Document text
[YOUR FULL NAME]
[YOUR ADDRESS]
Phone number linked to the account: [PHONE NUMBER]
E-mail: [E-MAIL]
Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]
To:
The Branch Manager / Customer Complaints Unit
[NAME OF BANK OR PAYMENT COMPANY — e.g., BANK, MICROFINANCE BANK, MOBILE MONEY OPERATOR]
[BRANCH ADDRESS / COMPLAINTS E-MAIL SHOWN IN THE APP]
Sent by: [E-MAIL / IN-APP COMPLAINT CHANNEL / HAND DELIVERY AGAINST ACKNOWLEDGEMENT]
Subject: Complaint — failed transaction(s) on Account No. [ACCOUNT NUMBER]: ₦[TOTAL AMOUNT] debited but not received — request for reversal
Dear Sir/Madam,
1. I, [YOUR FULL NAME], hold [SAVINGS / CURRENT / WALLET] account No. [ACCOUNT NUMBER] with you. [IF YOU ALREADY REPORTED IT: I first reported this on [DD/MM/YYYY] through [CUSTOMER CARE CALL / APP CHAT / BRANCH], reference [NUMBER]. This letter is my written complaint on the same matter.]
2. My account was debited for the following transaction(s), but the value was not received:
No. Date and time Amount (₦) Channel (transfer / ATM / POS / web / USSD) Reference / session ID / terminal ID Beneficiary, bank or merchant What happened
1 [DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM] [AMOUNT] [CHANNEL] [REFERENCE] [NAME, BANK AND ACCOUNT NUMBER / ATM LOCATION / MERCHANT] [e.g., status "failed", beneficiary not credited / ATM did not dispense cash / POS debited twice]
2 [DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM] [AMOUNT] [CHANNEL] [REFERENCE] [BENEFICIARY / ATM / MERCHANT] [WHAT HAPPENED]
Total [TOTAL AMOUNT]
3. [CHOOSE WHAT APPLIES:] The beneficiary has confirmed in writing that the money was not received. / The ATM did not dispense cash, but my account was debited. / The merchant confirmed that the payment did not go through. / The transaction shows as "failed" or "pending" in the app, but the amount has not returned to my balance.
4. Under the Central Bank of Nigeria Consumer Protection Regulations, which apply to all institutions licensed or regulated by the CBN, I request you to:
a. give me a complaint tracking number and acknowledge this complaint within 24 hours (paragraphs 6.2.2 and 6.3.2);
b. reverse the amount of ₦[TOTAL AMOUNT] to my account within the time set for this type of complaint in Annexure D to the Regulations — [CHOOSE ONE: 1 working day for an intrabank transfer failure or wrong account debit / 3 working days for a failed web or POS transaction, mobile or internet banking transfer failure, or ATM cash dispense error / 5 working days for a delayed transfer];
c. where applicable, refund the amount with interest, as provided in paragraph 6.3.7 of the Regulations;
d. send me a written Summary Resolution Communication stating the basis of your decision and my right to escalate (paragraph 6.3.11); and
e. if you find that the money was credited to the beneficiary, give me the evidence — the beneficiary bank's confirmation with the session ID and time of credit.
5. If you do not acknowledge this complaint within 3 days, or I am not satisfied with your decision, I will escalate the complaint to the Director, Consumer Protection Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (cpd@cbn.gov.ng), as provided in paragraph 6.4.1 of the Regulations.
Yours faithfully,
______________________________
[YOUR FULL NAME]
Enclosures:
1. Debit alert(s) / SMS / app screenshot(s) showing the transaction(s)
2. Account statement covering [DD/MM/YYYY] to [DD/MM/YYYY]
3. ATM or POS receipt / transfer receipt with session ID [IF AVAILABLE]
4. Beneficiary's confirmation of non-receipt [IF AVAILABLE]
5. Copy of means of identification [NIN SLIP / VOTER'S CARD / DRIVER'S LICENCE / INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT]
NOTES BEFORE SENDING — delete this part
Send it the same day: first through the bank's or app's complaint channel (you need the tracking number), then by e-mail to keep a dated copy.
Pick the right line in paragraph 4(b). The CBN timelines are in working days, counted from when the bank receives your complaint.
For ATM, POS and web payments, the CBN also directed (from 8 June 2020): failed transactions on your own bank's ATM reversed instantly or within 24 hours; on another bank's ATM within 48 hours; failed POS and web transactions resolved within 72 hours.
If you did not make the transaction at all (fraud, a stolen phone or card), first call the bank to block the account or card, then change paragraph 2–3 to say so. Under Annexure D, internet banking fraud and domestic ATM fraud complaints have 3 working days; fraudulent withdrawals 14 working days.
Escalating to the CBN: e-mail cpd@cbn.gov.ng or write to the Director, Consumer Protection Department, CBN, Abuja (or any CBN branch). Attach this letter, the tracking number and the bank's reply. You can escalate if the bank did not acknowledge within 3 days, or within 90 days of receiving the bank's decision. The CBN will not take a complaint that is already in court.
Not happy with the bank's first answer? You can ask the bank in writing for a second-level review within 30 days of its Summary Resolution Communication (paragraph 6.3.13).
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