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Spring Bank’s Disservice to Customer- Soludo Take Note
Early this year, there was panicking in
the Banking Industry that Spring Bank is on its way to distress, if not
the quite intervention of the central Bank of Nigeria CBN that allays
the fears of depositors and the stock investors in the bank. One wonders
how positive a bank can be distressed after recapitalization that saw
some banks merging together while some banks were bought outrightly
(acquisition) by other banks.
In general perception, recapitalization of
banks is expected to make a bank to be solid with high liquidity. But
sustenance of this perception depends on the activities of a bank to
meet the customers demand and equally the patronage of customer in such
banks. There is synergy between customers patronage and bank service to
the customers. A bank that offers poor service will be bedeviled with
poor patronage of depositors ands it is depositors money that will make
or mar the status of a bank. One wonders while the fortune of some banks
nosedive despite recapitalization.
My tale of woe centers on spring bank Plc.
On a beautiful Friday of 7th December, 2007, my brother gave
me a packed assignments among which to drop him at the airport after
which to withdraw money from Spring bank Abuja and transfer same to
Benin through Unity Bank Plc. I dropped him at Abuja airport; with my
mind to proceed to Utako branch of the bank where the account is and to
quickly deposit the money in one of the branches of Unity bank Plc. My
joy knows no bounds when on my way from airport I sighted the signposts
of Spring Bank at the Airport road; the two banks are being housed at
the same compound. Thanks for Soludo’s effort and information and
Communication Technology that made it possible for banks
interconnectivity. You don’t need to go to a specific branch to cash
your money just enter any branch of your particular bank, service is
online.
This joy was dampened when I presented the
cheque at the counter just to be told to take it for verification at the
front desk. When it normally takes less than three minutes for
verification of cheques in other banks, after twenty minutes of
presentation of cheque, I lost patience of waiting while the officer
apologized for not getting through the Utako branch for it to authorize
my payment. After another twenty minutes of waiting, the guy informed me
that the Utako branch was trying to get the owner of the account for
confirmation. I made him to know that for the next few hours, the owner
of the account may not be got on phone because, I’ve just dropped him at
the airport. All effort to collect one hundred thousand Naira proved
abortive at the branch I had no alternative but to drive about ten
kilometer to the Utako branch to meet the Branch Operation Manager to
inquire why I should spend so long a time before the branch should know
that I can not be paid.
About ten kilometer drive during working
period may be hectic in Abuja especially on Friday (anyway it cant be
compared to Lagos). That was one of the agonies the Spring Bank saw me
through on that faithful day.
Thank God, I met the Operation Manager, a
lady with courtesy, she took me to the rudiments on why they need to
protect customers deposit after which I humbly narrated my sojourn at
her airport branch. She gave her personal experience, her husbands
account was being drawn in a particular bank (she did not disclose the
name) with cloned cheque just because the bank did not call on him to
confirm any presented cheque. So, it is the policy of Spring Bank that
any withdrawal of One Hundred Thousand Naira and above, the owner of the
account will be phoned to confirm if he is the one that issued the
cheque or the account owner should phone the bank in advance that he is
sending a cheque.
As sweet and justifiable the defence of
this lady banker, I was not an inch convinced about the effectiveness
and seriousness of Spring Bank in meeting the new day need of efficiency
and equally protecting customers deposit. Let us think of it, an
executive officer that when going on vacation issue cheques to be
presented and could not be reached as long his vacation lasts. I now ask
myself, why the bank asked for my ID card before being paid, and why
should the bank take me to the rigorous of taking my picture with their
camera when paying me and to what extent is the bank staff trained if
they cannot identify a cloned cheque or irregular or forged signature.
My patience and perseverance paid, I got
the money after putting effort of about eighty minutes. But the truth is
that I lost a serious working hours, my program was disorganized for the
day and my mind was not at rest until I deposited the money at the Unity
Bank for fear of being followed by any hoodlum/thief. Unfortunately the
need for the money in Benin could not be utilized again on that Friday
simply because of the inefficiency and ineptitude of Spring Bank in the
name of protecting a customer’s deposit.
This report is not to ruin the Spring Bank
but perchance spurn the bank into action of reviewing any of its
policies that may push away customers. I am equally aware that some
customers will equally have stories to tell about inefficiencies in othe
banks. There are some banks that lie to customers that their Network is
down simply because they don’t have sufficient cash to pay etc. Soludo
please watch out for these banks .
Bashir Lawal
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