HDFC's Delayed Response even when customers decide to compromise for the peace of mind despite inconvenience caused to them

Not withstanding HDFC Bank's reluctance to extend genuine regrets for the inconvenience and harassment caused to me because of unjustified reduction of the principal amounts of my FDs without my consent, I have in the spirit of not spoiling our long relationship compromised as suggested by them. But even then they are showing their indifference in delaying their final response. Every time they are asking me more time to give the final resolution. And if they continue the never ending delay to resolve the matter, I may actually change my mind.

 The last option offered by HDFC was - the Bank can credit the amount of TDS deducted and interest loss due to this in my Savings Account and the tax due till date shall be deducted thereafter. I told them that I can consider this option if HDFC could confirm in writing that without signing the form ( Customer Consent on TDS recovery from CASA.doc) , the Bank will ensure that the same problem will not occur again. After all how many customers have signed such a form ? As far as I know nobody from my circle has done that.

Never have the principal amount of my FDs been reduced like this to recover tax in the presence of sufficient funds in my account even when the threshold limit was crossed. Once again I would like to stress that it was the duty of HDFC Bank to inform me before doing so and if there was any change of policy then all the more the same should have been communicated through your website or mails to customers. But HDFC neglected the fact that communication must be sent to the customer.

I would like to stress again on the point that in the future too HDFC Bank has no right whatsoever to break the FDs of customers without their consent. I repeat the tax should be deducted from the account at the time of crediting the interest of the FD to the account.

Vodafone- Pathetic Customer Service !

I just posted again on Vodafone India FB page describing how utterly disappointed I am in their not following up on my case that was left incomplete in June 2015 only to surface again today. Let's see how they respond to this case on the same subject this time but from past experiences I doubt that they would resolve it once and for all.

Vodafone continues to show insensitivity and carelessness in dealing with customers. As it is the last case on the same subject lies unresolved as after that nobody from Vodafone's highest authority levels got in touch with me to follow up on my complaint. There was no follow up. There was no thorough investigation and judgement was given by them without verification. I have all the mails till now. They were supposed to be investigating the false feedback of their specialised care team but all they did was giving me fake assurances when actually from the beginning till the end they supported the lies of their teams and defended them all the way. This is a total let down ! 

Not only that but my request that their specialised care team apologise to me in writing for giving false feedback was also ignored. Not only is Vodafone incapable of delivering fair resolutions but Vodafone does not even believe in sincerely apologising to their customers in writing for the deep stress and harassment they cause to their customers. 

Vodafone does not ever take responsibility of their careless actions in recent years and they do not address or complete their cases. The grievances I had regarding this subject in June this year were not addressed effectively and the case was left incomplete because of which I am facing the same problem again.

Leave alone giving damages for all the loss of time, money and peace of mind they caused me, they were not even willing to apologise to me in writing or ensure that I would not be threatened like this again. As I have been repeating from June, I had already visited the Noida Sector 18 Vodafone store with the updated documents on June 3rd 2015 and the store staff also confirmed the same, but Vodafone Nodal and Appellate refused to believe that as they chose to be partial and loyal to their so called specialised care team who gave them false feedback. As I said earlier on, I have evidence to prove that I visited the store. And this time Vodafone is again provoking me to take this to Court. 

I expect justice to be served and for once Vodafone to take a fair stand and carry out a proper investigation so that it could be proved that their teams were lying. Now this is a matter of principles for me...and I am very serious about ensuring that  the truth is uncovered. Thereafter I want a written apology letter to be posted to me and then maybe Vodafone can expect co-operation of some kind from me. Till then I have warned them that if my phone services are interrupted again then this matter will be escalated further than where it went last time. Vodafone cannot be after me every three months to verify my identity with documents when I have already done so many times till June 2015 itself. This is pure harassment and discrimination !

VODAFONE ATTACKS AGAIN ! - Harassment continues even after submitting updated documents in June 2015

I have written again to Nodal as well as Appellate Authority directly today as the way their so called specialised Vodafone care team and customer services handled my case in June 2015 has made me lose faith in their customer services.

I am being harassed again on the same subject as I was harassed back in June. I had escalated the matter then till the Appellate and all of them did not even investigate the matter thoroughly  before giving a resolution. I was harassed beyond comprehension even after submitting updated documents for my connection on the 3rd of June 2015 at the Sector 18 Noida Vodafone office. Vodafone specialised care team gave false feedback to cover their carelessness.

I have evidence to prove my statement in the court of law. Back then I did not go to Court but this time I may have to.

Now once again Vodafone specialised  customer services team is threatening to disrupt my services when I have already submitted documents in June this year.

Vodafone has no right to continuously threaten me every three to four months. This is pure discrimination ! I have reminded them so many times already that I visited Vodafone Store in June 2015 with updated documents. But they just don't listen !
I will have to consider taking them to Court if they suspend my account again.

Vodafone First investigate the case on the same subject thoroughly and fix responsibility on your specialised care team for giving you wrong feedback to hide their carelessness and then only can we discuss my submitting the documents for the second time this year. FIRST DO YOUR JOB PROPERLY & then I shall co-operate again !

FIXED DEPOSITS WITH HDFC AT RISK !

Here is yet another complaint against HDFC's way of handling our FDs. I could really relate to it as our family has faced the same problem. This is absolutely not fair that Banks are allowed to play with the principal amount of our FDs in the name of deducting tax.
Please visit a very well written article on this on Money Life -

http://www.moneylife.in/article/now-even-your-fixed-deposit-principal-may-be-at-risk/4540.html

HDFC & other Banks should not be given the power to break the principal amount of FDs to recover taxes when there is sufficient balance in the account to deduct the tax from !

Are Banks allowed to break the principal amount of as many of your FDs to recover taxes in the presence of sufficient balance in the account even in the so-called breach of interest threshold limit ?

Does one have to sign the Customer Consent on TDS Recovery from CASA Form to protect the principal amount of your FDs from being broken by the Bank ?

Such questions as above are prevailing in the minds of many customers specially in the absence of any clear instructions of the RBI to the customers through their respective banks. The Banks have not informed the same to the customers through their websites or individual mails which is resulting in a lot of problems as the customer feels insecure about continuing having Fixed Deposits when RBI is allowing the banks to continuously break the principal amount of the customers without the authority or approval of the customers. Now one cannot even be sure if this is a new policy of the banks or the banks are simply implementing the rules of RBI. HDFC Bank's Taxation team is breaking a lot of FDs without the knowledge of the customers in the name of such a rule passed by RBI whereby the principal amount of FDs are being broken to recover taxes even in the presence of sufficient funds in the accounts. Now one wonders who is right here...

But something like this has never happened before...I am doing a research on that and conducting a survey as well on FB. Let's see what we come up with ! But whatever said and done FDs are supposed to be the most secure investments customers can have and they should not be easily broken without the consent of the customer !

HDFC is incapable of handling customer complaints fairly and correctly

HDFC always adopts a rigid and insensitive approach in addressing the problems of customers. In this recent case of their taxation team breaking the original principal  amount of the FDs without informing the customer , yet again they have demonstrated their lack of tact and lack of sensitivity in handling customer related matters. According to HDFC what is done is done and they want to quickly find a way of getting out of this situation without being nailed.

They are actually quite insensitive to all the problems and inconvenience caused to their customers by the actions of their teams every time. I have escalated the matter far enough and it has reached Ombudsman. Before that their Regional Office, Grievance Redressal and Nodal Principal Officer had thoroughly disappointed me with their indifferent attitude. They were actually collectively trying to suppress the entire matter when actually it is the right of the customer to go to the next level of the complaint process if not met with a satisfying resolution. They have been sending me back and forth to the various levels and access channels handling complaints so that I get tired and give up on my case.

Suddenly HDFC is interested in negotiating but  their reaction is quite delayed as I have already wasted a month on this matter as nobody was addressing it correctly. In fact in the beginning they had even closed the matter against the docket number given before it even went to the second level and I had to get the case revived after several more complaints.  What is the idea of posting information regarding different access channels of complaint on their website, when they do not allow the customer to access them in reality ? Their proposals offered to me even today are basically favouring their team and not really meeting my expectations. HDFC does not value it's customers at all ! 

HDFC Bank's Taxation Team given free hand to play around with people's FDs

Irrespective of any policy  changes they may claim, deducting money from  FDs original principal amount and that too without the customer's knowledge is totally  unacceptable when there is another way to recover the tax on the interest i.e. from the account at the time of crediting that interest to the account. When there is sufficient balance in the account, they have no right whatsoever to recover taxes on the interests given on FDs from the principal amount of the FDs. FDs are supposed to be secure and locked investments from a customer's point of view and nobody had the right to break those FDs except the customer.

HDFC  taxation team is suddenly messing up people's FDs with delayed recovery of taxes on the interests of the FDs and thus creating problems through these complicated transactions when they could simply recover that tax by deducting it from the account.

At this rate, they are being given the power to continuously reduce the principal amount of FDs whenever and as they feel like which can result in unpleasant banking experience for the customer. Their tax deductions have to be clean and smooth like before as well as within the boundaries of the usual procedures.

Having FDs with HDFC had always been a secure and pleasant experience but this recent episode had left me very discontented and insecure regarding my investments with their Bank. I mean to take this up with whoever  has brought about this drastic and negative change in the way HDFC deals with a customer's investment and hopefully try to influence any of their seniors who have the power to reverse this change as such complicated deductions by their taxation team can negatively affect the Bank's relationship with their customers .No customer would like their FDs to be touched like this without his/ her consent even if they had swipe FDs. The taxation team is not even stating who gave them the authorisation to deduct money from the original principal amount of the FDs specially in the presence of sufficient balance in the account. As it is they should recover taxes on the interests given on the FDs at the appropriate time and not later.

I have voiced my concerns. And I hope that something is done about it ! Their Grievance Redressal Cell's resolution and stand on the matter only reflects their commitment to their team and not the customer. Let's see what the Nodal Office does...

One has the Right to  Information and ask for answers specially when your investments are concerned. If nothing else responsibility has to be fixed on the people concerned for the careless and inefficient way they handle our accounts.

Every Bank be it HDFC, Deutsche Bank, HSBC or Citibank has shortcomings but the true character of any Bank comes forward in how they follow up and address the complaints effectively. Fair resolutions must be delivered !