Some of Azizi Bank’s customers say the bank did not clearly inform them of certain conditions when they opened their accounts. They claim they only learned after using the banking services that money is deducted for ATM withdrawals and monthly service charges. These customers are calling on banks to inform them transparently before charging any fees for services, so that they can make better-informed decisions about how to manage and spend their money. Customers also say that at some branches of the bank, the staff responsible for opening accounts fail to explain the terms and details of the accounts properly. According to them, this leaves customers with serious questions and uncertainties after opening an account, and they are unable to get clear answers to those questions.
Amid growing complaints from customers about how banks interact with them and charge fees, particularly at Azizi Bank, a number of customers are complaining about the deduction of monthly fees and commissions for using ATMs. They stress that the conditions and costs of banking services were not clearly and transparently explained to them before they opened their accounts.
One Azizi Bank customer, who does not want his name mentioned in the report, says that when he opened a dollar account and an afghani account, bank employees only told him about a monthly deduction of 25 Afghanis from the afghani account and 70 cents from the dollar account. He says he was given no information about the six-month restriction on closing an account or the minimum balance requirement. According to him, when he went to an Azizi Bank branch to close his account, a bank employee told him that under the new regulations an account cannot be closed before six months, and that the customer must keep at least 100 dollars in the dollar account and 1,000 afghanis in the afghani account.
This customer says: “On the day I opened the account, no one told me that I could not close my account for six months or that I had to keep a certain amount of money in it. I only found out about this when I went to close the account.” He adds that he visited an Azizi Bank branch twice to follow up on the matter, but bank employees told him that the regulations had only recently come into effect and that there was nothing they could do.
Other Azizi Bank customers are also complaining about fees deducted for withdrawing money from the bank’s ATMs. According to their claims, in addition to the monthly deduction of 25 afghanis, a further 25 afghanis is deducted from their accounts every time they withdraw money from an ATM. These customers consider the bank’s action unfair and are demanding that it be stopped, or that the bank provide transparent information about these fees before accounts are opened.
One customer says he checked his account balance before withdrawing money and noticed after the withdrawal that 25 afghanis had been deducted from his account as a fee. According to him, after he went to the bank, an employee told him that a fee of 25 afghanis is charged each time an ATM is used.
This customer says: “When I opened my account, no explanation was given that a commission of 25 afghanis would be charged every time I withdraw money from an ATM. After withdrawing money, I noticed that an amount had been deducted from my account.” He adds that after asking several other Azizi Bank customers, he found that they are facing a similar problem.
According to this customer, Azizi Bank has reduced the ATM withdrawal fee from 25 Afghanis to 5 Afghanis in recent days. He says the change was applied about a week ago, but customers had not been informed of such a fee when they opened their accounts. The customer adds that the lack of transparency about banking fees at the time of account opening means customers only learn the real cost of services after they have used them.
Customers say banks should explain all the conditions, restrictions, and costs related to banking services, including ATM withdrawal fees, account maintenance charges, and the conditions for closing an account, to customers clearly and in writing before accounts are opened. They add that charging fees for banking services is acceptable only when customers are aware of the amount and terms before using the services, and that banks should refrain from deducting amounts of which the customer has no prior knowledge.
Earlier, sources had claimed that Azizi Bank deducts a monthly amount under the title “Account Maintenance Fee” from the accounts of all its customers. According to the sources, this amount is deducted regardless of the account balance and without prior notice to customers.
The central bank under the Taliban administration has announced that 12 banks, including three state-owned banks, seven private banks, and two branches of foreign banks, are currently operating across the country. According to the bank’s figures, about 15 percent of the country’s population has a bank account and access to financial services.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
مشتریان عزیزی بانک: هنگام افتتاح حساب از هزینهها چیزی گفته نمیشود
