Customer (dis-)service?

Here I list down the kind of customer experience that me and my friends had with different organisations. This list is not comprehensive, do comment about your own experience with different banks/insurance companies and other organisations.

Computer/network is down: The most common excuse in public-sector banks. Many times when you are in a hurry, this excuse pops-up. I'm not saying that the bank personnel are lying or are being lazy. My point is what's the point of computerisation, if they can't get it working? This is a recurring problem. They should better get back to hand-written ledgers if their computers/networks don't work when needed.

You will receive it within stipulated time: This mostly comes from private banks. Say you had requested a cheque book or DD to be delivered to your home address. Usually it arrives in your home with 4 days of submitting the request, but this time has not arrived even after 7 days. If you try to complain to the bank personnel/phone banking, they will give you a blunt reply that you should wait for 15 working days. They won't bother to check with their central processing centre if your request has been processed and the item despatched by courier/post.

Something similar has been my experience with one of the movie rental service. Their customer service desk works from 10 AM to 7 PM. And their official movie delivery timings are from 10 AM to 10 PM, but the delivery boy usually comes to my apartment around 12 PM. Some day when the delivery boy hasn't come even by 2 PM and you try to enquire with the customer care they will give you a blunt reply that the delivery timings are from 10 AM to 10 PM. If you try to complain around 6:30 PM, they give the same 10 AM to 10 PM excuse. But their customer care closes at 7 PM and if you try to complain about the non-delivery of movie the next day they would reply that the door was locked when the delivery boy arrived. Given the fact that movie rental's customer care closes at 7 PM, then how is the customer supposed to prove that the delivery boy infact did not come.

SBI-specific complaints: I believe if we do a survey SBI( plus its associates ) may top the list of number of customer complaints. This may also be due to the fact that it is the largest bank in the country.

State Bank complaint no. 1: If you ever try to open an account in SBI or its associate banks, they would compulsorily give you a Debit card whether you apply for it in the account opening form or not. I mean if somebody has specifically marked in the account opening form that he/she does not need an ATM/Debit card then why is a card issued at all? Does the branch has some targets to achieve regarding the number of debit cards issued? Anyway SBI debit card is not a free service then why is it forced on everyone even though they may not need it.

State Bank complaint no. 2: Fine, you will say it does not matter if you got the card, you can always get it cancelled. Thats what the second complaint is about. You get the SBI debit card cancelled but the charges for the card will continue to be deducted from your account every year. You have to request the branch every year to reverse the debit card charges. If you ask the manager why are the charges being levied inspite of cancellation of card, he would blame it on the software. Being a software engineer myself, I am ashamed of such computer/software engineer who can't configure the system to stop deducting charges for cancelled debit cards. Or is it a ploy by the SBI ( & associates ) management to increase their fee income while taking shelter in the excuse of software limitation.

IOB-specific complaint: Indian Overseas Bank have a partnership with Oriental Insurance for offering personal accident insurance to their customers for which they deduct premium from the customer's account. By default they have made all their customers part of the scheme without the customer's consent. They don't care if the customer already has a personal accident insurance policy and does not need any additional insurance cover. And if you ask the branch personnel to stop this insurance facility and reverse the charges, they would smilingly reply "Its just Rs. 10/-". Rs. 10/- or Rs. 10 Lac whatever it is, it my hard-earned money and if I don't need the facility I don't pay for it. This is another trick by the bank's management to increase their fee income.