ICICI Bank — complaint against icici bank unreasonable requirement for in-person branch visit to activate dormant account

I am writing to bring to your attention an issue regarding ICICI Bank’s procedure for activating a dormant account that is causing considerable inconvenience and hardship.

The account in question is held jointly, with a senior citizen as the primary account holder. I am the secondary account holder, and my NRI status has been updated over the years. Despite multiple requests and branch visits by the primary holder; including visits during the COVID pandemic, the bank has refused to close or activate the account. The officers acknowledged and agreed to update the records previously, yet the dormant status remains unresolved.

ICICI Bank is now insisting that both account holders must physically visit a branch to activate the account, regardless of the fact that I am an overseas resident (NRI) and travel for such a purpose is neither practical nor necessary. As per information available on the official ICICI Bank and other financial sites, dormant account activation can, and should, be facilitated through various channels including service requests via internet banking, email, phone, or postal communication to the bank’s Mumbai RPC office. There is no justification for mandating a branch visit when alternative remote verification and documentation options exist, particularly in joint accounts with NRI holders or in cases involving senior citizens.

The refusal to update records or activate the account using supported non-branch channels is not only unfair but also contradicts the published account reactivation policies on the bank’s website. I request the consumer forum to intervene and direct ICICI Bank to:

Enable account activation as per their online/email/phone/postal procedures for dormant accounts.

Allow account closure or KYC updating remotely for joint holders, especially NRI and senior citizens.

Review their processes to ensure compliance with consumer rights and published banking norms.

I request urgent consideration of this complaint in the interest of fair and accessible banking services.

Sincerely