HDFC Relationship Manager is saying 3,50,000 plus 574180 is equal to 8,00,000 and we are talking about Money here !

Whenever services are working for you, you are good but when system breaks it gets painful when you unprofessional person on other side on whom you have to rely. Customer services in such cases demand you to repeat the whole incident again and again and again. For the same, I use this blog to narrate the story with all details possible, so that I can hand over it to next person calls me to get things resolved. I also update status of next steps till things are concluded. 

I am aware that I may have to share some of my financial details in this post but I am ok with that. Today I bring you a very interesting problem where my Relationship Manager from HDFC Bank was justifying over a call that there is no problem is a following mathematical equation :

3,50,000 + 574180 = 8,00,000 

This relationship manager is working in HDFC Bank, Barakhamba road, Delhi and according to branch manager, this RM is quite a vintage resource with the Bank and the Branch.

So the story goes like this :

Email sent by me on 27th June'22 : 

Hope you are doing well.

I had sent an email on 24th June about card renewal, but didn't hear back. So I thought of sending a separate email. 

Since I certainly want these charges in coming cycle, I need your help in understanding following things :

1. What's the renewal cycle for my card and where it can be checked? 

2. How much spending is expected on the card to avoid this renewal? I guess it's 8 lacs but want to double check? Is there a way to check this on a netbanking website?

3. What's the procedure to stop this renewal on time? By when do I need to cancel the card if I fail to spend the desired money on this? Asking because I may opt for other which may have lower limit and align with my spending pattern.

Response received from my relationship Manager on 28th June'22 :

Dear Sir,

I am doing well!!!

Hope you are doing well tooo!!!

Please find revert for below queries:-

1. What's the renewal cycle for my card and where it can be checked? ----- I have raised the request to check for your renewal date. Normally, Customer receives notification one month before the renewal date.

2. How much spending is expected on the card to avoid this renewal? I guess it's 8 lacs but want to double check? Is there a way to check this on a netbanking website?---- Minimum Spending to be Rs. 8Lakhs... You can further check the benefits on hdfc bank website.

3. What's the procedure to stop this renewal on time? By when do I need to cancel the card if I fail to spend the desired money on this? Asking because I may opt for other which may have lower limit and align with my spending pattern.-----You need to share the request letter for cancellation of card. You can drop the same in nearest branch. Next best card will be REGALIA. Please check the benefits first on hdfc bank website as it will help you in decision.

Response received from my relationship Manager on 30th June'22 :

Dear Sir,

Please find below revert from credit card ops team:-

Renewal fee will be levied in October 2022 for this year, customer needs to meet the spend Rs. 800000.00  within previous year then the renewal fees will be waived off. Customer yet to spend approximately Rs. 3,50,000.00 (retails spends) within the end of September 2022  to avail the fee waiver.  Card renewal /expiry date is printed on the credit card itself.

Response from me to my relationship Manager on 30th June'22 :

Thanks, <name>.

The calculations seem off here. I have so far paid 622831 since last year so how come 3.5 lacs? Please help with relevant monthly details about how this is being calculated as I sat and calculated it on the basis of bills I have paid so far. Please help. 

Response received from my relationship Manager on 1st July'22 :

Dear Sir,

As per our CC Ops team, As of now total spends in this cycle is 574180.

Response from me to my relationship Manager on 1st July'22 :

If the calculation was 574180 , how come I need to spend 3.5lac. Maths doesn't work here and lowers down my confidence that info is being shared diligently. 

Even this number is incorrect. Let me paste all the details I calculated on the basis of bill payments (which I expect the bank to do sincerely and save time on both sides). 

Oct'21	68487
Nov'21	26643
Dec'21	62158
Jan	69069
Feb	52275
Mar	159448
Apr	81727
May	56821
Jun	46203
Jul
Aug
Sept
Total	622831

 

Please get it verified and share relevant details if my calculations have error and what are the exact errors. 

Since I was receiving random details, I called up my relationship manager to ask him, how come first I was told that I need spend 3.5 lacs and then you say I have already spent ~5.7Lac . How maths is working here? Now he made a reason on the fly that last months bill was not accounted in it. I asked, ok. Then remove that amount from 5.7 lac. Is maths working now. Now he starting doing bla bla bla. 

I tried to explain him again that at least verify these details before sending me. He said, my job is to get details from ops and share with you. At that point, I disconnected the phone and sent him following message :

Hi <name>,

It's very disappointing that you are proving wrong maths and justifying it on call of 5min. It lowers down my confidence on the relationship. I certainly need details but your way of dealing it is very unprofessional. 

You were justifying the following mathematics right on the call. How? 

74180+3,50,000 = 8,00,00

There is no way on earth which can justify this negligence and it's money number and not anything random.

Unacceptable.

HDFC relationship manager sent following message :

Dear Sir,

Sorry! for this misunderstanding.

I did not justify anything, I have told you that I will get it reverified basis details provided by you.

On the point of first revert where i have mentioned that there is shortfall of  Rs. 3.5L approx, I have accepted that there can be lag in system updation of June spendings & Current spending shared by me today is right. You need to spend further Rs. 2.25L approx to avoid annual fees.

I have asked the concern team to revalidate the data, I will share the revert asap.

Now he completely took U-turn on the email and negated all the things he was trying to tell me about mathematics of money. 

On 7th July'22, I received following email :

Greetings from HDFC Bank. 

Your service request no.20695010 has been closed.  

We hope your service request has been resolved to your satisfaction. 

You will receive an SMS shortly asking you to rate your experience. Request you to provide your feedback regarding the same. 

Warm regards,

HDFC Bank

On 10th July'22, I resent my queries again :

I am waiting for clarifications in the above email. Let me try to repeat if it was not clear.

1. In this year so far, I have made payments of 622831, while your data says 574180. Why so and what exactly is the mistake in my calculations?

2. Can I get  month-wise data for 574180, like I have shared above. That will help in mapping the details well. 

Looking forward to appropriate details.

On 11th July'22, I received response from new person from Barakhamba bank branch :

Dear Sir,

We had escalated your query to our Credit card team on 01/07/2022.

The credit card team has confirmed that all the details were shared by them to you on 02/07/2022.

Request you to please check and confirm if you have received any such communication.

Here is the response I sent on 11th July'22 :

Here is the response I have received and unfortunately doesn't address my questions mentioned.

"Dear Mr. Sharma,

Thank you for writing to HDFC Bank.

This is with reference to your email dated July 01, 2022 addressed to our Managing Director regarding your HDFC Bank credit card account.

At the outset, we regret for the inconvenience caused to you during your interactions with the bank. We assure that the bank is fully committed to resolve your concerns and request you to treat this incident, in isolation. We have taken note of your feedback shared regarding the interactions and we wish to assure you that your feedback has been treated with full attention and your specific comments has been appropriately reviewed.

We have reviewed your queries in detail and wish to share the following:

1. We confirm that renewal fee of Rs.10,000.00 plus GST (Goods and service tax) of Rs.1800.00 is applicable and the same would be waived upon achieving the spends of Rs.8,00,000.00 or more in each membership year. Further, we confirm that the renewal fee shall be levied towards your card account by October 19, 2022. We note that you have spent Rs.5,74,184.70 as on date and the required spends for waiver of membership fee is Rs.2,25,815.30 (to avoid levy of fee during October 2022). We regret to inform that currently there is no option to verify the spends through Net banking.

2. Further, your card plastic is due for renewal during August 2023 and the expiry date is mentioned on the card plastic. We wish to clarify that renewal is an automated process without any manual intervention. Accordingly, renewal credit card shall be dispatched before the expiry of your existing card.

3. With regard to your request for change in Relationship Manager, our senior officer Mr. Vikram Gujral had sent an email on July 01, 2022 at 05:18 PM. We request you to review the same."

Let me repeat what I need to understand :

1. In this year so far, I have made payments of 622831, while your data says 574180. Why so and what exactly is the mistake in my calculations?

2. Can I get  month-wise data for 574180, like I have shared above. That will help in mapping the details well. 

Please help with the above details.

A fair question arises that how I missed the reply sent by bank on 2nd July. That's my bad but the information shared was not of any help, so for full transparency I am sharing the email sent to me on 2nd July as well :

Title - '3400063' Fwd: Need information related to my Infinia Card

Thank you for writing to HDFC Bank.

​

This is with reference to your email dated July 01, 2022 addressed to our Managing Director regarding your HDFC Bank credit card account.

​

At the outset, we regret for the inconvenience caused to you during your interactions with the bank. We assure that the bank is fully committed to resolve your concerns and request you to treat this incident, in isolation. We have taken note of your feedback shared regarding the interactions and we wish to assure you that your feedback has been treated with full attention and your specific comments has been appropriately reviewed.

​

We have reviewed your queries in detail and wish to share the following:

​

1. We confirm that renewal fee of Rs.10,000.00 plus GST (Goods and service tax) of Rs.1800.00 is applicable and the same would be waived upon achieving the spends of Rs.8,00,000.00 or more in each membership year. Further, we confirm that the renewal fee shall be levied towards your card account by October 19, 2022. We note that you have spent Rs.5,74,184.70 as on date and the required spends for waiver of membership fee is Rs.2,25,815.30 (to avoid levy of fee during October 2022). We regret to inform that currently there is no option to verify the spends through Net banking.

​

2. Further, your card plastic is due for renewal during August 2023 and the expiry date is mentioned on the card plastic. We wish to clarify that renewal is an automated process without any manual intervention. Accordingly, renewal credit card shall be dispatched before the expiry of your existing card.

​

3. With regard to your request for change in Relationship Manager, our senior officer Mr. Vikram Gujral had sent an email on July 01, 2022 at 05:18 PM. We request you to review the same.

​

4. In the event, you are unable to achieve the required spends and wish to close your card, we request you to get in touch with "EVA" - your very own banking assistance, who will assist in Credit Card Closure. We request you to kindly follow below steps.

​

1. To start conversation with Eva, please Click on URLhttps://v1.hdfcbank.com/htdocs/common/eva/index.html

2. Go to Eva chat bot window and Type <Credit Card Closure> in conversation box.

3. Please enter your 10-digit registered mobile number.

4. Now, enter the 4-digit OTP sent to your registered mobile number.

5. Next, enter the last 4 digits of your Credit card number in the box shown. > Click on Proceed

Select the Reason for Card closure from the drop down.

​

Having said so, we emphasise the fact that the bank has not spared any effort to understand the sensitivity of your concerns expressed and the inconvenience you were put through during your recent interactions with the bank. We assure you that, the sequence of interactions quoted by you has been appropriately reviewed.

​

We request you to treat this incidence in isolation and not let the same deter your patronage to the Bank. Your relationship is of immense value to us and hence, we urge you to continue usage on your credit card. We are hopeful of sharing many pleasant interactions in future

​

For any further clarification, please feel free to write to us at priorityredressal.creditcards@hdfcbank.com and we shall be glad to assist you.

​

In line with our focus and commitment to Customer Service, we trust that your grievance has been addressed in a fair and equitable manner and the issue has been resolved to your satisfaction. If you are not satisfied with the resolution, you may write to our Principal Nodal Officer Mr. Ripal Kiritkumar Sheth at HDFC Bank Ltd., 5th Floor, tower B, Peninsula Business Park, Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, Lower Parel (West), Mumbai 400013 or E-mail at pnohdfcbank@hdfcbank.com or Fax at 022-30788580. Alternatively, you can call at Tel: 022-62841505.

​

Kindly note the query reference number for this correspondence is 3400063.

​

Assuring you of our best services at all times

On 11th July'22, Branch Manager of Barakhamba branch sends an email to new rep from the branch :

Please copy this E-Mail response to the Credit Card team and request them for Month Wise usage

 

It will make things clear.

On 13th July'22, on Twitter I saw following response : 

Hi, we sincerely regret the inconvenience caused. We would like to clarify that we had responded to your email ID on July 02, 2022, regarding this. For further clarification/assistance, we request you to reply to that same email or contact our Principal Nodal Officer using the contact information provided in that email. We seek your understanding and cooperation in this regard. -Varun

On 13th July, (after few minutes of above tweet), I sent following email again. 

To : Priority Redressal Credit Cards <PriorityRedressal.CreditCards@hdfcbank.com>, pnohdfcbank@hdfcbank.com, priorityredressal.creditcards@hdfcbank.com

Unfortunately you haven't read the mail chain and that's why my main thing is not addressed above. So asking again. Here is my calculation :

Oct'21	68487
Nov'21	26643
Dec'21	62158
Jan	69069
Feb	52275
Mar	159448
Apr	81727
May	56821
Jun	46203
Jul
Aug
Sept
Total	622831

Questions are :

1. In this year so far, I have made payments of 622831, while your data says 574180. Why so and what exactly is the mistake in my calculations?

2. Can I get  month-wise data for 574180, like I have shared above. That will help in mapping the details well. 

Received an auto-generated email at 7:03pm on 13th July - 

Greetings from HDFC Bank. 

Your service request no. 20889007 has been registered today. 

You can expect a response latest by 15-07-2022 though we will endeavor to resolve it even earlier if possible. 

Another reply on 13th July :

Thank you for writing to HDFC Bank.

 

This is with reference to your e-mail dated July 13, 2022 addressed to our Principal Nodal Officer regarding your HDFC Bank credit card account.

 

We take this opportunity to inform you that we are looking into the queries raised regarding fee structure of your card and will respond to you on or before July 15, 2022. We kindly request you to bear with us in the interim.

 

For any further clarification, please feel free to write to us at priorityredressal.creditcards@hdfcbank.com and we shall be glad to assist you.

 

Kindly note the query reference number for this correspondence is 20889007.

 

Assuring you of our best services at all times

Reply received from Barakhamba HDFC Bank manager on 15th July22:

I have a received a tentative details for monthly spend on Credit Card.

 

Please do let me know if it solves the purpose.

 

October statement from 19/10/2021 - 7054.59

22-Nov-21	31067.85
22-Dec-21	62186.58
22-Jan-22	69183.1
22-Feb-22	57156.01
22-Mar-22	162215.88
22-Apr-22	79020.4
22-May-22	60650.57
22-Jun-22	42572.2

 

Unbilled  - 16611.51

I replied back within 30 mins on 15th July'22 to above email :

Thanks for these details and here are few clarifying questions which will help me understand well :

1. What do you mean by "October statement from 19/10/2021 - 7054.59", because Oct'21 bill paid was - 68487. Please help me understand what exactly is accounted for here and how?

2. I had asked the following question in my very first email - "What's the renewal cycle for my card and where can it be checked?" and the response to this was "Renewal fee will be levied in October 2022 for this year,". With the above details, I am confused about the cycle. Can you please share the exact dates of the Card renewal cycle?

3. The number I have been receiving in previous emails has been 574180 but numbers you shared add up to 571107. Why is this delta coming here now? Please help with details about how old numbers were being counted.

I have multiple questions popping in my head, but will wait for clarification on above and that may help in resolving the issue.

Response on above email on 15th July'22 - 

I have raised the following queries to the respective Credit Card division.

 

Will get back to you on the below mentioned points  shortly.

Don't miss checking Twitter-thread where standard responses are sent without meaningful details -

..

@HDFC_Bank @HDFCBank_Cares Case no 20695010 has been closed but it's not resolved. So what's happening here? Do you need full story? Here it is - https://t.co/PkFumE5odO https://t.co/gLXLbYBOAW

— VJs Travellingcamera (@photojourney_tc) July 10, 2022

..

I will keep this blogpost updated as it progresses. 

Video worth checking -