By Tariq A. Al-Maeena
The Kingdom is among the leading countries in the world in the amount of remittances sent abroad. This is primarily due to the large expatriate workforce that has been helping the Kingdom forge its present destiny. Most of the remittances are sent to loved ones back home eagerly waiting for that monthly stipend, often for survival’s sake.
But does all that transfer of money get to each and everyone safely and in the promised time? A guest worker wearing a forlorn mask on his face was obviously one dissatisfied customer who in appearance seemed to be carrying the world’s grief on his shoulders.
He told me: "I sent some money to my family in India three weeks ago, and two days ago I was told that they still had not received it. Now they do not even have any money to contact me.
“I then took time off from my duties at my expense and went to the remittance company which boasts that it can deliver money to any part of the world in minutes.
“After waiting for a long time, the agent who had taken my money seemed uninterested in my problem. He told me to wait a few more days and then come back if the money still hadn’t arrived at its destination. You see, my family in India completely depends upon my monthly contribution, and any long delay puts them in a very insecure position.
“When I kept pestering him for more information and the reasons for the delay, he then referred to the original money transfer application and I verified with him line by line that all the information I had given him was correct.
“He shrugged and told me to give it some more time, even though this company promises to deliver our hard-earned money in minutes. He also told me the company was not to blame for this delay. I was upset, but what could I do. I am just a simple worker, and yet it is my hard-earned money they took and by not delivering it, my family is facing problems.”
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Sensing his mounting anxiety, I asked him if he had a copy of the wire transfer document on him, and if he did to show it to me. He nodded in the affirmative and quickly disappeared only to reappear just as quick with a copy of the money transfer.
Taking the document, I began examining it. “Okay, now let’s see. All the information you have written here is correct, including the full recipient name and address back in India including the bank details?” When he nodded, I flipped over the page of the contract to check the company’s liability. It was an internationally renowned company whose agent in Saudi Arabia was a well-established bank.
While the worker excused himself momentarily to complete some unfinished task, I started wading through the legal mumbo-jumbo of the company’s terms and conditions in fine print.
One of the paragraphs stated: "In no event shall Company X or its agents be liable for damages, delay, nonpayment, or underpayment of this money transfer, or non-delivery of any supplemental message, whether caused by negligence on the part of their employees or agents, or otherwise…"
As I read on, another paragraph caught my attention: "Company X will refund the principal amount of a money transfer upon the written request of the sender if payment is not made within 45 days.
“Company X will refund the transfer fee upon written request of the sender if the money transfer is not available to the recipient within a reasonable amount of time, subject to the business hours of the location selected for the payment and other conditions…"
As my eyebrows furrowed deeper, questions began to form in my mind. This company advertises its prompt global delivery service. It is an international company, and yet considers it unnecessary to shoulder the liability caused by negligence of its own staff here?
Why claim delivery in minutes, and yet allow a window of 45 days to get the goods to their final destination?
And finally, why should a customer provide them with a written request to get his money back or even the service charges paid for the transfer if the money has not been delivered?
Most customers would not usually take the time to read through the fine print and realize the limitations and liabilisties involved in the transaction, and usually it is the uneducated who suffer the most. How many others find themselves in the same situation?
Perhaps businesses should highlight their liabilities in visible areas in their establishment for all to see in case services promised are not duly delivered.
Meanwhile, those who can should read the fine print, no matter how reputable the business they are dealing with appears to be. Ramadan Kareem.
[The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena]
(Courtesy: Saudi Gazette)
The Kingdom is among the leading countries in the world in the amount of remittances sent abroad. This is primarily due to the large expatriate workforce that has been helping the Kingdom forge its present destiny. Most of the remittances are sent to loved ones back home eagerly waiting for that monthly stipend, often for survival’s sake.
But does all that transfer of money get to each and everyone safely and in the promised time? A guest worker wearing a forlorn mask on his face was obviously one dissatisfied customer who in appearance seemed to be carrying the world’s grief on his shoulders.
He told me: "I sent some money to my family in India three weeks ago, and two days ago I was told that they still had not received it. Now they do not even have any money to contact me.
“I then took time off from my duties at my expense and went to the remittance company which boasts that it can deliver money to any part of the world in minutes.
“After waiting for a long time, the agent who had taken my money seemed uninterested in my problem. He told me to wait a few more days and then come back if the money still hadn’t arrived at its destination. You see, my family in India completely depends upon my monthly contribution, and any long delay puts them in a very insecure position.
“When I kept pestering him for more information and the reasons for the delay, he then referred to the original money transfer application and I verified with him line by line that all the information I had given him was correct.
“He shrugged and told me to give it some more time, even though this company promises to deliver our hard-earned money in minutes. He also told me the company was not to blame for this delay. I was upset, but what could I do. I am just a simple worker, and yet it is my hard-earned money they took and by not delivering it, my family is facing problems.”
Taking the document, I began examining it. “Okay, now let’s see. All the information you have written here is correct, including the full recipient name and address back in India including the bank details?” When he nodded, I flipped over the page of the contract to check the company’s liability. It was an internationally renowned company whose agent in Saudi Arabia was a well-established bank.
While the worker excused himself momentarily to complete some unfinished task, I started wading through the legal mumbo-jumbo of the company’s terms and conditions in fine print.
One of the paragraphs stated: "In no event shall Company X or its agents be liable for damages, delay, nonpayment, or underpayment of this money transfer, or non-delivery of any supplemental message, whether caused by negligence on the part of their employees or agents, or otherwise…"
As I read on, another paragraph caught my attention: "Company X will refund the principal amount of a money transfer upon the written request of the sender if payment is not made within 45 days.
“Company X will refund the transfer fee upon written request of the sender if the money transfer is not available to the recipient within a reasonable amount of time, subject to the business hours of the location selected for the payment and other conditions…"
As my eyebrows furrowed deeper, questions began to form in my mind. This company advertises its prompt global delivery service. It is an international company, and yet considers it unnecessary to shoulder the liability caused by negligence of its own staff here?
Why claim delivery in minutes, and yet allow a window of 45 days to get the goods to their final destination?
And finally, why should a customer provide them with a written request to get his money back or even the service charges paid for the transfer if the money has not been delivered?
Most customers would not usually take the time to read through the fine print and realize the limitations and liabilisties involved in the transaction, and usually it is the uneducated who suffer the most. How many others find themselves in the same situation?
Perhaps businesses should highlight their liabilities in visible areas in their establishment for all to see in case services promised are not duly delivered.
Meanwhile, those who can should read the fine print, no matter how reputable the business they are dealing with appears to be. Ramadan Kareem.
[The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena]
(Courtesy: Saudi Gazette)