| Address: | 600116 |
| Website: | www.icicibank.com/complaints/complaints.page |
I had taken a personal loan of rs.4.8 lacs (Loan no: lpchd[protected]) from icici bank in chandigarh in 2006. But in 2008, during the peak of recession, i was asked to leave from a job during these hard times; i could not pay my loan emi. At that time, i was desperately searching for a job as i had a wife and 4 year old kid to support. Hence it did not strike me to approach icici bank to inform about my problems. Till then, i had paid back 25 emis and around 2.3 lacs back to icici.
After a lot of struggle and after giving up all hopes to get a job in bpo or it, i had to look for a job in sales and i got one with less than 60% of my last drawn salary with an it firm. With such lesser means it was already tough to fend for my family. I was unable to pay my emis. Slowly but steadily, i was trying to improve my condition and after a lot of struggle, i was able to get a decent job in a mnc in pune in july 2013. But i was still drawing lesser salary than i was earning in 2008 when i was with the it firm. I can show you proof of both the salary credits to my account.
Around january 2016, i was shocked to hear that my wife’s cousin brother in gujarat received a call from icici bank, where they mentioned that i had taken a loan with him as a guarantor and if i failed to payback, they will sue him legally. I do not even have his number and i was horrified, how did icici bank get to know my wife’s cousin’s number. Same day, i realized that this was just one of the numerous shocks i am going to receive. Within 30 minutes, i got a call from my neighbor, who was working with kotak mahindra bank, informing me the same details as my wife’s cousin. This time, i was horrified and embarrassed to the core. Then there were more shocks in store.
Similar call i received from my in-laws in mumbai mentioning that icici bank was asking about my whereabouts. Me and my wife by now were so embarrassed and horrified, we had no clues of what has happening and why is icici bank officials not calling us but making threatening calls to all other totally unrelated people. Most alarming was how did icici bank get these numbers or even draw a link with me and all those people. Even my most closest friends also do not have my in-law’s number or address leave alone my wife’s cousin or my neighbor. The worst is yet to come.
By afternoon, i received a call from a person, who mentioned that he is working in my company but another process. He mentioned about the same threatening calls icici bank agent but he took it very seriously believing them and thinking i did nominate him as my guarantor. I requested him and urged him to not believe the bank agents and that they were trying to bully me instead. That gentleman did the worst, worse than what icici bank agents had planned. He wrote a stinker mail to my manager and his manager and disclosed all information about my loan and that he should not receive any more calls from the bank.
That evening, when i went to office and when my manager called me to inform about the mail. I was absolutely devastated. I begged my manager to ignore this incident and that i will ensure that my personal issues will never come to my office. My manager advised me that such things will tarnish my image and if hr comes to know then it my impact my job with the company. He supported me and did not inform hr.
Imagine my plight, how destitute i felt and how helpless i was. Till now, i did not receive any calls from icici. Next day morning, i received a call from icici bank recovery agent named irfan. I initially was furious at him and asked him why did he do all the cheap things before even taking to the customer. Irfan started abusing me in hindi, he blamed me for being an abscondee and that i was hiding from the bank. I tried to explain him about my position and how i managed to gather my life piece by piece after losing a good paying job. He spoke more furiously and did not believe a word i said. Forget about empathy or any human emotions, this icici bank agent threatened me that he will make more calls to the same and more of my relatives and my wife’s relative and keep tarnishing my image until i agreed to pay the full balance (Principal only).
I was shaken but i refused to succumb to such cheap thugs and i told that i am willing to pay the bank but i do not have the luxury of big balances in my account. I offered to make emi payments of rs.5000 till as many months it will take to payback the full principal outstanding amount of the loan, which was around rs.2.5 lacs. He lauged at my offer and started to again abuse me. He said he is not interested in chanda (In hindi meaning charity amount). He again called me a cheat and baghoda (In hindi meaning a guy who runs away from his responsibilities). I tried my best to make him understand my position but to no avail. He even said why don’t you sell your wife’s gold ornaments and give him some amount so that he will not take aggressive actions against me.
I was in so much pressure and so much afraid that i had to offer him something or he will continue to damage my image and god knows to what level he can stoop maybe even send gundas to hurt my family. Our discussions continued for over 4-5 days but then i had to do something. By this time, irfan was talking better and i told him that i had no savings or property with which i could repay the full amount. I begged him to check with the bank higher officials or set up a meeting wherein i can explain my position. I told that i was even ready to show my last 10 years bank statements which will speak the truth about my financial inability to repay such a big amount. I again tried to convince him to allow me to pay back in emis of rs.5000, which i could afford by making some compromises. Again it fell to deaf ears and to cold hearted people.
I kept on insisting that i do not have the resources to payback and that time is getting wasted. I told him that can the bank not take pity on me and my condition and allow me to settle the loan by paying rs.50, 000. He asked me how will i arrange the money as i did not have any in the bank account. I told him that i will take loan against my wife’s gold and can arrange this amount. I did insist that he should give me a letter agreeing to this amount as settlement. At this juncture, irfan mentioned that i do not have the authority or i am not at all in a position to demand anything. He said you pay first then he will send me a settlement letter and also take my name out of the credit bureau report. To try to talk to his superiors he said give me some amount against the loan based on which he will try to persuade his management and get me the settlement deal. I made an online payment of rs.2000 against my loan account number.
I told him that paying 50000 is like 5 lacs to me as of now and i will do it only if i have the letter. When he threatened that he will again make calls to more colleagues of mine and relatives, then i had to succumb to his demands and i took a loan of rs.50, 000 against my wife’s gold ornaments from a friend’s source. I went to icici bank hadapsar branch in pune on 29th february, i spoke to a customer service representative, he put me to a person from collections department. I explained the entire scenario and gave him the recovery agent irfan’s number and even made a call to him from my phone and made him talk to irfan. The staff asked me to wait till he retrieves more information and check with his manager only then he can accept the payment as this account was not paid for in the last 8 years. After a wait of 45 minutes, he said i can make the payment and that the amount will be considered as settlement amount. There is a signature of the icici bank officer (S. Yolekar) who approved this request, on the deposit slip. Then i prepared the deposit slip and clearly mentioned in the comments section that this amount of rs.48000 (Plus rs.2000 paid earlier) is the settlement amount for the loan. This was confirmed by the staff and i have icici bank stamp on the deposit slip.
I informed irfan and even sent him the deposit slip image via whatsapp. When i enquired about the settlement letter and clearing of name in the credit bureau report, he said that it will take 3 months time.
With that done, i was happy and continued to live a normal life until again i was presented with another rude shock 1 week back when my brother said that he received a call from icici bank recovery agent and asking me my details. The very next day on 17th july, a icici bank loan recovery agent named senthil kumar appeared in my house as early as 7:45am. My wife and i were taken aback that s early in the morning we have someone from the bank visiting us. I greeted him in and had a chat with him. I explained that everything is sorted out with this loan and why are you again following me. He said that the record only claims that i made a payment of rs.50, 000 but it did not settle the loan. I had no words and again shocked at my situation.
Same day, at 10:50am, i receive a call from durai, icici manager from ambattur branch. I had to repeat once again my story and as expected durai did not believe. He ridiculed me how did i even pay such an amount without a settlement advice. He says that this amount has only reduced my overall principal amount and that i have to pay it now. Not wanting to again create a bad situation for myself, i offered again an emi system which was refused.
Durai, to convince me, that even he understands that a person like me, from a middle class family, it is difficult to arrange for huge amounts of money. But he claims that if there is an emergency in the family, will you not arrange for funds. He said you should beg or borrow and pay the bank its money. I could not hold back my astonishment, how can one create such a comparison of such diverse situations. It is ridiculous and i cannot believe icici bank can employ such people.
On top of that durai openly threatened me that if i do not comply then they will have to forcibly use tactics like visiting my mom’s house (Again i was surprised that they have my mom’s address but i think i was surprised lesser this time) and inform them about my issues with the bank.
I am absolutely of the belief that icici bank has no moral or any values at all in its banking operations. It can stoop to any level to recover its loan amount from people. It can employ any dirty arm-twisting methods to recover any amount from people.
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