I write to express my dissatisfaction with the service I received from the Civil Service Credit Union Ltd.

It all started at the end of February, 2006, when I withdrew money from my nephew Hansel Arnold Jr’s account.

Money from Amede’s ‘Death-in-Harness’ gratuity was deposited in an existing account for her son, Hansel Arnold Jr. , at the Civil Service Credit Union Ltd.

Please note that his father, Hansel Arnold Sr., an employee at the K.H.M.H., was never a signatory to that account. Worthy of note also, is the fact that from April, 2005 to February, 2006 the father did not pay any child support for my nephew.

When my nephew fell ill in February 2006, I went to where I was sure there was money for him-the Civil Service Credit Union Ltd.

I made two withdrawals and after that the Manager, Mrs. Dawn Coye, informed the father about the transactions. As far as I concerned, I did not do anything wrong because I have Grant of Administration in respect of Amede Rene’s estate.

After some ‘back and forth’ the lawyer for the Civil Service Credit Union Ltd. arbitrarily decided that any further withdrawals must be done with three signatures: those of Hansel Arnold Sr., (the father), Hansel Arnold Jr. and myself, Cynthia Rene. The balance on the account at March, 2006, was $9,304.94.

The father took some shame at that point and made a sheepish attempt at paying Child Support of $300 per month through the Family Court. This he has stopped from November last year.

Well, my nephew turned 18 years old on the 18th April, 2008 and after giving the Manager of the Credit Union two days’ notice of his intention to withdraw the sum of $8,000.00 from his account on his birthday, he went for it on schedule.

He was given a cheque for $8,417.74 and told that the account was closed. When I went to the Credit Union and questioned the Manager about this final figure, Mrs. Coye told me that I had given the father a list of things that my nephew needed for school at the beginning of this school year, and the father had withdrawn money from the child’s account to purchase same, hence the reason for the difference.

I gave him that list as the father. If he was out-of-pocket at the time, he could have said so, and then all parties could have signed for the withdrawal as the Credit Union’s lawyer had already arbitrarily recommended.

Mrs. Coye gave him the money without my knowledge and when I told her that she had no right to do that, she rudely said, “wen you mi di tek I mi aright”. That simply meant to me that the father could have emptied the account for all she cared.

I later spoke to the President of the Board of the Credit Union and she echoed Mrs. Coye words. She even went further and said that I was on a quest for money.

I was not on a quest for money; I was on a quest for PRINCIPLE.

The President also told me that if I am not satisfied, I can take the matter to court. Mrs. Coye is one manager who acts with impunity.

Well, I will not take the matter to a Court of Law because the cost might exceed the amount that has been given away. I am putting the matter in the ‘Court of Public Opinion’ for the world to read about and to enlighten single mothers about what can happen to their minors in the case of a mother’s sudden death and their children left to face delinquent fathers.

Single mothers who are planning to open Savings Account for minors, should be careful because they might be dealing with a financial institution like this one, where apparently, the word ‘father’ carries more ‘weight’ than any legal document.

Holding money until children reaches the age of 18 years is not very practical if there is no child support coming from anywhere.

Respectfully yours,

Cynthia Rene