I have been a loyal customer of ICICI bank and have had an account with them for the past 5 yrs. I like their website as it is quite user-friendly. It was until I had to request for a DD online. The first 2 experiences were good and I received them within 2 days of applying. The 3rd time, I had to call up 7 times (yes, and each time you have to go through some 5 menus and punch a hundred things. I am even ok with that if it gets sorted out) and told my story all over again to each executive that was on the phone. They said, the DD has gone to the Branch. If I had to get a draft from the branch, why would I take the trouble to go online and request is beyond me. Finally, I received it. This time again, I requested a DD. I followed up wth the Bank today.
After going through the IVR, I finally managed to reach a customer care exe. He said my details were not recorded properly, so I have to go through the same process again to get to him. This time, I got another executive called Ravi. I had got an sms from ICICI saying that I should get the DD in 4 working days. The SR status online also stated the same. Ravi told me it would take 8 working days. He called me back to give the contact number of the Courier service without the Tracking number, and I had to call back ICICI again. After the rigmarole, a lady called Kavitha was on the line.
Now, she tells me I was not at my residence and the DD has gone to my branch. I said, all the times, the landlord has been receiving on my behalf as I have got them in the past 3 cases and we stay in the same address. To cancel the DD also, I have to go to the Branch. Then she updated me that it has happened in the past too. I came to know only now that my earlier DD had gone back to the branch as I was not there. None of their executives told me this earlier and I had got the DD door delivered. When I questioned this, she said, pls be on the line, kept me listening to some music and then she uttered three times, pls respond to the call. What call I don’t know as I was the one calling her up. I kept asking her, "Kavitha what is happening. What call are you talking about?" She hung up saying since you did not respond to the call, I am hanging up. Pls call back ICICI again and left me really frustrated.
I am not one of those customers who shout at customer care exceutives, but the experience with Kavitha left me with a bitter taste. We don’t do online banking because we want to go to the Branch, but because we want to avoid running around. None of the executives seem to have the same reason for a request being not honoured. The bank has my details, they should have given me a call if I am not at my residence or co-ordinate with the Courier Service guys where they have such a mechanism of informing the customer. The solution they gave me was to ask one of my family members to go to the branch if I cannot. I also ask ICICI, why do you have internet banking?