Adding a co-applicant. Review on ICICI Bank

I am not giving a good title because, most of them have already taken up the best words as titles that they can use to express the worst banking service like ICICI.

To set the context, I am trying to add my mother as co-applicant in my 7 year old ICICI bank account. Initially I had this opened in Chennai and later moved to Bangalore. I have hardly used ICICI's service other than using it for booking railway tickets, even for which it fails many times.

I stay in KR puram and the closest that customer support (ICICI has the worst waiting time and chaotic IVR) informed is Marathahalli branch ICICI.

There are 4 ladies in ICICI Marathahalli, who seem to control most of the activities and they hardly know any process even that of ICICI's. They call or ping each other and ask. That’s pathetic. In fact if you tell them “I don’t understand why this process is”, their cool reply is “You don't have to understand, just hear what I say”.

SUCH RASH and ARROGANT ladies!

The guys there seem to be low grade workers and 1 security who thinks himself as first class commando and gives a pedophile look.

There is a pregnant lady, who's a north Indian, very fair, she is the most arrogant and worst of all the ladies there. She does not even know the basic manners of being front-ending the ICICI. I wonder how she is been in this profession. Above all she does not have any banking knowledge at all.

Let me come back to the actual stuff.

I had been visiting today ICICI for the 3rd day to add my mother as co-applicant.

First time, I went on a Saturday mostly for enquiry. They said they wanted 2 photos of my mom, 1 election card as id proof and my passport along with my the co-applicant.

Ok, agreed!

Second time went on a Wednesday, I was said the documents I carry are insufficient and I do not have any proof that I am son of my mother. RIDICULOUS. Also I was said I had to bring my local address proof. (To mention this, I had spent couple of days to the bank to change my local address, so I get my mails delivered properly)

Third time on a Friday. After waiting with the token for 15 mins, the fair lady said someone will be assisting me and sent me with him. That buggar did not know anything, he called some other person, "Anna which form I need etc" to another person. After 30 mins he got some forms printed and came to us.

He collected the docs and said he needs my PAN Card, 1 photo of mine and again asked that he needs a letter that I am son of my mother. This guy did not even have the brains to see my passport where my mother's name was mentioned. I pointed this to him and finally he said OK. But what about the passport photo of mine and PAN card, they did not inform me.

Hmm... I knew this will happen, so that’s why I had taken all the originals from my school certificate to my current employment papers. F!!!

He did get my sign in 10 different places, took Xerox of all original docs (he said he can't take the Xerox we are having) and got the signs on it too. The whole process repeated for my mother's signature too. This went for 20 mins.

He took the complete bunch of papers to the fair pregnant lady and she did make him wait for 5 minutes and then whispered something to him. This lady called me and said I can't add my mother as co-applicant because I had a demat account liked with my savings account. WTF.

I was totally confused and asked her what is that to do with this. (FYI I had never used this demat account and this came as a result when the guy first opened the account ticked some box in the form saying that it’s free at the time of account opening and until now I was just paying the yearly charges.)

Anyway they have a separate Demat account and then they have a separate password for that too. Moreover I am adding my mother as the co-applicant. I demanded a reason. She said she does not have a reason and this is the process.

I asked is this an ICICI or an RBI mandate. She said it’s from RBI. (I googled for quite an hour but could not find any such mandate from RBI)

I could not argue further, this pregnant white lady called the other Neha to support her and both yelled at me that I should have found this before. Or I should have known this before. This is absolutely ridiculous. I said do whatever needs to be done cancel it and add my mother as co-applicant.

Neha and the pregnant white lady she said I need to go to ICICI securities in Airport road to disable (takes 7 days) this Demat account.

This does not end the story, I should come back here to delink the Trading account (takes 7 days) and only after that I can add my mother. I was also surprised to know that Demat account is different from Trading account, but both are the same in terms of the number.

I strongly curse and spit the two ladies fair (pregnant) lady and Neha and then Lakshmi for irritating by saying, this is ICICI rule, and if you want you can close the account.

Definitely I am going to close the account but not before posting it to mouthshut.com. WE wasted about 2 hours of our time and 3 trips to ICICI. And this only increased my BP level.

Let me try to find the fair/white complexioned lady's name and then post. The men there are women with pant and shirt.

Review specific on ICICI-Marathahalli near Staples but this is the same with all other ICICI branches.