I am Soumyendu Biswas, Asst. General Manager of a PSU, residing at P-398 Parnasree Pally, Flat: A-4, kolkata 700 060. Following are the salient points on which I want your intervention. I have all the documents, mails as described below with me.
1. Received the Deutsche Bank credit card in November/ December.
2. Never used the credit card ie, from December 06 to July 09.
3. Received a phone call on 21.10.08 at about 11a.m. in my Office, from a representative of credit card section of Deutsche Bank (in the land line of my Office) regarding a holiday package offer, in which I had given prima facie acceptance, subject of sending all relevant documents related to the offer from banker’s end to me as promised, verbally over telephone. At that time it was informed to me that I will get the relevant papers of the offer within 15 days from the call date, ie within 04.11.08. They didn’t even tell me that this verbal approval/acceptance of offer will be a binding in my part.
4. Suddenly, I got a monthly statement bill on 17.12.08 in which Rs. 2686/ was debited in my credit card account. In fact the Bank started debiting Rs.1123.67 as EMI on 23.10.08 against my credit card for the account of World Vacation Offer for which I have not given any written consent as because I could not take my decision due to the non availability of the detail paper/written documents indicating the terms, conditions, validity, scope of deliverables as promised by the bank personal.
5. I had sent a mail to the Head Services, Deutsche Bank, credit card section, on 20.12.08 stating that I am not accepting the offer as
A) The relevant papers of the offer has not been sent within stipulated period of 15 days,
B) The documents related to the offer were not even sent till 20.12.08.
C) Without my written signature of acceptance of offer, the bank has started the EMI of its own, EMI option also not opted by me. I also requested them to close my credit card immediately.
In my opinion, I cannot take the risk of exposing my family in a holiday tour which includes a disable daughter of mine to those persons who are not ethical, unreliable and also not responding to the customer’s need in time.
6. On 26.12.08 Deutsche Bank replied in mail stating that “We are acting upon the concern highlighted by you and will get back to you with the status shortly." No communication was received from the Bank for the period 26.12.08 to 22.01.09
7. On 22.01.09, when I was out of station, a packet came to my residence by a courier service (Blue Dart), in which no information was written on the cover of the packet that it has come from Deutsche Bank. It was accepted by my father, who is 79 years old. After coming back on 28.01.09 at Kolkata I found the packet with papers of holiday package of Plat5 (Deutsche Bank’s partner for the holiday offer) along with a wristwatch inside the packet.
Please note that packet with detail of offer has come after 3 months from 21.10.08 and 1 month after informing to the bank of not accepting the offer by mail on 20.12.08, and also 21 days after Bank’s mail dated 26.01.09.
8. On 30.01.09 I sent a mail stating the fact of sending papers related to the offer at my residence and the fact that Bank also has not given any consideration/ importance to the mail sent on 20.12.08, and subsequently their own mail on 26.01.09.In the mail I requested the Bank to take back the materials from my residence by their representative. Also informed them that I am not interested in their offer as stated in my mail dated 20.12.08.
9. Bank mailed me on 2.2.09 stating that they are not been able to contact me. If this is true, then how the Bank personal could contact me earlier occasions? My Office land line (BSNL) number is same as earlier. However, on 3.2.09 I immediately mailed my mobile number. In the mail I once again requested them to take back the envelope send by them.
10. On 06.02.09 Bank replied to my mail dated 3.02.09 stating "we are looking upon the concern highlighted by you and will get back to you with the status shortly."
10. On 27.03.09 I got a mail from Bank stating “We have investigated the referred matter and according the update received, we have received a positive consent for the Great World Vacation offer. We are unable to reverse the offer” which is totally baseless.
11. On 07.04.09 I sent a mail stating the unethical practice they are following and asked them to enquire the entire matter again.
12. In the offer document of Plat 5 (Deutsche Bank’s partner for tour & travels) the following is written in the 1st point of their terms & conditions “ The Bank shall contact the cardholder for determining their interest in the program. If the cardholder gives his consent for participating in the program, the Bank shall forward details of the cardholder to Plat 5. Plat 5 shall then contact the cardholders directly and send Vouchers to the cardholders. The cardholder hereby gives his/her irrevocable consent for sharing of personal information relating to the cardholder with Plat5.for the purpose of the offer under the program. The cardholders can avail the offer only when he/she pays a handling fee of Rs.500/ along with duly filled up Voucher to Plat5. All payments made by the Cardholder in terms of the offer under the program shall be made through the card. Upon such payment and receipt of Voucher by Plat5, Plat5 shall send a joining gift to the cardholder.”
It is worthwhile to mention here that the voucher is still with me & nothing has been written on that voucher.
13. On 7th July, a person, who introduced himself as a representative of Deutsche Bank, came to my house to collect the money without prior information and harassed my family which includes my father (79 years), my mother (76 years).
14. Next day the same person rang me on my mobile, and I asked his name repeatedly but he did not disclose his name rather he disconnected the phone. Since it was very turbulent time in my family (my mother in law expired on that day) I could not keep his phone number.
15. Finally, I received an order from the Office of the District Legal Service Authority, 24 Parganas (South) to appear in person before the Lok Adalat on 25.07.09 for amicable settlement of the petition/case, & the petitioner of the case is Deutsche Bank.
(Kindly refer to the notice of Alipore Court)
16. On 25.07.09 a person named Avijit Goswami, Phone number 033 6548 6824, introduced himself as Bank's representative rang in my mobile. When I told him that let me write down his name & phone number, he immediately disconnected the phone.
16. The aforesaid matter was informed to R.B.I, Office of the Banking Ombudsman, 3rd floor, 15 N.S. Road, Kolkata-700001 on 24.07.09.
17. I made a General Diary against the activities of Bank in Behela Police Station on 27.07.09.(G.D No : 2704, dated 27.07.09)
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