My phone buzzed the moment I switched it on, on Saturday morning.
It was an SMS from the World's Local Bank.
"Your feedback 200xxxxxx6 has been resolved. Please rate the complaint resolution by typing A for Good, B for Satisfactory or C for Needs Improvement to 5676717".
The invite was enticing, but I wasn't aware of what the said resolution was.
Almost two weeks ago, I had called their helpline about a particular transaction. I wasn't sure if that was my transaction, so needed more details about the vendor's location etc. The nice guy at the other end asked me to give him "a couple of days to get some more information about the transaction".
When I called later that week, I was accidentally disconnected by the helpline.
The next attempt was answered by a guy who didn't seem too helpful. With little or no chance of making any progress with him, I asked to speak to his supervisor. He expressed his inability to do so despite my repeated request, and hung up after wishing "have a nice day, Sir".
Angry, I made my way to the World's Local Bank's local branch. Now, there is something funny about this branch. On each visit - and I have made more than a dozen thus far - I have only been dealt with by women employees.
No, not because they like me or want to calm me down. The men are mostly "Wealth Managers" - and even when there are no customers wanting their wealth to be managed - they prefer to loiter about aimlessly. For as long as 30-40 minutes.
"This could be because it is girls who are mostly in the customer-facing roles," a woman employee offered an explanation. She was referring to the receptionist, the cashiers and other similar roles.
I wondered what the thinking behind this was. Every customer walking in through the main entrance is a potential customer for a Wealth Manager. The logic is simple. Like your bank, and you'll trust them more with your money.
OK, it isn't that simple, but this is generally how it goes. Not for the Wealth Manager here or even the Branch Manager.
Anyway, that wasn't my concern. My concern was finding out where that particular transaction was conducted. The nice lady provided me two A4 sheets - one to provide my feedback about the Call Centre and the other about the transaction.
I need an acknowledgement of this feedback, I said handing her the sheet. She nodded in agreement.
Within minutes, I had a photocopy of my feedback with a reference number and bank stamp.
Later that evening, the World's Local Bank sent as SMS too - "Dear Customer, we acknowledge the receipt of your feedback. Please quote feedback reference number 200xxxxxx6 for any follow-up enquiry".
That was the last message before the interactive offer received on Saturday morning.
A visit to the bank today revealed what the resolution was. A senior member of the team had a word with the member of staff at fault. Fantastic. Amazing. Original.
Hang on, didn't I ask for a written response to my feedback? They very obviously hadn't read my feedback and were banking on me getting enamoured by the option to vote A, B and C.
Guess I should respond to them saying It Needs Good Improvement to be Satisfactory. Don't you agree?
Showing posts with label voter id. Show all posts
Showing posts with label voter id. Show all posts
14 June 2010
15 December 2009
Get to the school, quick!
The school admission season has begun in Delhi.
Unlike past years, when different schools had their own schedule, this year all the schools have to adhere to the schedule charted by the Department of Education. This means the parents aren't choking the only telephone line the school has or making endless trips there to check if the process has begun.
December 15 was the day the process kicked off and I reached the closest school at 8 in the morning. The idea was to get in and grab a form before the crowds arrived. Unfortunately, another 30-odd parents were thinking the same and had already reached the school-gate.
During my stay in Hounslow (London) and Caversham (Reading), the key factor was being reasonably close to a good school. But in Delhi, even that isn't good enough. We are within 3-4 kilometers of six of the best schools in Delhi, but will probably need to fill in the applications for all of them. Still there is no guarantee that the application will be successful.
For starters, there is the issue of the proof of residence. A Rent Deed/Agreement isn't accepted as a proof of residence. The rare school that accepts it, wants you to be staying at the address for at least six months before making the application. In an increasingly liberalised India, the proof of residence is still the Voter ID Card, Driving License, National Food Distribution Card, a Phone/Electricity Bill issued by the government-owned utility company. Having been away from India for 10 years, and in our own accommodation for less than two months, we are in a tricky situation.
Admission in Delhi schools is based on a points-system. Being a girl is good. Being a first-born is also good. Staying locally is helpful. Having a single parent is also helpful. But a sibling studying in the same school or a parent who is an alumni is super-good.
Some schools allocate points on crisp, considered and well-articulated views on education, education in a particular school and education with kids from different walks of life.
The educational and professional achievements of the parents don't attract any points, but are to be mentioned in the forms. And a couple of schools even want the parents' photos to be submitted with the application.
In keeping with the times, some schools facilitate the submission of form electronically. But as I have discovered of late, school sites seem to attract frequent malware attacks. So, the search engines and browsers stop you from accessing the sites with a message "this site may be harmful to your computer".
Looks like it'll have to be a paper application and that dreaded feeling of being marked on your responses. They better be good otherwise your parents (in the current scenario, wife and child) won't be happy. No wonder then that this dread of exams make me take the first escape-hatch out of education.
Right now, the biggest issue is proving I actually live in the house that I say I do. Making amendments to the Electricity Bill means supplying a No Objection Certificate prepared by a Notary, photocopy of the ownership, last paid bill, two photos and a proof of identity. That would be fun with a hard-of-hearing landlord, who is suspicious of any requests for help.
Getting a new telephone connection requires a proof of identity too. The proof could be Voter ID Card, Driving License or National Food Distribution Card, and a copy of the Rent Deed. Hang on, is the rent deed an Agreement or a Registered document?
Unlike past years, when different schools had their own schedule, this year all the schools have to adhere to the schedule charted by the Department of Education. This means the parents aren't choking the only telephone line the school has or making endless trips there to check if the process has begun.
December 15 was the day the process kicked off and I reached the closest school at 8 in the morning. The idea was to get in and grab a form before the crowds arrived. Unfortunately, another 30-odd parents were thinking the same and had already reached the school-gate.
During my stay in Hounslow (London) and Caversham (Reading), the key factor was being reasonably close to a good school. But in Delhi, even that isn't good enough. We are within 3-4 kilometers of six of the best schools in Delhi, but will probably need to fill in the applications for all of them. Still there is no guarantee that the application will be successful.
For starters, there is the issue of the proof of residence. A Rent Deed/Agreement isn't accepted as a proof of residence. The rare school that accepts it, wants you to be staying at the address for at least six months before making the application. In an increasingly liberalised India, the proof of residence is still the Voter ID Card, Driving License, National Food Distribution Card, a Phone/Electricity Bill issued by the government-owned utility company. Having been away from India for 10 years, and in our own accommodation for less than two months, we are in a tricky situation.
Admission in Delhi schools is based on a points-system. Being a girl is good. Being a first-born is also good. Staying locally is helpful. Having a single parent is also helpful. But a sibling studying in the same school or a parent who is an alumni is super-good.
Some schools allocate points on crisp, considered and well-articulated views on education, education in a particular school and education with kids from different walks of life.
The educational and professional achievements of the parents don't attract any points, but are to be mentioned in the forms. And a couple of schools even want the parents' photos to be submitted with the application.
In keeping with the times, some schools facilitate the submission of form electronically. But as I have discovered of late, school sites seem to attract frequent malware attacks. So, the search engines and browsers stop you from accessing the sites with a message "this site may be harmful to your computer".
Looks like it'll have to be a paper application and that dreaded feeling of being marked on your responses. They better be good otherwise your parents (in the current scenario, wife and child) won't be happy. No wonder then that this dread of exams make me take the first escape-hatch out of education.
Right now, the biggest issue is proving I actually live in the house that I say I do. Making amendments to the Electricity Bill means supplying a No Objection Certificate prepared by a Notary, photocopy of the ownership, last paid bill, two photos and a proof of identity. That would be fun with a hard-of-hearing landlord, who is suspicious of any requests for help.
Getting a new telephone connection requires a proof of identity too. The proof could be Voter ID Card, Driving License or National Food Distribution Card, and a copy of the Rent Deed. Hang on, is the rent deed an Agreement or a Registered document?
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