Brings tears to your eyes. Review on HDFC Bank

I sent this e-mail to Aditya Puri and Neeraj Swaroop - the mail speaks volumes about my experience.........

Dear Sir,

I recently opened a salary account with your Tulsiani Branch.The same was opened by you on 26/11/2002.

I received my welcome kit on 29/11/2002. From here on there was no looking back - amazing customer service - I don't know where to start.

Act 1) On 29/11/2002 (3:30 PM) I went to the branch to deposit my salary cheque - a HDFC Bank cheque given to me by my employer. At the branch was a dropbox with two slots - MICR and High Value. I asked the reception (this was my first visit to any HDFC Bank branch) where I should deposit the cheque - she looked towards the counter - the counter was empty and so she says ''no-one is at the counter, deposit the cheque in the box''.

I may not be a revered banker (like the staff at your counter) but I do know that High Value and MICR are not the same as a transfer cheque. Having heard horror stories about HDFC bank drop-boxes that punish customers who put wrong cheques in the wrong slot, I decided to wait for the counter to be manned.

Behind the counter, staff was diligently working on their terminal - diligently ignoring a customer standing around waiting to be served - waited for about 15-20 minutes - the receptionist and staff diligently ignoring me - their consistency is commendable.

I saw a ray of hope when some staff walked by - so in my naivety I requested them to accept my cheque - most of them ignored me - one looked my way tentatively - she took a couple of steps forward and then three steps backward - I once again pleaded that someone take my cheque - I guess my plight seemed to have sparked off some pity - she immediately called an office boy and my cheque was accepted. Amazing, considering that the branch was empty at this time.

Act 2) Being averse to a signature based debit card, I had requested for a Mastercard Maestro debit card in my account opening - I had requested two cards - for the joint holder as well.

The welcome kit contained one debit card - Visa Electron. I called your call center on Saturday - Nov 30, 2002. - a pleasant voice informed me that they would look into the matter and call me on Monday. On Monday I called up to find out the status - another pleasant voice asked me - ''who did you speak to'' - is speaking to HDFC Bank enough or need I keep track of the thousands of individuals in HDFC Bank?? Once again I had to repeat my story - I want my card to be changed to a Maestro - once again the pleasant voice of HDFC Bank informed me that someone would contact me on Tuesday and that the forms are to be retrieved from the Branch (the Branch claims that the forms are to be retrieved from some centralised black hole).

Act 3) no call from the pleasant voices of HDFC Bank so visit the Tulsiani Branch - reached at around 230 PM today (Tuesday - Dec 3, 2002). The Branch has about 5-6 customers. See a pleasant guy at the reception - asked him to assist me - please meet Sujata Nair - I went to meet Ms. Nair as instructed - the seat is empty. After waiting for some time I asked the person in the adjacent seat for assistance - she informs me that I have to wait for Sujata Nair. I paced the Branch a few dozen times - no-one looks up from what they were doing - once again the consistency is evident.

I returned to the reception wrote a complaint in the visitor's book - the girl and the guy at the reception seem highly trained at ignoring customers - they ignored me.

After being ignored for some time I returned to the reception - bent my card in two and returned the card to the reception - I informed them that I would be writing to you - that's what seemed to have prompted the guy to have jumped from his seat - another lady at the reception continued her animated discussion with the armed guard. This guy suddenly tells me please talk to Sujata - I informed him that Sujata was not there - please talk to Daisy - Daisy had refused to help me !! As I walked out, Sujata was pulled out of a hat and presented before me - I told her my problem - she gave me a very apathetic response - we will check you form and revert - obviously the IQ levels of your customers are so low that we do not know how to fill a form!! The attitude of the entire Branch (Sujata Nair, Daisy, the girl and the guy at the reception and the staff diligently ignoring me) was a disgrace.

Act 3) I requested for net banking in my account opening form - the same was not processed - I had to reapply through phone banking

Act 4) the pleasant voice on phone banking asked me for my contact number to get back to me (refer act 2) - I asked if my cell number was stored in the system - a prompt response - NO - in the evening I received a mobile commerce guide - the letter had my mobile number printed on it - if my number is not stored how was this generated ?? The HDFC Bank attitude at work!!!

Do you have a response for all this - I would be interested in knowing why this has happened - was it because I was a fool to open an account with Tulsiani, Nariman Point?? Do you have any solutions - I doubt it - as long as you have staff like this I will transfer the salary I receive immediately into my other bank accounts! So what if one more customer walks out???