Hi,
Just now got my money back from SBI that was debited from my account due to the ghost debiting.It all started yesterday when Mr.Anil Partekar called me from SBI Mumbai, he is the person in charge of SBI cards.He told me that he will try and credit back the amount within an hour and call, but i didn't get a call from him so i called him a few hours later.He picked the call and said he was unable to contact my branch and so will do it the next day (that is today). this morning he called me and said he will contact my branch and settle the matter by today and as per his word he called me 15 minutes ago and said that the amount has been credited, i cross-verified it online.I really appreciate the fact that such a senior person took this much interest and solved my issue, he also told me that i can call him any time if i have some issues.
But the person whom i owe a lot is Ms.L.N.Revathy, she is the person who wrote the article in Hindu Business Line about my problem, if not for that it would have taken me a lot longer to get my money back. As i promised i won't stop with this i will still fight against this inter bank ATM trouble and help others, will update about my further course of action in my next post.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
ATM vs ME (season 2)
Hi,
I don't know what is with me and ATMs they simply don't give me cash.After my long battle with ICICI now it's the turn of SBI. A few days back i was in urgent need of a large sum of money due to a medical emergency and so i rushed to the SBI ATM near my house but to my shock it was "out of order" and so i opted to use the near by IOB atm, but in the back of my mind the old ICICI-HDFC hassle was running but i had to take my chances as i was in a real hurry and i was a believer in "Lightning never strikes twice in the same place" but i couldn't have been more wrong, it did strike me this time too but this was even a more lethal blow as the sum was a large one, the ATM merely dispensed a "HIGH AMOUNT" receipt, i was worried and i rushed home to check if any ghost debiting has taken place and my worst fears came true, the amount was gulped up.
I was mad with anger but i had to wait till the next day to get my clarifications and raise a complaint as night had fallen by then. The next day when i went to the IOB bank where the ATM was the guy there asked me "Why did you use our ATM machine and not that of your bank's, we will advertise that it's all free to use any bank's ATM but we cannot assure you of hassle free transactions and it's you who will have to face the consequences", my blood started to boil by now but i calmed down and went to the nearest SBI branch to register my complaint.
The branch manager refused to even see my complaint, he simply asked me "Which branch" and when i mentioned my branch he said you have to complain only in that branch "Core banking is a facility available for making transactions and not for registering complaints", i actually wanted to shout at him but better sense prevailed as i didn't see a point in arguing with him.
After all in person attempts failed i resorted to more extreme means,
1.I scanned the receipt given by the ATM and sent my bank a detailed mail about the problem with the scanned attachment.
2.I faxed my complaint to my branch.
3.I sent a registered post to them.
4. i called them a million times and finally caught them once to tell them my complaint.
But it has been now 10 days now still my money has not been returned.I wanted to share my anger and struggle with everyone and so i contacted "THE HINDU" newspaper and to my shock they told me i was not isolated in this matter and there are many people sharing my plight.They have also written on the topic of Ghost Debiting before, which basically means you get no cash from the ATM but it gets debited.
One of their personnel called me and asked me for a detailed description of what had happened, the person was also very helpful, she contacted some senior persons in SBI and informed me that sending a fax would be the ideal solution.Finally yesterday the news about my trouble came in the Hindu BusinessLine and i am glad that i am able to share my plight with the world.Here is the link
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/07/10/stories/2009071052170600.htm
RBI has set a 12 days dead line to for all banks to revert such transactions but these people say as it is an inter-bank issue it will take more time, my question is, these people know that such a problem is on the raise now why don't they join hands and present a centralized grievance cell that can cater to anyone's complaint and make the necessary connections possible.
An even more long term solution would be to seriously re-look into the working of ATM's when it comes to inter bank transactions, until it is fool proof they can declare saying "Don't use other bank ATMs".Are the banks ready for this challenge?I am ready for an open debate on this and i have also requested for some air time in a leading news channel to exhibit this problem, get expert opinions and so on.
You can point a finger at me and say that i am talking so much about this only because i was stung twice, i couldn't agree more cause only i know the mental agony that i had to go through when i couldn't get money for a medical emergency, i promise everyone that even after my transaction get's reversed (touch wood) i will still take up this issue very seriously, in my subsequent blogs i plan to give a detailed break up about the inner working details of all ATMs.
Join me in my crusade against these careless people, feel free to post your comments and share your experiences cause the more details i have the better it prepares me to take them on.
I don't know what is with me and ATMs they simply don't give me cash.After my long battle with ICICI now it's the turn of SBI. A few days back i was in urgent need of a large sum of money due to a medical emergency and so i rushed to the SBI ATM near my house but to my shock it was "out of order" and so i opted to use the near by IOB atm, but in the back of my mind the old ICICI-HDFC hassle was running but i had to take my chances as i was in a real hurry and i was a believer in "Lightning never strikes twice in the same place" but i couldn't have been more wrong, it did strike me this time too but this was even a more lethal blow as the sum was a large one, the ATM merely dispensed a "HIGH AMOUNT" receipt, i was worried and i rushed home to check if any ghost debiting has taken place and my worst fears came true, the amount was gulped up.
I was mad with anger but i had to wait till the next day to get my clarifications and raise a complaint as night had fallen by then. The next day when i went to the IOB bank where the ATM was the guy there asked me "Why did you use our ATM machine and not that of your bank's, we will advertise that it's all free to use any bank's ATM but we cannot assure you of hassle free transactions and it's you who will have to face the consequences", my blood started to boil by now but i calmed down and went to the nearest SBI branch to register my complaint.
The branch manager refused to even see my complaint, he simply asked me "Which branch" and when i mentioned my branch he said you have to complain only in that branch "Core banking is a facility available for making transactions and not for registering complaints", i actually wanted to shout at him but better sense prevailed as i didn't see a point in arguing with him.
After all in person attempts failed i resorted to more extreme means,
1.I scanned the receipt given by the ATM and sent my bank a detailed mail about the problem with the scanned attachment.
2.I faxed my complaint to my branch.
3.I sent a registered post to them.
4. i called them a million times and finally caught them once to tell them my complaint.
But it has been now 10 days now still my money has not been returned.I wanted to share my anger and struggle with everyone and so i contacted "THE HINDU" newspaper and to my shock they told me i was not isolated in this matter and there are many people sharing my plight.They have also written on the topic of Ghost Debiting before, which basically means you get no cash from the ATM but it gets debited.
One of their personnel called me and asked me for a detailed description of what had happened, the person was also very helpful, she contacted some senior persons in SBI and informed me that sending a fax would be the ideal solution.Finally yesterday the news about my trouble came in the Hindu BusinessLine and i am glad that i am able to share my plight with the world.Here is the link
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/07/10/stories/2009071052170600.htm
RBI has set a 12 days dead line to for all banks to revert such transactions but these people say as it is an inter-bank issue it will take more time, my question is, these people know that such a problem is on the raise now why don't they join hands and present a centralized grievance cell that can cater to anyone's complaint and make the necessary connections possible.
An even more long term solution would be to seriously re-look into the working of ATM's when it comes to inter bank transactions, until it is fool proof they can declare saying "Don't use other bank ATMs".Are the banks ready for this challenge?I am ready for an open debate on this and i have also requested for some air time in a leading news channel to exhibit this problem, get expert opinions and so on.
You can point a finger at me and say that i am talking so much about this only because i was stung twice, i couldn't agree more cause only i know the mental agony that i had to go through when i couldn't get money for a medical emergency, i promise everyone that even after my transaction get's reversed (touch wood) i will still take up this issue very seriously, in my subsequent blogs i plan to give a detailed break up about the inner working details of all ATMs.
Join me in my crusade against these careless people, feel free to post your comments and share your experiences cause the more details i have the better it prepares me to take them on.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
MT.DUMPMORE (beta)
Don't get carried away on seeing the heading i am talking about the theme park that is opposite to the CHENNAI ONE building located in the Thoraipakkam SEZ, still no idea let me give you a clue the theme of the park is GARBAGE,JUNK and WASTE. Yes I am talking about the dump yard, it is the place that holds half of Chennai’s trash. What started as a good idea to do landfill to convert the degradable waste into natural manure by degradation has now become a “Make a stink hill” project.
I work in Chennai One so I have no other way than to come to this location and enjoy the smell, not only is the dump yard a cause for concern but the whole road that leads to my office is full of trash. I for one is very surprised to see such contrasting contours within just 100 meters, oh and by the way let me not forget the beautiful lagoon that we have just beside our office you can call it “the swamp”, it is a mixture of ground water, rain water, sewage water etc…
Why I am bringing this point to your notice is it is not like we Indians are not able to keep our place clean, no. My office to the best of my knowledge is kept quite clean and neat. But if you see the street leading to my place you would not believe your eyes. To just give you an idea of what I am talking about just look at the photo below.
This Mt.Dumpmore is the creation of the careless waste management, now I am now trying to point my fingers at the government, the corporation, what I am saying is we are all at fault and we need to start the recovery process.
It’s like this we all agree River Kuvam is a blot on the face of SINGARA CHENNAI but no one actually tries to do anything about it as it has now become too big a beast to control or curtail. Now I am not all talk, I have started to understand the impact of my carelessness and started mending my ways, simple steps can be taken to reduce your waste footprint like, taking your own bag to supermarkets, vegetable markets and if possible even while shopping for cloths and other stuff. We all are now the mass supporters of PACKAGED MILK but none of us bother to dispose those plastic packs safely, the best thing to do is collect these packets and once in a month or so give it to the appropriate persons who can dispose them safely.
These are just baby steps, but even the biggest of fires have to start with a small spark right, so I think feel that we all must take an oath at least the educated lot that we will not pollute our environment any more, how you do it or how much your effort contributes towards greening the city actually doesn’t matter. I strongly feel that keeping your country clean is as important a duty as voting to chose your leader. Stricter laws must be imposed to make sure that we don’t follow this downward spiral.
I work in Chennai One so I have no other way than to come to this location and enjoy the smell, not only is the dump yard a cause for concern but the whole road that leads to my office is full of trash. I for one is very surprised to see such contrasting contours within just 100 meters, oh and by the way let me not forget the beautiful lagoon that we have just beside our office you can call it “the swamp”, it is a mixture of ground water, rain water, sewage water etc…
Why I am bringing this point to your notice is it is not like we Indians are not able to keep our place clean, no. My office to the best of my knowledge is kept quite clean and neat. But if you see the street leading to my place you would not believe your eyes. To just give you an idea of what I am talking about just look at the photo below.
This Mt.Dumpmore is the creation of the careless waste management, now I am now trying to point my fingers at the government, the corporation, what I am saying is we are all at fault and we need to start the recovery process.
It’s like this we all agree River Kuvam is a blot on the face of SINGARA CHENNAI but no one actually tries to do anything about it as it has now become too big a beast to control or curtail. Now I am not all talk, I have started to understand the impact of my carelessness and started mending my ways, simple steps can be taken to reduce your waste footprint like, taking your own bag to supermarkets, vegetable markets and if possible even while shopping for cloths and other stuff. We all are now the mass supporters of PACKAGED MILK but none of us bother to dispose those plastic packs safely, the best thing to do is collect these packets and once in a month or so give it to the appropriate persons who can dispose them safely.
These are just baby steps, but even the biggest of fires have to start with a small spark right, so I think feel that we all must take an oath at least the educated lot that we will not pollute our environment any more, how you do it or how much your effort contributes towards greening the city actually doesn’t matter. I strongly feel that keeping your country clean is as important a duty as voting to chose your leader. Stricter laws must be imposed to make sure that we don’t follow this downward spiral.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
NEWS CHANNELS
My day never comes to a close without surfing through all the news channels. I friendly neighborhood cable operator provides me with
• BBC
• NDTV (24X7,HINDU AND PROFIT)
• CNN IBN
• NEWS X
• TIMES NOW
• HEADLINES TODAY
With so many channels you might think that the person who watches must get a very clear picture of all the world happenings but sadly here is where we are mistaken. These news channels with the exception of BBC are only interested in exclusivity, first to report and sensationalism...they are not bothered about the correctness of their report as most of their news flashes says "SOURCES:xyz", they never come out open with what they mean by these so called sources. One very nice example this is the Finance Minister posting lottery, each channel threw up a name and said that as per their sources this person is the confirmed FM. Of the channels i have listed Times now and Headlines today are the worst, they are least interested in reporting the correct news all they want is to attract eye balls, they have so much of masala packed into their news it's more like a bollywood pot boiler. Take for instance SRK and Salman allegedly had a spat, these guys have their picture on either side of the screen with a lightning effect in between, aren't there any other more important news to be reported?
But all is not lost there some very good programs that are really a treat to watch like
• CLICK, FAST TRACK, ETHICAL MAN ...(BBC)
• GADGET GURU, CELL GURU, NEWSNET 2.0(has little masala), CNB ...(NDTV 24X7)
But my kind request to these channels is please don't waste your air time do something useful and not wasteful. Here i would like to have a special mention about the Ethical man program and Greenathon event, these two served real good purpose of making the lay man understand what is pollution basically, how he goes about doing it and what are the ways in which one can reduce his/her footprint. As i am a part of Green IT i was able to appreciate even the small nuances of the show too.
I personally rate NDTV and CNN-IBN as the two best indian news challes that i have seen so far. People like Rajdeep Sardesai, Pranoi Roy, Bharka Dutt, Karan Thapar really add a lot of value to the Indian media.My final request to all news channels is report the news as they happen without any masala
• BBC
• NDTV (24X7,HINDU AND PROFIT)
• CNN IBN
• NEWS X
• TIMES NOW
• HEADLINES TODAY
With so many channels you might think that the person who watches must get a very clear picture of all the world happenings but sadly here is where we are mistaken. These news channels with the exception of BBC are only interested in exclusivity, first to report and sensationalism...they are not bothered about the correctness of their report as most of their news flashes says "SOURCES:xyz", they never come out open with what they mean by these so called sources. One very nice example this is the Finance Minister posting lottery, each channel threw up a name and said that as per their sources this person is the confirmed FM. Of the channels i have listed Times now and Headlines today are the worst, they are least interested in reporting the correct news all they want is to attract eye balls, they have so much of masala packed into their news it's more like a bollywood pot boiler. Take for instance SRK and Salman allegedly had a spat, these guys have their picture on either side of the screen with a lightning effect in between, aren't there any other more important news to be reported?
But all is not lost there some very good programs that are really a treat to watch like
• CLICK, FAST TRACK, ETHICAL MAN ...(BBC)
• GADGET GURU, CELL GURU, NEWSNET 2.0(has little masala), CNB ...(NDTV 24X7)
But my kind request to these channels is please don't waste your air time do something useful and not wasteful. Here i would like to have a special mention about the Ethical man program and Greenathon event, these two served real good purpose of making the lay man understand what is pollution basically, how he goes about doing it and what are the ways in which one can reduce his/her footprint. As i am a part of Green IT i was able to appreciate even the small nuances of the show too.
I personally rate NDTV and CNN-IBN as the two best indian news challes that i have seen so far. People like Rajdeep Sardesai, Pranoi Roy, Bharka Dutt, Karan Thapar really add a lot of value to the Indian media.My final request to all news channels is report the news as they happen without any masala
how safe are our ATMs?
Hi
1. They establish a connection with the bank.
2. Allow you to choose your transaction.
3. If it's a withdrawal it first check whether you have enough money in your account, makes a debit transaction and returns to the machine.
4. Only after that it checks if the local ATM machine has enough money to give.
5. If it has enough then no problem it gives you, but if doesn't it then gives you an error message and then has to inform your bank to rollback the transaction. But this roll back process is not so very simple and is at times missed.
I feel this is utter clumsiness, this is what has exactly happened to me as when i went back to the ATM after 15 minutes of this chaos i found the bank guys had come to reload the machine, so for no fault of mine i need to wait for 12 days to get my money. I propose a better way of doing the same, let steps 1 and 2 remain the same but when you want to withdraw money the machine should first check if it has enough money to make the transaction, if it doesn't the transaction has to be halted there and then and the customer must be informed of the same, only if it has sufficient cash it should make a debit transaction and with draw the money from your account. Until this is done, people like us will have to be at the mercy of these ATMs.
An even more worrying news hit me when i went home and switched on my TV, all the news channels were reporting that fake currencies were being dished out by ATMs across the county, i can understand the circulation of fake currency through mafia channels and black markets but how ATMs? Isn't the bank supposed to check for the validity of the notes before they put them in the machine? Is this a mere case of negligence or there is more to this than what meets the eyes, you decide.
After a long gap i am back, my topic this time around is about ATMs, Yesterday i had a terrible experience that really made me think "Are our ATM machines really any good at all”. Here is what happened, as i was in urgent need of money i had to use the HDFC ATM machine that was there in my Chennai one office, Thoraipakkam. I didn't have a HDFC bank account and so i used my ICICI debit card to withdraw money, the machine was damn slow to start with, finally i managed to log in, key in the required amount and request a transaction, but unfortunately the machine after producing a battery of noises said that it is "Temporarily unable to process the request" , it did not dish out any receipt it only gave me two options one to continue to make a new transaction and the second to quit, i chose the later as i didn't see a point in re-trying. To my surprise when i came out of the ATM i received a message from ICICI the amount has been debited from my account, i was shocked. I asked the person in charge of the ATM his reply was "This happens, wait for 2 hours, if it doesn't get reversed by then you call HDFC customer care".
Two hours passed without any action and so i called the HDFC phone banking number, after working my way through a maze of options i finally reached the operator, the guy was polite and heard my whole story but finally he said that it is an issue between ICICI and VISA and so i have to call my ICCI customer care and register a complaint. I lost all my patience by now but some how i called the ICICI customer care and filled a complaint with them, the lady who spoke to me over the phone Ms. Rani said it will take at least 8 working days minimum to process the request and it may even take up to 12 days if an official complaint has to be raised but what i don't understand is why so long to simply check and roll back a single transaction. When i discussed with my colleague Dr. Arun he came up with an excellent explanation as to why this entire problem crept up in the first place, what these machine do when you enter the ATM/debit card of another bank is
1. They establish a connection with the bank.
2. Allow you to choose your transaction.
3. If it's a withdrawal it first check whether you have enough money in your account, makes a debit transaction and returns to the machine.
4. Only after that it checks if the local ATM machine has enough money to give.
5. If it has enough then no problem it gives you, but if doesn't it then gives you an error message and then has to inform your bank to rollback the transaction. But this roll back process is not so very simple and is at times missed.
I feel this is utter clumsiness, this is what has exactly happened to me as when i went back to the ATM after 15 minutes of this chaos i found the bank guys had come to reload the machine, so for no fault of mine i need to wait for 12 days to get my money. I propose a better way of doing the same, let steps 1 and 2 remain the same but when you want to withdraw money the machine should first check if it has enough money to make the transaction, if it doesn't the transaction has to be halted there and then and the customer must be informed of the same, only if it has sufficient cash it should make a debit transaction and with draw the money from your account. Until this is done, people like us will have to be at the mercy of these ATMs.
An even more worrying news hit me when i went home and switched on my TV, all the news channels were reporting that fake currencies were being dished out by ATMs across the county, i can understand the circulation of fake currency through mafia channels and black markets but how ATMs? Isn't the bank supposed to check for the validity of the notes before they put them in the machine? Is this a mere case of negligence or there is more to this than what meets the eyes, you decide.
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