8-8／DBS Bank Faces Backlash After Zeroing Out 470,000 Reward Points; Consumers Speak Out潘永鴻 (2024-07-01 02:15:28)

By Pan Yonghong, Alexander Chiu, Journalists of CNEWS, Taipei

A DBS Bank “World Credit Card” holder, Mr. W, complained to CNEWS about his card, which he had used for over four years with a total spend of approximately 8 million NTD, was suddenly canceled without warning. This led to the loss of his accumulated 472,414 flight points, drawing widespread attention. In response, DBS Bank stated that the cancellation was due to a “customer due diligence review” that received no response from Mr. W, leading to the termination of the card. However, Mr. W refuted this, accusing DBS of lying. The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) Banking Bureau has yet to respond.

In response to Mr. W’s complaint, a journalist of the CNEWS contacted DBS Bank. DBS Bank explained that the card was canceled because of a “customer due diligence review” that began in September 2023. Despite multiple attempts to contact the customer by phone and mail to update information or discuss card termination, there was no response from the customer. Therefore, in November 2023, the bank notified the customer of the card termination in accordance with the agreement.

DBS Bank stated that the notification also reminded the customer that reward points would become invalid after the card termination. The bank believes there was no unreasonable explanation for the card cancellation or the inability to redeem points. Regarding the customer’s concern about not being able to redeem the accumulated flight points, the bank stated they would contact the customer to assist with the redemption.

Mr. W responded to DBS Bank’s statement, asserting that he had not received any contact and requested proof of such contact. He mentioned that all communications were sent to his company and handled by the accounting department, which confirmed they had not received anything. He personally had not received any calls regarding the card termination. Mr. W emphasized that unless DBS Bank could provide proof of contact, their statements were false, which is a serious issue for such a large bank.

Mr. W added that his card was actively used, with no overdue payments, and the card was canceled without notice. After six months of inquiries, the bank only stated they had the right to cancel the card at any time, rendering the points invalid upon cancellation.

DBS Bank stated they would have customer service review the relevant information and contact Mr. W. Mr. W noted that upon returning to Taiwan, he received a call from DBS customer service, stating that previous communications had been sent to an old address where he no longer resided, and was signed for by a “manager” at that address.

Mr. W questioned why important communications were not sent to his fixed billing address, but rather to an outdated address that was neither his residence nor registered address. He also mentioned that other methods such as SMS, phone calls, or billing notices could have been used to notify him. DBS customer service could not provide a clear answer.

Additionally, DBS customer service offered to allow Mr. W to redeem his points, but required all points to be redeemed by July 5, which Mr. W refused. He felt that DBS Bank initially refused redemption but changed their stance fearing media exposure, giving a final ultimatum. Mr. W considered this a major consumer dispute involving the protection of Taiwanese consumer rights and the regulation of foreign banks in Taiwan. He did not want to resolve the issue privately under pressure.

On June 17, a journalist of the CNEWS contacted the FSC. Banking Bureau Director Zhuang Xiuyuan stated that due to the lack of concrete information on the case, the Banking Bureau could not immediately respond. Despite CNEWS’s journalist providing detailed information via text, the Banking Bureau did not respond by the end of the day.

The following day, journalist followed up with the Banking Bureau by phone but received no further response. Currently, the Banking Bureau has not made any public comments or responses regarding this complaint.

Photo Source: CNEWS File photo

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