[Resolved]  Standard Chartered Credit Card — Failed commitments, lies and cheating

Address:

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

I had been a user of Standard Chartered Credit Card since 1997 and had an excellent track record.
I have always paid my bills in full and never utilized EMI facility or cash withdrawals.
In 2007 they offered me a "business card" for which I had to pay Rs 4999/- one time fee (no annual fee) against which I would get "TRAVEL PORT" vouchers which can be used to get a one way flight ticket free.
Besides they promised that I would get hotel discount vouchers worth Rs 25000/- which I can use at select 5 star hotels where I pay only part of the cost of the room and balance will be exchanged for these vouchers.
I consented in August 2007. I received the card soon thereafter.
In the next billing statement Rs 4999/- was charged to my account which i paid.
No vouchers followed.
While I was awaiting the vouchers:
In October 2007 they offered me a Platinum Card at a one time fee of Rs. 7000- with no annual fee.
This card would entitle me to use Premium Plaza lounges at domestic and international airports for free.
The service at these lounges include free snacks and tea coffee etc besides higher reward points and a lot of other things!! I consented and paid the fee in Nov 09.
By November I started asking them for the vouchers and they told me that they have sent it to me and gave me some courier details but these never reached me.
I kept following up from time to time and they kept telling me that this was couriered to me and that they will check up etc.
In the meantime I started using the platinum card and availed the Premium Plaza lounge once in Mumbai Airport.
In Feb 2009 I used this service in Hyderabad Airport with my wife and swiped the Premium Plaza membership card against which the lounge was supposed to be free.
In May 2009 I received a statement where Rs 2400 was charged to my account mentioning :
2 PP 14/2 : Rs 2400/- and the charge date was 25/3/09
After a lot of thinking I understood that this was premium plaza lounge that i used in Feb 14th.
I called them and raised an issue. They said that they have discontinued the free lounge service from March 15th. They never informed me that they are discontinuing this service at all.
Further they billed me for service rendered prior to the discontinuing date by charging me on a date after the they withdrew the service.
Not only that they also charged me "Late payment charges" for the 3 months from the usage date to the statement date!! What crookedness!!
There were perhaps hoping that they can quietly cheat me of another Rs 2400 after cheating me of Rs 12000/-.
At this time my travel port and hotel vouchers were still not sent to me but they kept insisting they had already sent it in Sept 08 itself!!
My calls resulted in nothing useful. After this I sent e mails to the "head-service" number listed in the card statement. They revered the Rs 2400 which they fraudulently tried to charge me and also the late payment charges" and told me that they were doing a favor in view of my track record of over 10 years!!
They did nothing about the vouchers. After a lot of communication they told me that they have once again sent me the travel port vouchers and hotel vouchers.
During this time I received a regular mailer in which some Shopper Stop discount vouchers were sent worth some 15% discount. Mind you these are discount vouchers wherein I would have to pay the 85% to avail 15% discount.
After another one month I once again wrote to The "head - service" who informed me that the courier was delivered at my office and sent me the courier receipt of the one in which they had the Shoppers Stop vouchers. This is the "proof" they had provided to me. What cheating!!
After a lot of communication I settled all my bills and stopped using their cards. At this time I had only Standard Chartered Cards since I had been using these for 10 years and I had an excellent payment record.
I then got new credit cards from other card providers.
The bottom line is they ended a 10 year relationship by cheating me of Rs 12000/- .
This is the true color of this Standard Chartered Credit Card Co.
For several months after this they continued calling me with offers of more and more things and now I call them Standard Cheaters Bank when they call me.
They are shameless crooks with no morals and ethics.
They cheat customers by using "sleight of hand" like methods.
When you are not looking they will insert some fraudulent billing in your statement.
I now suspect they may have even done some deliberate totaling errors in my past bills!!
They are like pick pockets : only they are an organised racket.
Dont ever trust these people.