[Resolved]  HDFC Bank Personal Loan — Personal Loan Double Payment

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am K.A. Vijayakumar. I am a SCB a/c holder and have taken a Personal Loan from HDFC Bank, G N Chetty Road, Chennai 600 017 in November, 2008. The tenure of the loan agreement was for 24 months. I began making my payment from the month of December, 2008. I arranged for the ECS facility to have the monthly instalment deducted from my savings account held by SCB.

My first instalment of the loan was due on 07.12.2008. The amount Rs.4873/- by ECS was requested by HDFC on the due date. The amount was refused by SCB with the remark on the statement " ECS RTN MANDATE REQD"

A HDFC executive named Mr. Mazhar came to my residence on 15.12.2008 and collected cash payment for the first instalment due i.e. Rs.4873/-. He issued a receipt and he assured me that the problem was at HDFC and it would be sorted out in a few days. The receipt issued by him was 13846747 dt. 15.12.2008. Along with the payment I also enclosed a letter to regularise my ECS payment.

Following this, I called HDFC in the following week and did not receive any helpful or constructive reply from them. In the meantime the problem was not sorted out and it was made more difficult when my second instalment of the loan was due. Once again the amount to HDFC was returned with the statement "ECS RTN MANDATE" I made cash payment and received a receipt issued by the representative. The receipt no. 14333325 dt. 20.1.2009. A late payment fee was levied, for no fault of mine.

I questioned HDFC for its disastrous second performance and in reply I received a letter from HDFC on January 20, 2009 stating that the problem for the failure for the ECS going through was with SCB and it was not created by HDFC. The letter from HDFC is attached for your consideration. An executive from HDFC visited me on February 4, 2009, informing me that if I made a cash payment earlier, I could avoid a late payment charge. He too gave me assurances that the matter will be set right shortly. I made the cash payment and the receipt no issued is 14888851 dt. 4.2.2009.

Imagine the surprise when I checked a statement from SCB indicating that the monthly instalment of my loan for Rs.4873/- has been processed electronically on 7.2.2009. Now I have made two payments for the month of February 2009, one cash payment and one electronic payment. When I asked HDFC on February 7, 2009 for a refund of the cash payment, I was informed that I will receive the amount in six working days. When I did not receive any amount from HDFC I called once again on 16.2.2009. I was told that within the next two days I will be informed about the position of the situation.

When I called again on 18.2.2009 I was informed that within six working days the amount will be forwarded to me as a cheque or demand draft payment. I was given a complaint reference no.[protected] dt. 18.2.2009. I waited until 24.2.2009 and called HDFC again and was not given any proper reply. The only information given to me was that it is being processed.

I am made to run around and given evasive answers, rude replies and unhelpful suggestions by HDFC. This is most unbecoming of a private bank which professes international standard of operations and is supposedly customer oriented and friendly. They make use of gimmicks to trap customers and leech out their money. At no time has HDFC initiated a call to set right the situation. All calls were made by me.

I am writing this letter to you with the hope that you will be able to solve this problem and help to get back the amount that is due to me and waive the late payment charges that was taken from me.

Thanks & Regards,
K.A. Vijayakumar