Centenary Bank is facing an online backlash from a number of their customers for being charged to access their account balances on their Cente mobile application.
The bank charges shs600 for customers to check their bank balances.
However, dissatisfied customers have taken to social media to condemn the bank for the exorbitant charges.
“Then you keep asking why Ugandans are just getting poorer A whole 600 ugx just because I want to km now how much money is on my account Really So what happens if my balance is ugx0 then is it -600,”one of the social media users asked.
“So if you check your account balance and have UGX 600 on your centenary account, you’ll be left with UGX ,”one Chris Ocen wondered.
Authur Musinguzi said; I gave up on Centenary Bank when they told me that I should have at least 100k to know my bank balance. They also refused to give me a digital copy via email & mad me pay 25000 for printing the document. I allowed nti jamas came to Kampala to make money.”
Another social media user joked that customers can save their money by not checking their Centenary Bank charges.
“Centenary bank charges u for checking your Account balance, in short you save money by not checking your balance,” he tweeted.
One Pius Muwanga confessed that at one time he realized he had lost money on his account because of checking for his balance.
“Man there was a time I kept on checking and every time the amount was decreasing, I didn’t know the cause. I wondered y they do so after asking them. But buy the time I asked them, the account was empty.”
However, many of those commenting on the matter said in other banks, the service is free of charge.
Centenary speaks out
However, in response to complaints by their customers, Centenary Bank insisted that the shs600 is charged for transacting on their mobile application.
“Kindly be informed that downloading and opening the CenteMobile App is free of charge. You are only charged for transacting. For example, checking account balance is shs600 and transferring funds to another account in the bank is shs1,000,” the bank said in response.
Bank of Uganda recently asked banks to harmonise fees charged for using ATM services so as to encourage the public to embrace digital transactions.
Agency banking and ATM withdraws in commercial banks are not subject to excise duty.
