Aug 05, 2002 06:30 PM
6409 Views
(Updated Aug 05, 2002 07:14 PM)
Having read another review by sprite, I thought he hadnt brought out the real con games that these people play on unsuspecting customers.
I was issued a Standard Chartered GOLD card andfor a while it was okay, it didn't get declined ever but I facde problems when seeing an ad for Sahara Air tickets if bought via SC Card could be paid off in installments of approx: 885 per month the customer just had to pay 3275 initially as I was due to travel I went to the Sahara Window, who made me fill out a lot of forms and kept advising me to instead avail of t he 7.5 % discount which too is available if u're a SC card holder, well in my fools paradise I still went ahead and bouth it on my insta buy scheme.
Then came the shocker while travelling I noticed that Rs 10,000 of my card limit had been blocked effectively depriving me of using my credit limit, I called the card people up and after 15 mins on an annoying waiting line on the phone got through, the customer service officer told me that since I had bought an insta buy whose value was Rs 10,500/- that was the reason my limit had been blocked, but I told them that they had already charged me rs 3275 from that Rs 10,500 /- SORRY SIR NO GO!! I could get the limit back Rs 885 per month as and when I paid the money on my insta buy scheme every month.
I also asked them whether I could see a customer service officer face to face and talk it out, they said that they didn't have that facility all I could do was talk to a person on the phonne! (I believe they have this because if any of them were to meet so many irate customers they will bee lynched).
Then came my monthly statement which gave me my miinimum due and also my insta bank due for the amount. These two payments were made and then another jolt to the system came when the next months statement arrived it said that I had not paid my insta buy account dues and they had charged me interest on it. When I got through to another customer service officer after the now familiar beeps and holds, they told me that I had to quote my insta but account no. while making the payment, when I asked them that then why had they put that amount on the same card statement and not asked me for a separate cheque or payment for it, they had nothing to say, so I asked her my dues in total for the insta bauy scheme and paid the whole amount at once, what I realized was that these guys were advertising installment payments but were blocking that amount from your credit limit, I always though if ure issued a credit card that the company trusts that you'll pay them so why were they denying me of my credit limiot. That wasn'tt the end of the story and my woes with the phone banking offiocers still continue, they still are charging me interest on my insta buy account every month even though I have paid it up all at once to get my limit freed up, but to no avail,
Also the absence of anyone whom a customer can meet is so frustrating how long can a person shout himself hoarse over the phone.
They had given me a special number which is exclusively for GOLD CARD members but the Mumbai one doesnt work.
Overall I am just not using this card anymore and wouldn't advise anyone to either, CITIBANK & HSBC are much better at handling issues and quickly resoling them
