On Friday the bank called Thomas Ramkissoon, a 58-year-old electrician from Sangre Grande, to tell him his account was empty and his mortgage payment was due.

That day, Ramkissoon had been eagerly awaiting a $3,000 cheque from TSTT. He did not know what to do.

Just before Christmas, Ramkissoon and his daughter Priya went to deposit $3,000 at an ATM to pay a T&TEC bill.

But he accidentally pressed the TSTT button instead.

“We usually pay inside by the teller, but because they don’t want anyone in the bank, they made all of us go outside to make payments,” Ramkissoon told Newsday in a phone interview on May 11.

When the Ramkissoons realised the mistake, they went into the bank to get it corrected. The bank sent TSTT an e-mail about the error.

Since then – for five months – Ramkissoon has been trying to get his money back from TSTT.

On February 11 he contacted TSTT about the issue, but was only able to make a report, not to speak to a manager.

“These days you can’t get onto anyone in person. Everything is via the phone. It makes accessing people impossible.”

He received a response on February 26 saying queries usually take a month, and to expect feedback by March.

On April 21 he sent an e-mail and received a response saying his query was pending, and he would be notified when the cheque was ready.

In May he was told the cheque was being processed and he should get it in the third week in May.

He was first told he would get a call when the cheque was ready to be picked up and then told it was in the mail.

Ramkissoon thought it was the post office that was delaying his cheque, but on Monday, he called TSTT and found out the cheque was ready but had not been mailed yet.

“I feel disappointed...They said, 'The cheque was ready, but we did not post it and it would be done in 24 to 48 hours.' This has been the story since January: give them 24-48 hours.”

Ramkissoon asked Newsday not to run a story on the issue after all, because TSTT then contacted him to say the cheque was in the mail. He did not to embarrass the company. But when the cheque was not sent, he agreed to the story being published.

“We gave them time. I really didn’t want to embarrass them, but things tough because of the covid and how the place closed down. I’m not working, just home sitting doing nothing.”

He is the sole breadwinner in his family of four. His mortgage is $5,035 a month.

He was trying to sell his car, but even that is difficult. He believes no one wants to buy a car during the state of emergency.

“I can’t even go by the people house to work. Nobody wants you to come into the house.”

He’s been using to buy food, but they are running low.

Ramkissoon is diabetic, and usually gets his medicine from a health centre, but is unable to now, so he has to buy it.

A representative from TSTT told Newsday that a cheque was printed and mailed out on May 12.

"We are looking into the call that was referenced as it is indeed concerning. Rest assured, we will continue to liaise with Mr. Ramkissoon on the matter,