CUSTOMERS – CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD

You do not need to thank us for doing our job – Marzin R Shroff

In the Service Sector, that one should be too obliged to serve, doesn't stand as a conscription in this country. Rather, the already chastised customers are treated in a manner that makes no sense of justification of God's ways to man or man's ways to ease the pain of others! Customers are perhaps treated like dogs. Once the comfort levels are created, the sales volumes increased, they are then shunned like stray dogs who become demanding and more.

Riddled with high prices of each and every commodity is a shortchanged and gullible consumer who pays more than the most probable price of a commodity. Integrated with it is the escalated cost of warranties and service. In many a sector, the customer is an object of ridicule – a bitter pill to swallow in absence of quick redressal of grievances. Moreover, bitter pills are more difficult to swallow where there exist no choice.

A spate of events related to the service industry led to this write-up that I might not have sat down to narrate my experiences when my father passed away, leaving back a savings bank account that neither had a nominee nor any other viable mode of operation, had I not been a victim of this vicious curse. It wouldn't be right on my part to disclose the name of the Bank or its branch as it has been felt that years into reforms in the banking sector, the employees or offic(ials)(ers) of the banks still feel that serving customers should be the last thing on their plates. This write up should be a wake-up call for all in the service and banking sectors to usher in customer friendliness – an attitude that needs refresher after refreshers lest the people working in it forget the basics.

Thank the Reserve Bank of India, the regulator for all banks in India in its efforts to iron out the trouble that a common man faces in the banking sector. All said and done, none of the banks' employees ever follow their strictures and guidelines that have been established to ease the pains of the common man. It's not exactly defiance but, ignorance and high handedness – an attitude problem, that bitterly exists in the banking sector. A curse on development!

The strictures and guidelines in their place have failed to sync to benefit the customer. These serving units of various banks are devices of their own and have established themselves as massive factories for churning out ill willed detraction for depositors or customers. It is surprising that the common citizen still would like to bank with such banks despite all the harassment and embarrassment faced.

My deceased father left behind, a savings bank account with a nationalised bank. On enquiry, it revealed that the mode of operation was single and to add to the woes, it didn't have any nominee! My recently widowed mother went to the branch designate to work out as to how the account of the deceased may be closed and the money transferred to her savings bank account maintained with the same bank but at a different branch conveniently located near her place of stay.

Immediately, the officer, with a big frown, who did not even have the courtesy to ask her to sit, disinterestedly handed out a list containing the documents that need to be submitted after a long time as he was facing some intricate problem logging in to his computer. Upon reaching home, I went through the holy grail. We were at the receiving end now!

I wondered how was it possible for my father to operate an account without the bank insisting a nominee?

Perhaps he did submit but the bank did not update.

Perhaps he did not submit at all!

On second thoughts, I felt that he might have submitted as all other savings bank accounts were of the EorS (Either or Survivor) type. The branch might have bungled it up!

More the so, one cannot ever question the bank. They are beyond all questions and answerable to none. They do their duties meticulously and dutifully as prescribed by their bank and swear by the holy RBI without knowing the rules promulgated. I asked if the nominee register could be fetched so that it ccould be verified whether my father indeed had submitted the same. But that was not allowed as we were told that physical documents do not exist these days, all what is available is in digital form on the computer. That was THE END to it. Felt like an illiterate who did not understand the basics of computerisation!

So, the next task was to satisfy the officer of the branch with all documents viz.:

• KYC document (ID Proof and address proof ) of all person whose name is mentioned in application (revised claim format)
• Death certificate copy, passbook, cheque book and fixed deposit receipt in original as applicable
• Two passport photos of claimant
• Letter of disclaimer to be signed by disclaimer and notarised in ` 10 stamp paper
• Letter of indemnity to be signed by claimant and stamped in ` 10 stamp paper
• Letter of affidavit in case claim amount is ` 1 lakh or more and should be notarised in ` 10 stamp paper
• A letter from Councilor stating stating the legal heir of the deceased
• Surety required if claim is more than ` 10000
• Copy of proof showing investment details (in case of surety)
• One revenue stamp and one witness required at the time of taking payment

were asked for except for the 'letter from the local councilor stating the legal heir of the deceased' that would not be mandatory. After that, the bank would take a minimum of 7 (seven) days to process the same. Thus began my arduous task of helping my mother gather and meet the requirements. This italicised clause still exists despite a guideline from the RBI that Aadhar Card would be sufficient as proof of identity.

By chance, I just did a search on the web to find out if there were guidelines, if any, as to what should be the best practice in such case as was mine. I was lucky and, it was the RBI's website to my rescue that was rife with information. It was regarding simplification of procedures in such cases so that the claimant got the dues promptly. Took prints in English and Bangla and gave it to the officer of that branch who had asked to get the host of documents. He looked at me in disgust, did all the talking sitting down while I awaited his permission to sit, put the print outs aside disinterestedly and began his work. I humbly asked him if I could leave to which he nodded in reciprocation (appreciation perhaps). He ensured that I get all the papers that he had listed out. The simplification of procedures prescribed by the RBI carried little or perhaps no value. He knew what was to be done and all godforsaken customers shall follow his guidelines.

But then, the ride was rough, bumpy and, all in the family had to brace up for the journey. It was finally over on my mother's fifth visit to the branch. The problem was then already escalated to the highest level of local governance of that bank seeking kind intervention so that my mother was not harassed again and again for documents and signatures. It was after this complaint that the branch head himself intervened and ensured that on the fifth visit, the banker's cheque was handed over within an hour's wait.

This episode was barely over, there came a cheque in my father's name. It was duly taken to a branch where he had an account with and EorS option. The cheque being a high valued one was duly dropped in the drop box after filling up the necessary parameters in the arduous pay-in slip. A simplification in this regard may be adopted to ease the filling up hassles of the common depositors. On the 4^th day of its deposit, came a call from the bank that it could not be sent for collection as the cheque had inherent problems. On enquiry, it revealed that the savings account had the surname registered as Majumdar whereas the cheque bore the name as Mazumder. We were in a dilemma as to what to do! The bank would not take the argument that it was a clerical or typo error at their end that led to this fiasco. My father never wrote the surname as was defined by their computers. Now where to find the account opening form that my father had filled up mentioning the correct surname. None in the branch would help! Ultimately, an NOC was obtained from that branch so that the instrument could be submitted to another bank for collection. This took three visits to formalise.

Perhaps people with authority think that in this country, citizens have all the time to run their errands. More the so, if they don't harass people, their position remain undermined and compromised. They feel insecure by the fact that their weight and clasp on day to day operations might diminish.

In the meanwhile, a savings bank account – with an EorS option, had to be converted into a single account in my mother's name. She was told that it was simple and that the name of deceased would only be deleted. With the correct name and surname at place, she reached the bank's branch one day. All documents identifying her were neatly kept in a file along with my father's death certificate. The officer at the branch was scouring for errors when he was overjoyed to find one. The Aadhar Card was cut at the lines scissor marked by UIDAI and was laminated to prevent damage. The learned officer insisted that the full card, as was despatched by UIDAI, was mandatory as per RBI guidelines. So, she came back home to fetch the cut portion of the card that bore the same information as was available on the card, got it photocopied and went to the branch again. This time they did their part but then, she was told of his decision that the previous account has to be closed and a new account opened in her name.

All relevant information was provided and submitted along with the nomination form. But then, he did not return the acknowledgment portion of the nomination form duly signed and stamped. Well, he was the quintessential unquestionable authority. Operating in silos, the perpetual human beaviour harped upon has now evolved as an unfathomable ocean for the endless burden of expectations of the customers.

Every day, I'd ask my mother if the new ATM card arrived to which she'd utter a bleak, “No”. Two weeks passed and I asked her to visit the bank and enquire about it. The officer gave her their helpline numbers and asked her to call on those numbers. After coming home, when she called up those numbers, all she was told was that the ATM card's pin should be kept a top secret and should not be written anywhere. It should be memorised. Then the call centre support personnel directed her to get in touch with her branch. When she said that she'd been instructed by the branch itself to contact the helpline, they repeated their statement to get in touch with her branch and hung up. Disgusted, she went to the branch the next day. When she told that officer what the help line said, he asked her to use the old account's ATM card. I was shocked to hear this. How can one use the ATM card of an account that ceased to exist any more! How could a banker say so?

He then asked her to submit an application requesting for a new ATM card. This was despite the fact that the preference and desire for ATM card, SMS alerts and Internet Banking was made while submitting the application for the new account. After submitting the application in the preferred language of the officer, she came back and is hoping that the branch raise that request and uphold her wish. For, Internet Banking, it was learned from that learned officer that it was only after 3~4 successful ATM operations that he would entertain her request for net-banking.

My mother is still waiting for her ATM card to arrive and then, make 3~4 transactions to be eligible for net-banking operations. I forgot to mention that the secret PIN would have to be collected from the branch again after the card arrived. It's not understood why such a cumbersome and archaic policy is still being followed that simply harass the customer! The account opening form thus should not contain points that seek customer's consent for ATM card and net-banking if the customers have to make separate applications each time.

Perhaps one day, this feudalistic mindset will change and, that will usher in the real change in treating customers as the sustaining factor of their livelihood. Perhaps this shall be as per RBI guidelines!