Bank customers have logged some 2,151 complaints to central bank in last one year till March, which are related to clients’ harassments by their banks in rendering banking services, according to a recent Bangladesh Bank (BB) study.

Half of the complaints are related to general banking services while the rest are involved with the non-payment of bills by banks against accepted L/Cs (Letters of Credits).

The Customers’ Interests Protection Center (CIPC) of BB recorded these complaints, received either by telephone, mobile, e-mail, postal mail, fax and SMS or in written form, in a period from March 28, 2011 to March 31, 2012.

A high official of BB said the actual number of complaints would be much higher than those had been recorded as hundreds of thousands of bank clients were not aware of the complaint cell (CIPC) of the central bank.

“Only the smart clients who are aware of the CIPC, lodge complaints if they feel deprived of due bank services,” said the official, requesting anonymity.

He also informed that 90 percent of the cases were dissolved through rapid intervention of the central bank on receiving the complaints.

“The number of complaints not disposed yet stands at 210 now of the total allegations,” he said.

In a country like Bangladesh where banking system is beset with innumerable problems, it is not the only importance to solve problems, rather it’s also very crucial to disseminate the message to all that there is a place to get solution to such banking related problems, said the official.

The CIPC analysis shows that complaints about general banking was 52.94 percent, about loans and advances 32.87 percent, remittance 2.31 percent, local bill 1.61 percent, foreign bill 0.81 percent , card (Credit and Debit) service 1.15 percent and others 8.30 percent.

Analysis of 981 complaints received in written forms shows that most of the complaints are about non-payment of accepted L/C bills. Of these, 26.23 percent were local bills and 24.17 percent foreign bills.

The Daily Sun/Bangladesh/ 26th June 2012