The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Banking Ombudsman helps bridge the gap

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 10, 2006
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Banking Ombudsman helps bridge the gap

M.L. Melly Maitreyi

Bank customers can register complaints with it for redressal of grievances

Deepali Pant Joshi

HYDERABAD: Nothing can be more annoying than hidden charges collected by banks from unsuspecting customers. Add to this, slapping of annual service charges by banks after wooing them with `free' credit cards.

Then there is over-billing, double debit, billing delays, pension disbursement, non-rectification of wrong bills, misleading advertisements and non-adherence to offers made. The list can go on.

But without fuming and fretting, customers can take complaints to the Banking Ombudsman for redressal.

With rising expectations, banking sector has no go but to raise the bar for customer service by being responsible and responsive, says the first woman banking ombudsman, Andhra Pradesh, and the first across India, Deepali Pant Joshi, who is a Chief General Manager in the Reserve Bank of India.

"It works both ways. In spreading awareness about ombudsman scheme for redressal of consumers' grievances, making it imperative for banks to provide efficient service to customers while winning trust and confidence of both customers and bankers in our service for impartial resolution of all complaints."

Accountability

The sector's accountability lines are getting blurred with rising competition, outsourcing through direct selling agents, high attrition rates and all this means more complaints, she says.

Her drive to improve awareness by addressing both bankers and customers across the State has yielded results.

While 720 complaints were received last year, this year so far 2,446 complaints were received. Of this, 2,182 were solved, 193 were under process and 71 were outside Ombudsman's limit of Rs. 10 lakhs.

Zero complaint zone

A majority of complaints were against State Bank of India and its associate banks in the public sector. Among private banks, complaints against ICICI bank credit cards are more, she says.

And most of them were again from Andhra and Hyderabad region, she said, adding that her aim was to make for a zero complaint zone.

Customer may either write their grievance, giving their addresses and that of the bank branch after the bank fails to address his concern or mail to www.bohyd@rbi.org.in.

The resolution time of grievance is two to three months, she says.

Ms. Deepali authored a work on Social Banking.

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