It isn’t easy to bank anymore. This has been reiterated by many Puneites, who face some problem or the other when they enter a bank or use an ATM. It is not the banking staff as much as the rules which are thrown at you at any given time.
The banking staff did an excellent job during the demonetisation process and worked very hard to cater to their clients. And they were much appreciated for their efforts. But it is the small print they throw at you which irks many a client. Unnecessary procedures and documentation have put off many a customer.
With regular transfers, you cannot build a relationship with one particular employee so that you can maintain all your banking needs. Every time a new employee comes fresh headaches come attached.
“I needed to get some money refunded from a joint account after my Dad passed away,” IT executive Jignesh Desai, 54, said.
“I was told to furnish a death certificate of both my parents which I did.
“But when I went to collect the money, I was told to bring the old passbook of that account!. This was downright harassment. After saying the death certificates would suffice,” he added.
“That account had expired in 2004 and I had no clue to the whereabouts of the passbook,” he said.
“I had been banking with this particular institution for over 25 years and most of the staff knew me. This arrogant gent didn’t. “Thankfully, the manager intervened and sorted the whole matter out. But it caused me unnecessary pain.”
Mohan Dhavale, a Merchant Navy officer, was surprised when he was told that his bank account number does not exist.
“I was so taken aback. I have been banking with the same branch for over 30 years. This was ridiculous.
“The staff was new and did not take pains to find out where the problem was,” he added.
“After spending more than an hour, an old staff member finally traced the account,” he added.
In a similar case, businessman Shirish Ghanekar, 49, was shocked when he was told his account was non-existent despite having a passbook as proof.
“I had a joint account with my dad but after he passed away I visited the bank to transfer his money to mine. “Unfortunately the bank refused to acknowledge my account despite the person who did the account having lost the papers somewhere before getting transferred.
“That person even remembered the case but was unsure whether he left the papers in my house where we inked the account. But the bank refused to do anything despite that confirmation.
“They told me that they would honour the cheques as I had a passbook but refused to acknowledge the account. That is ridiculous.
“Finally after some angry exchanges, the paper was traced to the bank itself but it caused too many unnecessary hassles.
“This proves that taking an acknowledgement from the bank on even the smallest matter is essential and of utmost importance to avoid such issues,” he added
“ATMs have been the most bugging part of my banking experience,” says housewife Nilemma Tiwary, 42.
“Whenever I need money urgently, the machine refuses to work. This is so irritating. And many of them are down at the weekend. Somebody should maintain these ATMs. Why have one if you can’t keep money in it?
“The worst thing is that sometimes it accepts the password and doesn’t pay out cash. This is particularly stressful because until the bank acknowledges that no money was debited, one can’t feel reassured,” she adds.
Non-Resident Indian Jagdesh Kumar had the shock of his life when he went to enquire about his account.
“I had come from Dubai and went to the bank to check my account and confirm all my transfers. I was shocked to learn that a one-lakh-rupee transfer by me was missing from account,” he said.
“Nobody had an explanation. Fortunately, I had retained the Dubai exchange receipt and I furnished this to them.
“Several days passed by but nobody could trace the amount. Finally after about a fortnight of regular visits, one of the more earnest staff found out the truth. “My sister’s account and mine had only a difference of one digit. The surname was the same.
“So some lazy staffer with his mind more on the next tea break credited that money to her account.
“I just couldn’t believe it. You can only laugh off these stupid errors,” he added.
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#Views expressed in this article are those of the individual respondents and Pune365 does not necessarily subscribe to them. All names changed to protect individual privacy.
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