HDFC Bank — Electronic banking - POS

Address:

Tamil Nadu

Shame on HDFC Bank. Their electronic banking servers were down on Saturday 15th May 2010, and they are shamelessly telling that as a reason. These days even small retail showrooms have backup computer servers which they switch on if their main computer does not work.
On Saturday 15th May 2010 I made a purchase of Rs.9999 and swiped my card in the retail outlet. It said "Insufficient funds", (I was having a very good balance in lakhs). The people in the shop were looking at me as if I was a beggar or just came to show off and am not having enough money.
I called up HDFC help desk. It says "Customer care" on the debit card, but it is a computerized recorded menu which comes up again and again, and you can never get a human being to respond. So I chose option 4 for "reporting lost card", though my card is not actually lost, that was the only option to get a human being to talk to you.
For three times I told them my account number and details and each time they would say "please be on line, I will connect to another person" and then cut the call.
Then I went to the nearest HDFC ATM, that was not working. All HDFC customers were complaining the same. Also most people could only withdraw upto a limited Rs.5000 and not more than that.
Then atlast I have to yell at the helpdesk lady, that I am calling for the fourth time and not to disconnect the phone.
Then one man came on line and told me "All our computer servers are down and will come up only 1 hours afterwards!!"
What a shame! What would happen to customers who eat in star restaurants on a weekend with families and when they swipe their cards and the waiter announces "Insufficient funds".
My question is if HDFC computer servers are not working, why blame it on the customer and announce to the whole world through the Point-of-Sale device that he is having "Insufficient funds". Why not a simple "HDFC bank server not working". Is it not annoying for the customer? Every one looking at him as if he has come to rob!!
And all leading banks have computer servers which work with their ATMs, EFT POS and netbanking. But they all have "backup servers" too. The backup computer servers switch on automatically and take over the work when the main computer server goes down. Does not HDFC Bank management know this simple fundamental about Electronic banking?