KRALENDIJK – Fundashon Tienda pa Konsumidó Boneriano has already received eighteen reports from Banco di Caribe customers whose old card payments were never deducted from their accounts. The bank now wants to collect the amounts after all, usually in three instalments. Some transactions reportedly date back to 2023, and individual customers may owe thousands of dollars.
According to Giovanna Frans, director of the consumer organisation, the number of reports keeps growing. Some customers are resolving the matter directly with the bank, but are still passing on their experiences to the foundation.
Banco di Caribe has confirmed in writing to Bonaire.nu that a number of customers had previously processed card transactions that were not deducted from their accounts. The bank attributes this to a processing error.
According to the bank, the payments in question were initiated and approved by the cardholders themselves using their Banco di Caribe debit card. The corresponding goods or services were delivered. The bank has since informed the affected customers directly.
Transactions from 2023
According to Frans, customers were contacted by phone and told that the amounts would be deducted in three instalments. As far as the foundation is aware, the bank has not yet actually begun making the deductions.
In one of the reported cases, the outstanding card transactions reportedly date back to 2023. According to Frans, the outstanding amount is approximately 2,000 dollars. In another case, the customer ultimately reached an agreement with the bank for a ten-month repayment plan.
Banco di Caribe confirms that no additional charges or interest will be billed to customers as part of the correction. The bank declines to comment on the number of affected customers, the relevant time period, or the total amount involved.
Financial pressure
The consumer organisation acknowledges that customers are in principle obliged to pay for purchases they actually made. However, Frans argues that this does not mean Banco di Caribe can simply collect the amounts in three instalments without further consideration.
“The financial capacity of the consumer must be taken into account,” says Frans. “You cannot suddenly put people under significant financial pressure because of transactions that the bank failed to process for a long time.”
The foundation believes that Banco di Caribe must first provide each customer with a full breakdown and proof of the transactions. Only then should an individual discussion take place about which repayment arrangement is feasible.
According to Frans, the bank has a duty of care. A sudden deduction could leave customers with insufficient funds for rent, groceries, energy bills, or other fixed expenses. Automatic payments could also fail as a result.
Bank refuses to provide details
Banco di Caribe states that it does not wish to comment via the media on individual customer details, amounts, or other specifics. Questions and uncertainties regarding specific transactions are, according to the bank, handled directly with the customers involved.
Fundashon Tienda pa Konsumidó contacted the bank in writing last week, requesting consultation and mediation. Several consumers have designated the foundation to speak on their behalf with Banco di Caribe. According to Frans, the bank has not yet responded substantively to that request.
The foundation also wishes to speak directly with Banco di Caribe’s head office in Curaçao. In addition, the reports are being forwarded to the Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM).
Call to customers
Frans is calling on everyone who has been contacted by Banco di Caribe about old, unprocessed card payments to report to Fundashon Tienda pa Konsumidó. People who are resolving the matter themselves with the bank are also encouraged to share their experience. The foundation wants to establish the full extent of the problem.
Reports can be submitted via info@tiendapakonsumido.com, by phone at 701 3569, or via a private message to Fundashon Tienda pa Konsumidó Boneriano on Facebook. The foundation asks consumers to keep any letters and messages they have received, and not to share bank details publicly.
Despite multiple attempts to reach the bank by phone for comment, Banco di Caribe was unwilling to speak with the Bonaire.nu editorial team by telephone. The bank limited itself to a written statement and did not answer questions about the scale of the problem or the possibilities for repayment arrangements based on customers’ financial capacity.
