Recently, i had a need for getting a dd of nationalised banks alone, for applying to an engineering institution. Since i have a very satisfactory experience with hdfc bank on dd requests over internet banking, i thought that i could make a dd request at sbi internet banking. I should not have done that; i ended up with a very bad experience.
I made a dd request with sbi on 5.1.2010. On the same day, i made 2 dd requests with hdfc bank. While making dd request at the sbi website, customer is given the choice of "collecting the dd from the branch" or "getting it couriered". I chose the "courier" option. On 7.1.2010, i got the hdfc bank’s dds couriered to me. I waited for some more days, but i did not receive the sbi dd.
On 12.1.2010, i made a complaint using the complaint form on the sbi homepage. I received an automated reply, and nothing else happened. Since i could not wait any longer, i made alternate arrangements for payment. On 13.1.2010, i sent an email to complaints.homepage@sbi.co.in, saying that i no longer needed the dd and that the amount may be credited to my sb account. This again, evoked no response.
On 19.1.2010, while i was browsing through the sbi internet banking site, after logging in, i saw the "customer care" tab, where there was facility to post tickets. So, i posted a ticket. The next day, there was response for the ticket, asking me "to kindly visit the branch with journal number 026952661 and get the actual status for the said transaction". I replied that my very purpose of choosing "courier option" was to avoid visiting the branch, and hence there was no point in asking me to visit the bank. This evoked no response. My subsequent postings also did not evoke any response.
On 4.2.2010, after a whole month, i received the dd from the branch. Since the dd is not useful to me now, i am going to sending it back.
There are two observations:
Sbi should have a centralised system for couriering the dd. The branch should not be asked to do it.
The "customer care" in the internet banking is not at all looking at the ticket after the first response. They have to look at the customer’s feedback also.
Sbi’s internet banking system stinks.