Review : I had the misfortune of having to open my salary account with Citibank. The application form was completed and submitted to their DSA Invest One at Bangalore in the first week of November 2004. While I was promised that I would receive my welcome kit in a week’s time, two weeks had elapsed and there was no sign of the welcome kit.
I called Invest One and requested to speak with Leena who was supposedly the contact person for our company. After making continuous attempts on their available nos. over 2 days at different times and alternatively hearing engaged tones and ringing tones with no response, I had the privilege of my call getting answered with a cold ’’Hello’’.
On confirming that I had reached Invest One I requested to speak with Leena. The line went blank for about 10 minutes and the background noises of people talking was the only indication that the call was still active. I held on hoping that someone would attend to me and after 15 minutes of holding Leena came on line. When informed the purpose of the call and request for the status of my Suvidha Account; she informed me that she was in the middle of her lunch and would call me in an hours time.
No call was received that day. After making another set of frustrating attempts to reach someone at Invest One over the next 2 days, I managed to get my call answered. After the same experience as last time, Leena came on line and before I could finish speaking and ask her the reason for not calling me back as promised, she said ’’hold on’’ and the line went blank.
Neelu came on line and introduced herself as the Relationship Manager for my company and after hearing me out patiently said that she would call me back in an hours time with an update. Also, she was kind enough to provide me her mobile no. in case I needed to contact her again. No call back was received. I tried calling her on her mobile but it was not reachable. I called Invest One on their landline and got a lady on the line who did not introduce herself .
After going through the ordeal of explaining things all over again and holding for another 15 minutes, a male voice came on line and informed me that my application was not processed as it was incomplete. I had personally filled up the application and was positively sure that I had not left any available information undisclosed. He coldly informed me that I had not provided the residence landline No.
Now, I had moved to Bangalore hardly a week back and had no contact nos. except my office tel no. and extension which I had already provided on the application. The guy on the other side curtly informed me that he cannot do anything as it was the Bank policy not to process any applications which came without residence telephone nos. ( This is despite the fact that a Suvidha Account is a product where the customer keeps HIS MONEY with the bank and there is no element of risk for the bank with regards to delinquency. Also, the authorised signatory from my organisation had attested my application form and it was a corporate salary account opening exercise).
As 2 weeks had elapsed since I had filled the form, I had my local mobile no. and landline no. available now. I provided the nos. to the guy and on enquiring how long it would take for my account to be opened informed me that he would be reprocessing my application and would not be able to commit on definite time frame.
Also, when I asked him why he had not intimated me of the deficiency on the application form, and why were they sitting on it till I called to enquire, he informed me that he was planning to return the form to my HR sometime next week so that they could inform me.
Before I could ask him for his name, he hung up the line. This was one of the most frustrating experiences and I decided to inform someone at Citibank about this. I called the customer care no. and requested to speak with the Manager. The executive informed me that there was no supervisor or manager on the floor at the moment and he would have someone to call me back in the next couple of hours. I did not receive any call that day.
I called Neelu and narrated my experience to her. She informed me that I had spoken with Mohan the previous day and he was the document executive. She apologised and assured me that I would have my welcome kit in a week.
The next day around noon Nikhil called me from Citibank and introduced himself as the Relationship Manager for Suvidha Accounts at Bangalore. He was calling in response to the call back request I had left at their customer care no. the previous day.
I narrated my experience all over again to him. He apologised for the inconvenience and went on to explain that it was a RBI mandate that no application should be processed without residence landline nos. Well I don’t know if this is correct but if it is, then if you intend opening a Suvidha Account with Citibank please make sure you have a residential landline first.
I have successfully opened accounts with ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank in the past without providing a residence landline no. Either this is a relatively new rule imposed by RBI or maybe other banks do not comply with RBI Directives. Whatever....... Nikhil assured me , now that I had provided all the possible contact nos., he would personally ensure that my account is opened in 2 days and that I get my account no. and welcome kit in 2-3 days.
While this was very reassuring and refreshing after all the unprofessional and indifferent experience I had had, this promise also turned out be a damp squib. Its been a week now after I spoke with Nikhil and my welcome kit or account no. is still elusive.
I spoke with Neelu today. She was extremely professional, polite and patient but helpless. She has once again assured me that my account will be opened today or by monday and that I will receive my welcome kit in a week.
Its sad that it takes 4 weeks and more, several frustrating phone calls, experience of interacting with unprofessional people and several false commitments and assurances to open an account with a New Generation Global Bank called CITIBANK.