Commercial banks are introducing numerous technology-driven products and it is necessary for customers to understand the products properly and make use of them, according to M. Sebastian, Banking Ombudsman for Andhra Pradesh.
He told reporters here on Friday that most of the complaints received by him related to failed ATM transactions or pension-related issues. "Of course, we always give the benefit of doubt to the customer and not to the bank. But I must emphasise that customers should also be careful in using the ATM cards. They should not lend it to anybody and they should keep the PIN number confidential. Besides, they should also register for mobile alerts so that they can immediately know if cash is withdrawn from their accounts. These basic precautions will solve many of the problems," he said.
He said the banks should also take special care in educating the customers and the mindset of banks should change with regard to pension issues. "If a pensioner does not get pension on time, he or she suffers a lot of hardship. Though it may not be the fault of the branch concerned, they should contact the central processing cell and find out the reason. At the same time, the pensioners should ensure that life certificates are submitted to the employers on time," Sebastian said.
He said during 2011-12 the Ombudsman in AP had received 5,167 complaints against 5,012 during the previous year. The complaints relating to SBI and its associates accounted for the largest share (47.2 per cent). Complaints relating to the public sector banks amounted to 72 per cent. Complaints relating to ATM card/debit card/credit card accounted for 29.22 per cent, pension-related complaints 9.3 per cent and operations in deposit accounts 8.3 per cent.
During the year, he said, 5,108 complaints were closed including 317 complaints carried forward from the previous year. Of them, 1,157 complaints were non-maintainable. He said 140 awards were passed against the banks and the monetary implication was to the extent of Rs 1.81 crore apart from interest.
He said he would tour Tuni and other areas in East Godavari district and redress the grievances of the bank customers there.
Manoj Khattar, Deputy General Manager of SBI, and B. Bhaskara Sarma, DGM of Andhra Bank, also participated in the press meet and spoke about the grievance redressal mechanism in their banks.