I just wanted to share some recent personal experieneces I recently have had with this bank - I have been banking with them for at least the past 8 years and man I think they have gone down hill from those days.
In one recent transaction , they actually preseneted a cheque before the valid date !! have you ever heard of anyting like it ? And to add insult to injury they actually levied a fine when the cheque got returned ! M yet to hear from them on why they actually presented the cheque before the due date.
In a second incident , this in Mumbai - I urgently needed to make a payment but had no cheque book with me since I have recently relocated . I requested them to make a draft (not cash) but they very nicely refused to do so ! Secuirity reasons the bank said ! Hence no drafts without a chequebook .
I suggested that they use a withdrawal slip or something else or just raise a debit from my account but no sir , this bank really likes to guard your money so ... at the end of it I was reduced to withdrwaing 25 k in cash every day over the next few days and then paying it into my HSBC account and then getting a payorder .( Incidentally HSBC does NOT require a chequbook - very nice of them ) .
Later I found out that there is a provision of an emergency chequbook too - but then the branch just forgot to tell me about it .
Insane - no just customer service HDFC Bank style ! You know I have been told that I should really look at SBI - I believe they have become quite good .... I am stuck with this bank cos of a salary account but intend to move the money to HSBC every moth - far easier to deal with !
My recommendation - if you can put up with this kind of weirdness - go ahead and use em else - move !
Rahul