I went to SBI-Anandnagar (Ahmedabad) branch on Friday at 15:40 with filledup PPF account form and went to the lady who was verifying them, there was a residence proof missing and so she asked to attach it. I did not have it with me at the moment so requested her to submit it within 5 minutes as that was the maximum time for me to collect it from my office opposite to the branch. The lady in charge denied very straight that they are closed at 16:00 (however the bank clock was yet to tick 15:50! 10 minutes have no value for SBI employee?) inspite of my sincere request to her that I will be back much before then.
I left and went to the bank again on next day (Saturday at 11:45) with filled up form and all required documents, that lady was not there today so I went to the branch operations manager with a hope that it will be surely completed today. The branch ops manager checked the form and asked to sign on my photo sticked on the form, I signed in front of him with his own marker pen. He checked the form and said that the form is okay, he handed over another form for depositing amount in PPF account and asked me to submit it on Monday with a reason "we do not open a new account on Saturday". (I understand if he can not process the applicaion but it was weird that he could not accept the form too, even though I!!)
I asked my father to submit the form on Monday thinking that everything has been checked by Branch Ops Manager, unfortunately the Branch Ops Manager was not there today so my father went to a new person in charge. Now the new in-charge raised a new query, asked to get signature of two witnesses on the form (I ensured it from the branch ops manager on Saturday that I don't need to get the signature of witnesses as I am already having a savings account with the bank) and to produce originals for the photocopies of the documents (PAN card, voters id card, electricity bill, even though I had attached self attested copies of the documents) for verification. I met my father in the evening hoping that the form would have been submitted but was quite disapointed listening the above story from him.
Again on Tuesday, my father went to the bank with form having signature of our neighbours as witnesses and originals of the documents. Now the same in-charge baabu said that he can not accept the form as the applicant has to submit the form himself and he can not accept the form from anyone else. I asked my father to tell the baabu that I had completed personal verification with the branch ops manager on Saturday when my father called me from bank but baabu had made his mind to stick to his words despite of all requests. I asked my father to let me talk to that baabu but baabu got angry on my father saying very rudely that "I dont have time to speak anybody" (even I heard his words on phone and can draw the baabu's angry face remotely!). My father still went to the Branch Manager to convience him for accepting the form as my personal verification is completed and I already had an account with the bank, but the branch manager also denied him suggesting to submit it by me only. (however he answered very politely).
It looked like, may be the Ego of baabu had a higher preference over a new business or an existing customer of the bank and so the branch manager was not able to accept the form by going against the words of the unprofessional baabu. This is the state of service being provided to existing customers so that you can guess the level for new ones. It is quite obvious to me why the private/international banks are getting so much of success in India, with mercy of such unprofessional behaviour and frustrating level of service by the employees in national banks.
As per the proverb "One rotten egg spoils the whole pudding", "One unprofessional employee in a group spoils the whole organization").
0 comments