HDFC Bank Review – From the Desk of Classic Customer

I would like to share some of the horrible service of HDFC Bank to classic customers. Yes you heard it right. I am one of the classic customers in HDFC Bank and yet experiencing horrible services.

1. Locker Charge Issue

I have three accounts in HDFC Bank Moulali Branch. Personal savings account, joint account with my wife which is mainly used as my wife’s bank account and personal current account.

Apart from the bank accounts I also have a locker in the same branch. The charge for small locker is 1500 Rs per year for normal customers and 750 per year for classic customers i.e. 50% discount for classic customers. I am a classic customer for more than a year now but in April 2011 I was charged locker rent for normal customer.

As of now just make a note that I am charged 10% as service tax and 0.3% as education cess as well on 1500 Rs.

As expected I called up my personal banker (yes classic customers have a personal banker) and within 2 weeks 750 was refunded back.

You may be wondering what the issue is. The issue is the service tax and education cess that should have been refunded as well without saying i.e. Rs 75 and Rs 2.25. I asked my personal banker when this will be reversed and they always say it will be reversed soon. After following up for last 5 months with 3 of my personal banker in Moulali branch I could not get Rs 75 refunded.

2. The Power to Branch Manager

In October 2010 I did a telegraphic transfer of 5000 USD or 2.23 lacs. The cost as convinced to me by branch manager was 1000 Rs but as I was a classic customer at that time I was told that I would get the same discount of 50% and so will only be charged 500 Rs but as expected I was charged Rs 1000 and after following up with the branch manager for 4-5 months the response that I finally got was. It cannot be done. If I would have been THE BRANCH MANAGER I would have deposited 500 bucks into my customers account before saying such words because you are not a sales guy but a branch manager.

I could not generate the statement online for the transactions older than 6 months and so here is the screenshot from the pdf statement that they send.

So each time my personal banker introduces me to the new HDFC Bank products I simply say a big NO with reference to the above incidence. I am still having my account and the locker with HDFC Bank and is planning to get locker closed as soon as I could but still being a bit lazy.

Share your experiences with HDFC Bank in comments below.