Dear Editor,
After standing in a long, slow-moving line for more than one-and-a-half hours at Scotia Bank (Carmichael Street) with their air conditioning unit broken, making the place piping hot, the teller then informed me that my national ID card was not enough and that I needed an additional form of identification to complete my transaction.
To the best of my knowledge, Scotia is the only bank in Guyana that completely disregards the national ID card of Guyana as proof of identification, even after the hundreds of millions of dollars spent by GECOM to produce these cards. As far as Scotia Bank is concerned, the national ID card is not of value to them.
To make matters worse, there is not a sign visible in the bank notifying customers of this double ID requirement; it is not until you make the long trek to the counter that you are faced with this outrageous demand. The least Scotia should do is to have someone at the bank’s door informing customers that they will need additional identification to conduct any business with the bank. I don’t know how many Guyanese walk around with their birth certificates and passports on their person, but I’m willing to place a wager that not many do. So those unwitting and by now totally frustrated Scotia Bank customers are forced to leave the bank, and make the long trip home to pick up passports by which time the bank is already closed for business. Another day wasted in Lala land.
The only thing left for Scotia Bank to do is demand that you walk with your Priest, Imam or Pandit to positively identify you before they show you any kind of respect as a customer.
Yours faithfully,
Bryan Mackintosh
Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter to Scotia Bank for any comment they might wish to make.