This month (March) again Citibank debited my account for about the same amount and service charges plus taxes. This time when I checked the balance in the ATM and instantly bashed the Citiphone from the ATM helpline, there were two type of responses:
CitiPhone Executive 1: He banged the phone immediately and then called me over my mobile claiming that the line got disconnected but he was trying to explain that nothing can be done to reverse it or correct the blatant mistakes of the bank. He could not even check the previous conversational histories.
Phone Executive 2: During the previous month conversation, they used the term ‘Corporate Suvidha’ and now this guy used ‘Core Account’. I really wonder, if these guys would keep changing the account names that very frequently.
Again asking indiaservice@citicorp.com and going through the full hassles, by the start of April, the unwarranted debits got reversed.
With the help of Bank of India Fixed Deposit Online Calculator, I checked how much Citibank is liable to pay me for my money with them. Here is the breakup:
1) Amount per month: INR 513
2) Total Amount: INR 1026
3) Interest Rate for 42 days in Total: 5.5 [State Bank of India Fixed Deposit Rate at then period] [Source Courtesy: http://www.indiaatbest.com/fd_rates.htm]
4) Total Amount Payable to me: 1032
I have also requested Citiphone a clarification regarding the above. Let me check out the responses and keep you posted over the development and responses.
My collegue (Santosh Kumar Sinha) used to tell me that every month he faces a piquant problem with Citibank that inspite of his Citibank Account being a zero balance salary account, the bank deducts service charges for non-maintenance of minimum balance. They claim that the minimum balance is one lakh rupees.
June 18, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I can imagine what you going through. I have been through this numerous time myself for account statement, ERA cards, PIN numbers and what not. They have all sorts of crap policy and completely inefficient staff who can torment you to death without giving you a single penny you own. In fact they will start charging for making too many phone calls and complains. Could you imagine this demon charge 100 bucks for visiting branch office and asking for account statement.
For Rs. 100 our Indian Scheduled Banks would be on knees and treat me like Royal Monarch. Nonetheless, my company has forced CitiBank account on us for Salaries. I am sure some good under-table transactions have been made to push is in hollow hole.
http://paradoxpackets.wordpress.com/2007/06/08/p58/
With all sympathy and apathy,
Ken
February 12, 2009 at 8:35 am
This was an eye opener. You never revealed what happened in the end???
They do seem to have a bunch of complicated rules. So far, both HSBC and Citibank have been quite bad experiences in terms of excessive charges and vague rulings. HDFC and ICICI have been much more transparent.
I think RBI must act strict and let these foreign banks know that they cannot treat us as if they belong to East India Company!