Unfortunately for me, my family has a long standing association with SBI which clearly indicates the masochistic streak that runs in our genes. I used to think that the appalling service was specific to students when I used to stand in the cashier’s line for hours just to get my highly valuable 500 rupees but it turns out that SBI cares very little for most people. However it might just be that students get the worst deal, which is rather a shame because its the same students who grow up to be millionaires....or er..so i’m still hoping. I recall sometimes waiting at an empty cashier’s booth while every employee in the bank crossed by me, but not one person could be bothered enough to locate the cashier let alone ask me if I needed any assistance. For all they care I could be a human bomb just standing around waiting to detonate. and in some sense I really was....very rarely has my blood pressure been pushed to such limits.
Loyalty means nothing to them; neither does money it seems, unless it pours in during their ridiculous work hours which pretty much amounts to the 2 hours before lunch and an hour after lunch...lunch being the operative word.
But here’s the joke of the year. It seems SBI has yet to discover what ATM stands for. Walking into several of its gloomy and shabby little branches, one is greeted by a badly handwritten sign pleading for customers to apply for an ATM card to relieve the cashier of his/her strenuous task(nudge, nudge, wink, wink). After waiting till your retirement, your card finally arrives and as you sigh in relief that you can now access your money without being late for work in the morning ( did I mention that SBI only opens at 9.30 in the morning?! how useful....for housewives.), you soon discover that most SBI ATM machines are INSIDE the banks and as soon as the bank shuts, so does the ATM. wow, how useful is THAT? yeah, I would find that hilariously stupid, if I wasn’t one of the misfortunate holders of such a useless card.
It’s a shame to have to say it and know that half the employees of SBI don’t even care...they’re like little clockwork machines, waiting for 3 pm so they can lock up and go home...but seriously, someone in these banks really needs to wake up; no customer enjoys feeling invisible. Even burying my money in my back garden seems like a better option.