Hi Folks,
It’s been a long time (almost a yr and half) since I had burnt my hands with doing some transaction using ApnaLoan. I used to follow this site to keep track of different financial offers that kept on dropping in.
One of those days, ABN AMRO Bank was running a Promo to offer Free Credit Card called ’Freedom Card’. Basically, they were offering a Credit Card with no service charges for the first year. By that time, I was already getting pissed with lowering service levels in Std Chartered Bank and Citibank was little nosy about their services, so it was time to find another bank that could prove their choices. I filled the online form to apply for the card. In two days time I had an agent from ApnaLoan at my office ready with the forms to fill out and take the necessary papers. The friendly guy made me sign in few places in the form and taken my salary slip. I insisted to see the rest of the form and ensured that nothing that I don’t want is selected or there’s nothing that’s hidden to my knowledge.
After a month/half I got a e-mail from ABN AMRO Stating that, my credit card has been shipped to me by mail. In few more hrs, I get another e-mail saying X amount of money was credited from my credit card. I just driven me Bonkers, I was wondering, even before the card reached me, how come there was credit balance on the card !!
By the time I got the card, in order to make calls to ABN AMRO, it was almost another week. ABN AMRO happens to have the worst telephone banking / web based (read e-mails) support system. After numerous calls, I got to know that, I was subscribed for 1 year subscription for ’’OutLook’’ magazine and that was billed to my card. It seems it was a option as part of the offer and I had opted in for this. I never understood, why should I get the same magazine which I read all the time at work and ofcourse when I specifically remember not opting for that.
After lot of communication with ApnaLoan (following lot of web based complaints lodged), they simply washed their hands off saying, we can’t do anything, you must have opted for this, we can’t help you with this. I got in touch with OutLook (once again via e-mail) and their account section people said, it’s only ABN AMRO that can instruct a cancellation of subscription. And once talking to ABN AMRO about that, they said, I need to write a snail mail to their Delhi Office (’cause that’s the only place where they exist in India) explaining the problem, and they would take necessary action.
In the meantime, I had informed ABN AMRO time and again that, I’m never gonna pay that money they thought I owed them. This whole process of follow up got dragged more than 6 months and ABN AMRO’s automted system started to show my name as Credit Defaulter and bank’s collection department Goons started coming to my house, my office for payback. It’s not that the money was big, but by that time I was determined not to pay a single buck ’cause none of the stupid company’s were co-operating with me. Eventually, I conferenced the collection fella with the bank call center guy and made him understand, why he must not show his face at my door again.
Eventually, after combined mails (with lotsa threats of bad publicity) to ApnaLoan & Outlook, someone from Outlook reverted back the amount to the credit card account and I got to make few more calls to the bank to revert back the interest piled over 6+ months.
Ever since, I’ve stayed away from ApnaLoan, however, it has come to my notice that, they have very bad Spamming Practices. I won’t be surprised to see them selling the registered user database to third party without the users consent. As a whole, a site, that could change the way Indians handle money or financial offers online, has pissed me off to the extent that I’m forced to suggest that, for peace of mind, stay away from that site.