Hum Hai Na - ICICI Bank

Hum Hai Na ( we are there for you) - that is the customer service theme of ICICI Bank and I had quite an experience of that recently .

The bank sent me a debit card for a replacement last year which I lost .I requested for a new card online sometime in February this year for which the bank charged 200+ Rs upfront. The bank asked for e mail id and mobile no upfront for logging the call.

When I did not receive the card till April , I decided to complain. I got an e mail response that the courier has returned because I was not available at home and that I need to call the courier via the call centre . Now ICICI Bank call centers and their IVR menu is the last thing that I want to turn to as on an average it takes 15 minutes to half an hour to talk to an agent. I waited and again complained after a fortnight. This time the response was that the card has been deposited in the bank branch and I should collect it from there. I simply refused this as I wanted the card to be delivered to my home.

A fortnight passed and I again complained .This time the response was that the card has been destroyed as nobody collected it.I was really annoyed .The bank has taken a service charged , did not deliver the service and got the card destroyed unilaterally without making any attempt to contact me .Why has the bank taken my mobile no then?

I complained again and response this time was that the card cannot be delivered as my pin code is out of service area. I was really turned up now and finally reluctantly decided to call ICICI Bank call centre. Their response was that they cannot send the card by courier as the pin code is not serviceable and that they are sending it by post instead which may take a fortnight. This after I threatened the bank that I'll complain to RBI , Indian banking regulator. The other point is that I do not buy this not serviceable pin code theory as I have received courier and other letters from the bank itself. Moreover I live in a prominent locality.

Finally after ten days it was party time for me as I received the debit card .The joy was however short lived.

Among the plethora of letters along with the card , there was a letter mentioning that the card needs to be activated .Further I could expect a PIN in ' next seven days' for the card which I never received .As per the letter there are two ways to activate the card: By submitting a form at the branch or through the call centre .

I decided to call the call centre .The number of the call centre was mentioned in the letter.

This sequence for these calls is amazing and precisely why I want to avoid calling.

First Attempt

As per IVR , I apparently exceeded the maximum number of attempts .The call hung up.

Second Attempt

As per IVR , I again exceeded the maximum number of attempts .The call hung up.

Third Attempt

This time I was lucky as I could talk to an agent. He mentioned to me that the system was down and that he cannot check the details .He apologized and asked me to try after half an hour.

Fourth Attempt

I tried after one hour . I chose unblock for card option in IVR which I made out is equal to activation of a card .This is confusing.

The call centre executive mentioned that I have called wrong service number as that number is not for NRI services. I told him that this was the number mentioned in the letter sent to me and the agent apologized .He nevertheless connected me to the 'right agent'.

The 'right agent' took my details and told me shockingly I cannot activate the card through the call centre. When I confronted him and mentioned about the letter that I had received - he apologized. He also mentioned that I can request for password only when the card is activated. He suggested that I could write to the Manager online through my bank account and get the card activated which I did.

I'm now free to ask for another service from the bank - password for the card!

The net result - seven months after I requested for a debit card replacement , I have got a card which is not activated and I'm still awaiting for the password .

The effort and money ( my mobile bill) that I have to make for a simple service is really amazing. This in fact is not first of it’s kind experience.

ICICI Bank is anyways not known for service. If one visits a branch you can cool your heels for half an hour as you'll be in 'Q' for average that much time.

If you try call centre be sure of getting conflicting answers and frustration as you'll have to wait for at least 15-20 min to talk to an agent. Moreover no two agents will give the same response.

I'm moving away from the bank and will try for some others.

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Singh is King

I watched the Drama that unfolded on 22nd July in the Indian parliament , I was wondering the nuclar deal could have been completed at a later date as well.So what was the hurry? Was it a masterstroke or a gamble that paid off in the end for the Congress?

One thing is clear that the INC ( Congress) was working on for months together to garner support and that it was quite confident of winning the trust vote.

There can be various possibilities why congress chose to part ways with the Left and go for the trust vote .Some of them may be:

• It wanted to divert attention from the 'price rise/inflation issue'. The issue had to be dragged for weeks together and should be substantial enough
• It was waiting for the right time and allies to jettison the Left . It got the allies and the issue.
• It wanted opposition to split ranks so that it can gain some allies before the election.
• It hoped that it can hype the achievement and hope to gain some votes in incoming elections.
• Dr.Singh wanted to leave behind a big ticket achievement for himself as his legacy . This of course assuming that the government thinks that it has little hope to win the next election
• The congress being the core Left opposition party in states ruled by them did not want to go to elections with the Left and wanted to carve out an identity of itself before the elections.
• It was impossible to run the government with the left and July was the right time to jettison them and do what congress always wanted . As there can be only one no trust motion in a session the government was sure that elections would not be called early , at least not in 2008.
  

For a person who has been ridiculed as ' weakest Prime Minister ' by the opposition ,Dr. Singh has proved that he's exactly opposite. I never had any doubts about tenacity of a person who stirred India clear in early 90's financial mess and opened economy in face of stiff opposition. I think his soft speak and mild manners have been taken for as weakness. I do not think that there is any example in India's history of such a gamble by any PM.

The real reason may be clear in the future .

Opposition Parties

BJP - They opposed the deal just for the sake of it . This is going to go against them . The deal no doubt is good for the country.I'm really disappointed by their attitude as India's opposition party.

What happens next?

Kick start of the reforms process .Expect some disinvestments and administrative measures and if the government is bold enough some legislations as well. Remember the first substantial phase of the reforms in early 90's was carried out in flat 100 days . Government has the time to carry out reforms that it wants.