Timothy, a resident of Lagos State, was billed by Polaris Bank for a declined transaction about a month ago, and the money has still not been refunded.
Timothy told the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) that the transaction was denied on May 17 when he attempted to pay for fuel at a filling station in the state’s Ikoyi neighbourhood using a point of sale (PoS) terminal.
He claimed that once the transaction was rejected, he was forced to pay for the petrol by bank transfer. Since then, all of his repeated attempts to get the N54,000 back have failed.
“I have been to the Polaris Bank branches in Akin Ademola and Ile Ile Ketu on so many occasions. I have called customer care not even 50 times because it is countless. I called and chatted with them on Twitter, yet nothing has been done,” he said.
Timothy claimed that at some point, the bank informed him that the transaction had been successful and assured him that he would receive documentation of the transaction, which he could provide to the point of sale terminal where the transaction that was refused had taken place. But the proof wasn’t received from the bank as promised.
“It was a declined PoS transaction, which I notified them about, and I was told after some days that it was successful. Ever since, I have been requesting proof of a successful transaction, and nothing has been given.
“Up to this moment, nothing has been sent. I have called day and night every day. I chatted with them on Twitter, but nothing was done.”
When FIJ contacted Polaris Bank via their X(formerly known as Twitter) handle on Monday, the bank simply responded, “Kindly inform the account holder to engage us directly via our social media platforms or contact our Yes team on the following numbers 0700-POLARIS (07007652747), 08069880000, 01-4482100 to enable us advise appropriately. Thank you.”
