Here is an e-mail trail of what I had to recently go through with Citibank to get them to open my ERA (Employee Reimbursement Account) for crediting expenses related to my work. Since this is an e-mail Trail, you would need to read from bottom to top.
(Name of my company and other personal details are disguised, but the name of the Citibank Representative and her e-mail ID is FOR REAL! Her name is Seema Jagdish and she the leading poor-customer-service-agent in Bangalore). {Had to omit a few e-mail responses because character limit for a review is 8000 characters}
From: Sameer Jain
Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2006 5:31 PM
To: Jagadish, Seema
Seema - I am surprised when you say that you have recieved my ERA Application Form only on Saturday 15-Apr-2006. I had dispatched the ERA Application form by internal courier on Wednesday 05-Apr-2006 itself.
Also, if providing one ID proof is a requirement, why was I not communicated about this at the time you sent the ERA Application form to me? That way, I could have dispatched the filled ERA Application form along with the necessary ID documents and avoided this needless further delay. That way, even you could have avoided this additional communication.
Another point is - you had told me that the ERA account was not opened along with my Suvidha account because that ERA option was not complete in the original account opening form. As I recall, I HAD filled in the request for ERA account along with the original application form. But even if we assume that if I did not fill in the ERA section, is it not your responsibility to check the application form and contact the MyWorkPlace Employee if any section is incompletely filled or missing? You know that every MyWorkPlace Employee must have a Suvidha Account AND an ERA account, right? So then why was it not pointed at the first instance itself that the ERA account information was missing? Why was a supposedly incomplete form sent to Chennai for processing resulting in only my Suvidha Account being created without creating any ERA account?
It has been over a month that I have been diligently following up with you (as witnessed in this email trail) and yet I have not been able to push my pain and have not been successful in getting an ERA account. I have repeatedly mentioned that I have over Rs. 100,000 in pending payments from MyWorkPlace (for my House Security Deposit Advance and initial stay expenses) - but that apparently has not been successful in communicating the importance or urgency of booking my ERA account asap.
Are you going to be accountable for the over one thousand rupees lost in potential interest? Will you be accountable for the pains I had to take to arrange the amount to pay the Security Deposit and the Initial Stay Expense credit card bill from my personal account? Will you be able to compensate for the time and effort I have spent in follow ups?
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From: Jagadish, Seema [mailto:seema.jagadish@citigroup.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2006 12:59 PM
To: sameer.jain@MyWorkPlace.com
Hi Sameer,
I have recieved your ERA application today (15/04/2006)
I request you to provide me 1 ID proof mentioned below,
1.Valid Passport
2.Valid Driver’s License
3.Valid Voter’s ID Card
4.Valid PAN Card
5.Valid Armed Forces ID card
6.Valid Food (Ration) Card with photograph for primary holde
You can also meet me in OTP between 6-8 pm (Citibank Helpdesk, 1st Floor next to HR dept desk 1A096, Extn 1094) Or can do internal courier to OTP from your location.
You can also fax it to me to 41123049 (request to call me on 41366426 and fax it to me.)
Thanks and warm regards,
Seema Jagadish
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From: Sameer Jain
Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 3:41 PM
To: Jagadish, Seema
Hi Seema,
You had said you would call back within 15 minutes (that was at 11:30 today), but I am yet to hear back. I tried to call, but my calls are not being picked up.
I am interested in knowing the status of my ERA account as I have over Rs. 1 lac in expense reimbursement pending with MyWorkPlace since over three weeks. Please let me know what would be the best way of knowing the status.
Regards,
Sameer
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From: sameer.jain@MyWorkPlace.com
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2006 3:41 PM
To: Jagadish, Seema
My office number is 4108
My cell number is 9980 169614.
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From: Jagadish, Seema [mailto:seema.jagadish@citigroup.com]
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2006 3:22 PM
To: sameer.jain@MyWorkPlace.com
Hi Sameer,
Request you to provide me your contact number.
Thanks and warm regards,
Seema Jagadish
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From: sameer.jain@MyWorkPlace.com
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2006 3:05 PM
To: Jagadish, Seema
Seema - I am getting a little iffy about the whole service. Could you please respond with the information, or if this is supposed to take a further while, please at least let me know the ETA.
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From: sameer.jain@MyWorkPlace.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 1:16 PM
To: Jagadish, Seema
Hi Seema,
Any updates on this?
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From: sameer.jain@MyWorkPlace.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 5:32 PM
To: Jagadish, Seema
Seema - I recieved my Suvidha Account welcome kit. Thanks.
Can I know when I will recieve my ERA account details?
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From: sameer.jain@MyWorkPlace.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 11:31 AM
To: Jagadish, Seema
Thanks much Seema.
Was this courier dispatched today? The Courier section at MyWorkPlace did not recieve any package yet.
Could you let me know when the courier was dispatched?
Regards,
Sameer
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From: Jagadish, Seema [mailto:seema.jagadish@citigroup.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 11:15 AM
To: Sameer Jain
Hi Sameer,
Account booked on 24/03/2006 and welcome kit has been despatched to below mentioned address,
Address:MyWorkPlace INDIA PVT LTD
BANNERGHATTA ROAD
City :BANGALORE
Pin Cd.:560076
Thanks,
Seema Jagadish
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From: sameer.jain@MyWorkPlace.com
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 6:03 PM
To: Jagadish, Seema
Hi Seema,
Has the account been activated yet? Please let me know my new ERA and Suvidha account number - as I have already mentioned, I need to submit this information to my Finance Department for a pending payout.
Regards,
Sameer
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Jagadish, Seema wrote:
Hi Sameer,
Regret for delay and inconvinience,
Account will be activated in next 2 working days.
Thanks,
Seema Jagadish
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From: sameer.jain@MyWorkPlace.com
Sent: Monday, March 13, 2006 10:10 AM
To: Jagadish, Seema
Hi Seema,
I joined MyWorkPlace on 28-Feb. Employee Number .
Can you please advise know by when my new Citibank Suvidha Account (and related ERA account) will be activated? I needed to claim my Housing Advance Deposit and hence the need to activate the account ASAP.
Regards,
Sameer Jain
(080-4108)
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