Title of Nightmare: Waiting for Call

Characters: Mr. India/Lord Sauron - Played by HDFC Credit Card Team

                     Hobbits/Low Life Creatures - Played by Customers

 

DISCLAIMER: This is a long description of how a customer is treated at HDFC with no regard to urgency.

 

Prologue:

Anyone fond of drama would know about the masterpiece by Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot! Anyone not aware of what this play is all about, can simply dial HDFC customer care number or write to them. By the time the wait is over, apes will be ruling Earth and the universe will be near its drastic end.

Dear Mr. Puri, with all due respect, sir, I couldn't stop myself from writing this small piece of petition with some additional heart-to-heart conversation. I think you should know the enigmatic aura around your highly priced customer service, especially the credit card department.

HDFC Credit Card team seem to have taken inspiration from Mr. India or Lord of The Rings. Like Lord Sauron and Mr. India, they are invisible. Customers don't hear from them unless a whip needs to be cracked on the customers in case of any payment default. The Credit Card Collections team will show up in case they need to abuse or threaten someone in case of a payment default. They show alacrity in abusing some defaulter's mother. Dear sir, these examples may seem unreal to you. Trust me, it seems unreal to me too when in 21st century I need to start a petition just to get a simple call from a bank's credit card team to get an NOC.

After this prologue, let me discuss the issue in detail to you unless you think I am wasting your time. Even I am wondering if I have been wasting my time when I am writing this petition in my office hours. Nevermind, customers are idiots anyway.

 

Background: Destination Credit Card

Around 2006-07, Deepak Sharma took an HDFC card on which he defaulted on the payment after reaching around 50k. Reason of default, there were undue charges on the card around which he raised a dispute. Rather than looking into the dispute and resolving it, Deepak and his mother would get calls from one way numbers to settle the bills. Lord Sauron would descend his place to personally threaten his mother. Everytime, Deepak would call the number, they would ask him to come down to HDFC Credit Card Office at Rajouri Garden and settle it. Corndered, Deeapk settled the card. Not so easily. He was blacklisted in CIBIL records making him a financial terrorist. Never mind the fact that he started his HDFC account when he was 21. 

 

Scene 1:  The Aftermath

Year 2013. It's been six years since that incident. Deepak changed jobs and moved on with his life, growing in ambition life a city boy, thinking of making big in life. He is fond of cars and wants to own one. His CIBIL Score is 837 out of 900. It takes 700 to get a loan from any bank. He applies for a loan from his "favourite" bank (need I mention which one). It took him to fill just one page of application to get atleast five calls from HDFC Loan Team. Showing deep interest and excellent customer centricity, they sent an executive at his work to collect papers. Great! HDFC Guys are so helpful! Isnt it?

Not so fast Mr. Puri. Five days, no call no show! Deepak started calling HDFC Loan Team to get an update. Day six, Deepak made two calls. No update. Day seven, Deepak calls five times.

Final Update: Loan rejected! WHY? Credit Card Settlement issue! Buried skeletons show up.

 

Scene 2: Chasing Lord Sauron

Deepak called HDFC Bank Customer Care to know what was going on. He wants to talk to someone in the credit card department. He can't talk to them as "these kind of issues" are dealt with by the collections team. Deepak requests for their direct number. He is given 011-30209401/02. It was not exactly 1st of April so Deepak had this sense of wonder at HDFC's black humor as the number doesnt work. This number belongs to some Mr. India whom you can never call.

 

Scene 3: Promise of seeing Mr. India

Deepak calls the customer service again telling them the number doesnt work. Miraculousy, HDFC Customer Care turns into a telephone service customer care. The woman forgets that she works for a bank and asks him the following questions:

Girl: Have you tried dialing from some other number?

Deepak: Yes ma'am. I have. It doesnt work. I need to talk to someone urgently.

Girl: Please dial from some other place?

Deepak: What do you mean?

Girl: Can you go to some other place and then try dialing?

Deepak: I have tried this number from different phones and it doesnt work! Can you do something about it?

Girl: It is a temporary problem. It will be resolved soon. Dont worry sir.

Deepak: I want to talk to the manager here.

Girl: (Awake now) I am sorry sir but my manager will tell you the same thing.

Deepak: Please get someone who can help me. Please get your manager here.

Girl: (Getting nervous now and taking it seriously) I am sorry for the incovenience sir but I am asking you to try again.

Deepak: (On the verge of breaking his phone) Can you please??? Please get the manager.

Girl: (Relieved) Hold on sir.

Almost 15 minutes hold. (Against the standard protocol)

Girl: (Calmly) Sir I have logged a complaint. Complaint number 13350234867. You will get a call in 2 days.

Deepak: 2 days??? Did I tell you that it was urgent?

(Arguements and arguements now...Deepak hung up)

 

Between the scenes

Deepak tried their number almost everyday. Everytime he dialed the number, it would disconnect without any dial tone. Deepak also start writing on HDFC Facebook pages. One of his posts was deleted but he doesnt give up. See the link: https://www.facebook.com/HDFC.bank/posts/664486693594906?comment_id=7068681&offset=0&total_comments=9&notif_t=feed_comment

 

Scene Three: Call from Mr. India

Deepak gets a call from HDFC Credit Card Collection Team. He narrates the whole incident and is told that if he wants NOC, he needs to pay the whole amount he owes to the bank. Deepak agrees to pay the amount as he just wants the NOC desperately. He asks the representative to give him the details of amount, the amount paid so far and the contact numbers where he can get in touch with them.

Deepak is given a number 011-66667109. Deepak wants to call back on the number as he was in a meeting when the representative called.

 

Scene Four: Tracing Mr. India

Next day, Mr. India has gone back to sleep again as the number doesnt work. Completely dismayed, a disgruntled Deepak dials the customer service number again. He gives the girl on the other side the complaint number and asks for the manager directly. The girl puts the call on hold and comes back after 5 minutes with a promise that he would get a call within 3 hours. Deepak can't seem to believe that it gets so hard to contact one department. Why??

Impression

HDFC Bank's Credit Card Team is a bunch of perpetrators who are taught to collect, collect and keep collecting money with blatant disregard to any complaint or request.

They come to life in the following cases:

a)  Threaten a customer

b) Humiliate a defaulter's mother and father

c) Bend backwards to collect payments

d) Send goons to homes to scare off the common lot

They turn into Mr. India in the following cases:

a) Help a customer to get payment cleared

b) Show the right way

c) Speak politely and professionally

d) Get back to the customer when it doesnt affect their targets

 

Digression: Mr. Puri, If you are feeling agonized in reading all this, then please understand that I am not deriving a sadistic pleasure in writing all this. I am being very careful in reflecting the right emotion behind the words I choose. Please continue...

 

Scene 5: Lord Sauron Calls

A woman named Arti calls Deepak from 01166667107. Deepak talks to this woman at lenght telling her that he just wants an NOC after making full payment. He also tells her that he has been given absolutely no information as to 

1) How do I pay? Cheque, Cash?

2) What is the proof that once I pay, the amount will be notified by the bank?

3) This card is already closed and blocked so how will it ever reflect in your systems when i want to pay?

4) How soon will I get the NOC as I want it REALLY URGENTLY.

5) How will I get the confirmation that the CIBIL record will be updated?

Arti promises to write to the Head Quarter (Sounds like some IMF; MI6) to get an update and would get back in another 2 days. Another 2 days??? Deepak feels like a kid who is being kidnapped by a group of terrorists in broad day light from a market place. People look at him and they shout, "someone help this kid", "someone help this kid". but guess what, none of them moves and the kid gets taken away. So helpless!

 

Scene 6: Mailing Mr. India

 

This is the best part. Deepak recieves a reply on HDFC Facebook page after hurling some hard words at them. Hitherto, he had just been getting some copy/paste replies which are usually posted by Bijoy and Anay. These replies would begin with a regret which means nothing and end with an assurance which also means nothing. 

I get an e-mail from PriorityRedressal.CreditCards@hdfcbank.com with a reference number 13353782953. The mail is apparently from Rajeswari Jayasekar, AVP, Service Quality-Credit Cards.

In this e-mail she confirms the amount which I need to pay and gives me two numbers I can dial for further assiatance. The numbers are 011-66667101/01. I already have these numbers with me and they don't work. I replied on this mail with several questions copied the mail to the following personnel at HDFC:

 

customerservices.cards@hdfcbank.com

countryhead.retailproducts@hdfcbank.com

codecomplianceofficer.retailassets@hdfcbank.com

ed.wholesalebanking@hdfcbank.com

 

Scene 7: None Reads Their Mails

 

Apparently Ms Rajeswari doesnt read her e-mails as i recieved a NEW reference number as a reply to my reply to her mail the previous night. NEW reference number is 13358321822. 

As if it's a cruel joke, her mail reads: Assuring you of our best attention at all times.

Sounds like a mockery of customer service to me.

Additionally, I called Mr. Appala Pranesh Rao at Mumbai on 022-3096154. He isn't in office. May be on a city tour or Christmas party. I spoke with Anuj Sharma who again asked for a day's time to get me a call from Credit Card Team. Hilarious.

 

Epilogue

 

Mr Puri, I assume you would have taken a few breaks while reading this mail. But I haven't. Its been three hours I have been drafting this mail without even a glass of water. You can see the desperation with which I am pursuing this matter.

Mr. Puri, I have 9 years of minor experience in Training, Development and Customer Service as compared your eminent experience in the banking sector. Sir, I do not wish or intend to demean your good intentions in bringing good experience to the people of this country who first pay and then beg for service. I wish you instruct your Training team to use the following verbiage in their interaction:

 

a) I cannot do: Let me do it for you

b) I have forwarded this to this team: Let me take the ownership and get it resolved

c) I can not assure you: I assure you that I will get it resolved

d) Manager is not available: Manager is not available, let me get Senior Manager/VP/Branch Manager to address your problem

e) You will get a call in 2 days: You will get a call in the next 2 hours. If you dont, then take down these direct numbers for my manager

f) Customers are stupid: Customers are not stupid

g) Let's take a break by putting the customer on hold: Let's not put the customer on hold

 

This one is for Managers/VP/AVP at HDFC

a) I am a manager. What do customers mean for me?: I am a manager and many people rely on me. Let me stop chatting with my girlfriend on FB and get back to work and make myself available to the customer.

b) Let me just reply on e-mail. I am too tired to talk: Let me not send e-mail. The issue may be critical. Let me pick my extension and call the customer.

 

Mr. Puri, this is a simple issue which just needs two things:

a) A customer centric person who can coordinate with the customer to close the issue

b) A phone number

I guess HDFC has none

Mr Puri, it anyway will not take anything for me to believe that HDFC is a group of arrogant ill-recruited managers who dont do their job properly. It may take an 8.0 point Richter Scale earthquake to wake them up.

If you wish you do anything about it, you can note down my details:

CC Number: 0005176521004362960

Phone Number: 9990477676

e-mail: deepak.sharma1@hotmail.com

 

Best regards,

Deepak Sharma