Absa Bank Kenya has announced the waiver of all charges to customers on SMSs sent to customers for transactions made as well as electronic statements requested.
Before the waiver, Absa Bank Kenya charged its customers Kshs 5 per SMS alert sent.
Absa says that the move is a response to customer feedback on the matter.
“By implementing this waiver, Absa is conscious of the need to boost our customers’ overall satisfaction and the growing need to cushion them from unnecessary costs. Ultimately, Absa’s ambition is to be a digital-first bank that is well-positioned to compete in today’s digital world,” says Simon Gachahi, the bank’s Head of Premier and Liabilities.
In April, the bank’s customers on Twitter were up in arms when they discovered that the bank had been charging them for transaction notifications delivered by text.
“We have different types of accounts with different charges. SMS alert fee is part of the charges for all the accounts. You can opt out on receiving the alerts though,” the bank responded to an enquiry by a customer on Twitter at the time.
The Twitter uproar was triggered by a realization and subsequent confirmation by Equity Bank Kenya that it had introduced charges for SMSs sent to customers for any transactions made on their accounts. This prompted Kenyans to reach out to their respective banks to enquire if they also had such charges.
