Banking institution is ordered to indemnify consumers in Parintins, AM

Unauthorized charges

Experts warn about abuses practiced by banks; check out

Residents of Parintins, 369 kilometers from Manaus, had several unpleasant surprises with a banking institution. Undue charges for basket of services, late cred and insurance not contracted generated several problems for Parintinenses. As a result, the judge of the 1st Court of the municipality of Parintins, Rafael Rodrigo Raposo, condemned Bradesco to pay compensation for moral damages of amounts unduly charged to consumers in the municipality, in violation of the Consumer Protection Code. Experts warn about abuses practiced by banks.

Among the residents who reported problems is the driver José Wilson Ribeiro. He says he was charged insurance without his consent. “Bradesco is a bank that always takes something from us. And I never knew where the money that stayed in Bradesco was going. Today we can’t have money at Bradesco because they charge so many fees, that is, they take everyone’s money”. Wilson filed a lawsuit against the institution and was indemnified.

Another consumer from Parintins who observed several undue charges on her bank statement was technical administrative assistant Emilly Farias, 27. “I identified on my bank statement that there were undue discounts on my Bradesco account. It was interest on top of interest and a basket in which I had not requested”.

The parintinense decided to file the lawsuit and was compensated in R$ 6 thousand by the banking institution. “For a long time I was paying for this basket without knowing that I was not obligated. So I decided to go with the process. And I waited for a while and I was indemnified.”

Problems with the bank?

Who never had problems with the bank? Undue charges are the most common examples. According to lawyer Denise Coêlho, when it comes to complaining against the banking institution, the first step is: call the Customer Service Center (SAC) and write down the protocol number; if the SAC does not solve the problem within five working days, look for the ombudsman regulated by the Central Bank, register the complaint with the Central Bank, Procon-AM and if none of this works, the consumer can file a lawsuit in court.

The lawyer advises collecting all information such as extracts, contracts, protocols, screen captures in case of excessive numbers of calls and emails with possible charges. “The second step, the consumer may seek a lawyer specializing in the subject of their trust, or the Public Defender’s Office and even the Special Civil Court to finalize the action”, she explains.

Bradesco leads processes

According to the Statistics Center of the Court of Justice of Amazonas (TJAM), lawsuits against Bradesco bank skyrocketed 47% in 2022, compared to the previous year. From January to December 2022, 55.8 thousand processes were registered, while in the same period of 2021, 37.8 thousand were registered.

In a press release, the bank responded that “one of its main values ​​is the quality of customer service”. And that “it works to serve all its audiences and promotes the constant improvement of its services and products, always having as a principle the adoption of the best practices and procedures”.

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Does the bank make discounts and abusive charges? You can receive R$ 10,000 in compensation