Yes, I totally agree with you in principle, i.e. multiple banking is the need of the hour and we are in such a time that even, sorry especially, bankers can’t be trusted with our money .
I’ve had similar experiences.
ICICI has great policies and is one of India’s modern and pro customer banks. The people sitting at the counters, well they aren’t really that ‘procustomeristic’. They are we Indians who believe that since they are sitting on the other side of the counter and since they are handling the money, and since they are in a relatively great looking work environment they are above everything else.
Thus what is meant as a well-intended pride in their organization ends up turning into, many a times, a very cheap display of snobbishness.
Canara Bank is great with its old world charm and is better off then most of the other but, I do agree with you, its ATMs should come with a Statuary Warning: The ATM may not function in order to irritate you.
SBI should stop wasting money on advertisements and blowing its own trumpet and consequently its nose in the face of the customers.
Since the RTI is out, will anyone ask SBI who is footing the bill of its advertisements? I’ve, what I think, surely paid my share of it.
I requested for an account with the chequebook facilities. I wasn’t issued the chequebook and yet my account was still treated like a chequebook and Rs. 150 was charged for not maintaining the required minimum balance of Rs. 150(Rupees One hundred and Fifty Only).
Canara Bank incidentally charges Rs. 10(Rupees Ten Only.)
To top it all, the SBI charges Rs. 30 for a booklet of 10 cheques. It’s good that they didn’t give me the chequebook, as that might be the final straw.
Service? Well since the ‘ service charges’ are equivalent to the private banks, the SBI rests on them in order to keep up the challenge with the private sector bank by providing the shoddiest service possible. Be it depositing, withdrawing money, or even getting the passbook entries filled in, everything is a trial of your patients. Another Statuary Warning required: Doctors, Beware! You might be rendered jobless as we might take away all your patients!
Also, be ready to shell out 2 hours and Rs. 220 / -(Rupees Two Hundred and Twenty Only) if you want to close your account. I was charged that much. I have the passbook, along with the entry, though it shows ‘Cash payment ’ and not ‘charges for closing the account ’ to prove it. So if I try raising the matter up then the Bank can turn around and say that it made a ‘Cash Payment ’ of Rs. 220 /- to me.
And we all thought that it was only the illiterate borrower of the movie who was made to put his thumb impression and harried for life by the money - lender.
We, the customers of SBI - or I an ex – customer, are worse off as it’s us or I respectively, that are lending the money.
Of course, chronically ill and non-functional ATMs don’t actually matter as soon enough the customers are going to cry fowl, sacrifice their 220/-, and get rid of their SBI account.
Amen to that.