Dear Editor,
I write to share a terrible experience I had while shopping online using my Scotia Bank MasterCard. I made a purchase of US $284.00 from the famous online merchant Fashion Nova the latter part of 2020. In tracking my package, I noticed it indicated that my package was delivered by a Fashion Nova courier and someone by the name of D. Milton had signed for it. I immediately contacted my shipper to confirm receipt however the shipper said that they did not receive my package and no one by the name of ‘D. Milton’ works at the shipping facility. They then searched the entire facility and still did not locate my package. It was then that I decided to contact Fashion Nova to submit claims of not receiving my package; my shipper also reached out to them also informing them that no package had been received and that no one by the name ‘D. Milton’ works at their facility and that the package was likely delivered to the wrong address. Fashion Nova responded and made it clear that they are not responsible for the delivery process and went on to say their records indicated that the package was delivered. They then denied my claim based on their delivery records.
My only recourse at this time is to turn to my bank, with whom I have a long and excellent relationship and with whom I entrust my hard-earned money, to remedy the situation. As I have not received and am not in possession of the items I purchased, this is clearly a case where the charges on my MasterCard ought to be reversed as services have not been rendered. I reported this matter to Scotiabank with all the details as it relates to the transaction and the evidence of emails exchanged between Fashion Nova, my shipper, and me. In my email to Scotiabank, I made it clear that I submitted a claim for the missing package with Fashion Nova and this was denied on the grounds of the delivery signature.
After two months of submitting my claim to Scotiabank and following up on the status of the claim I was told that Fashion Nova informed them that the package was delivered with a signatory and Scotiabank further advised me to take this matter up with the merchant directly. This response is completely unacceptable and beyond my comprehension, as I had already made it clear that I had already filed a claim with Fashion Nova to no avail. What protection is Scotiabank providing to the citizens of this country? Is this Bank only good for making money from Guyanese? In other countries such as the USA and Canada their citizens receive far greater protection from these types of fraud. I send this correspondence as an appeal for action on this matter and plead for better sense to prevail. As Guyana develops into a booming oil producing economy we will only grow to demand more from Scotiabank, MasterCard and all other Banks……. more protection using our cards online, more insurance coverage for online transactions…… better interest rates and certainly better customer service.
Sincerely
Prudence Hinds
