSE, & WHO HAVE THE INNATE ABILITY TO TREAT PEOPLE AS HUMAN BEINGS, AS OPPOSED TO JUST A HERD OF CATTLE!
And their customer service stinks also. They have a a person with dread locks in front there, she is very rude to customers. She has no training. Very unprofessional.
I can sympathize
I also heard a discussion on observer last evening/ night re changes to opening an account … so for those who only have one account, consider opening a new account at a different bank ( maybe CUB )