Sequence of Events
Reference: 1. HDFC BANK Personal Loan number 11654236, processed in July.
2. SBI savings account number 30018451837. Holder name: J Anbarasi
I, J Anbarasi, applied for Personal Loan from HDFC Bank in 2007 which was duly approved in July and EMI was deducted from Aug onwards from my SBI savings A/c. via ECS facility.
When the loan was approved, I was in Chennai. However, I moved to Hyderabad in Sep 2007 due to change in employment. Though I had opted for ECS facility, I still gave my change in mobile number to HDFC Bank. I had received acknowledgement from them, a copy of which is attached here.
For the month of Sep EMI was deducted from the SBI savings A/c. My SBI bank account reflects this debit amount, as can be seen from the attached copy of statement.
However, I was contacted by HDFC Bank customer care over in the first week of October, claiming that the EMI for Sep 07 had not been cleared by SBI.
Alarmed by this development, I went to a nearby SBI ATM in Hyderabad to verify through the aid of mini statement. The mini statement showed that the amount was cleared by SBI account. I further went to a SBI Branch in Hyderabad and got my SBI passbook updated. That also showed the Sep 07 EMI to have been cleared by SBI.
When contacted again by HDFC Bank customer care, I mentioned this fact to them. I was informed that if the statement showed debit, the problem was with SBI, and HDFC Bank was not the source of the problem. I was advised to issue another cheque for the EMI amount plus penalty for delayed payment. I issued a cheque through my friend in Chennai for the amount 2864/-(two thousand eight hundred sixty four only) 450/-(four hundred and fifty only) to HDFC Bank personnel who had come to collect the cheque in person.
I sent repeated letters, emails, and letters by courier to SBI through the month of October seeking clarification on this issue. I even asked my friends to approach the bank for the same. However, there was no response to my letters and emails. My friends were asked to inform me to come in person to the branch to resolve the issue.
When I could finally come to Chennai in April I approached SBI Saligram branch. They asked me to get a letter from HDFC Bank stating that they had not received the EMI for the month of Sep 07.
I registered a complaint on the HDFC Bank website, seeking clarification on the EMI amount.
However, I got a shock when I received their acknowledgement. They claimed that the EMI cheques had been bouncing from SBI account for 3 months, (Dec 07, Jan 08, March 08), and that I had an outstanding of Rs.1350/- (one thousand three hundred and fifty only) as bounce charges and an additional Rs.134/- (one hundred and thirty four) as late payment charges.
Till date, HDFC Bank has all my contact details on record, right from mobile number to address to email id. However, they did not bother to send any intimation regarding the bounced cheques.
I am feeling very vexed and frustrated by this indifferent attitude, as from my standpoint these are the issues:
#1. I have paid 2 EMI for the month of Sep 07. Till date, HDFC Bank has not clarified about the missing EMI which was cleared from SBI account.
#2. I was made to pay EMI for Sep 07 apart from bounce charges of 450/- which is grossly unfair to me. I want a reversal of these charges, because at that date, the balance in my SBI savings account was more than enough to cover the EMI amount.
#3. I have been informed of bounce charges of 1350/- and late charges of 134/- only when I approached HDFC Bank for other issues. Why wasn’t I contacted when the cheque bounced in Dec 07, Jan 08, and Mar 08?
#4. I was never informed about the ECS facility being 24hours facility. I was under the impression that the EMI would be deducted during bank hours. On any ECS clearing date, the account balance at 10 am was sufficient for EMI clearance. However, EMI clearing has been done even at 6am in the morning, which I was not informed about.
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