Everywhere, we
hear about the ideal concepts like ‘Customer is the King’, ‘Customer’s
Delight’, ‘Customer is our true boss’ etc. But, has any one talked about
the duties and responsibilities of a bank customer? Does the customer have only
rights and privileges and doesn’t have any duties and responsibilities?
The answer is a
big ‘No’.
Here, I have
listed the duties and responsibilities of a bank customer in a focused and vivid
manner. A customer must remember these things always.
1) The
foremost duty of a customer is to comply with the KYC norms that have become
universal now.
2) The
customer must co-operate with the bank in following all the standard rules
and procedures, without asking for any exemption/waiver.
3) The
customer must remember his bank account number. The account number is
synonymous with his name, for all practical purposes, because he is
identified more by his account number than anything else, in a bank.
4) The
customer must remember to sign the same way each time and his signature must
always match with his specimen signature scanned and uploaded in the bank’s
computers. However, the customer is entitled to change his specimen
signature once in a few years.
5) The
customer has to bring his Passbook (in case of S.B. Accounts) and Cheque
Book (if he enjoys this facility), whenever he visits the bank in
person. It will save a lot of time for himself and the bank staff.
6) Whenever
the customer visits the bank for the second time, for completing an
unfinished job, it is advisable to carry all the relevant papers and
documents in full set, without fail.
7) Those customers who have cheque book facility shall not ask for a
withdrawal form or a loose cheque, because in the CBS environment it will be
difficult to oblige them, especially when they want cash withdrawal
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8) The
customer must be aware of his bank’s business hours and shall not
unnecessarily trouble the bank staff to comply with his requests outside the
business hours. This is because the customers, upon their request, are
provided with Debit Card and Internet Banking facility free of cost, almost
by all the banks. Hence with these, a customer can meet most of his
financial needs, even when his bank is closed.
9) The customer is expected to know
the distinction between the ‘Home Branch’ and other branches of the same
bank. This is because certain functions can be carried out only at the
‘Home Branch’ (e.g. issuance of a new cheque book or a Debit Card, account
closure, change of address etc.).
10) In case of
a non-Home Branch, several restrictions exist for payment of cash to a third
party, limits imposed on withdrawal of cash by oneself, sending RTGS or
payment of taxes etc. The customer must find out the nature of such
restrictions from his Home Branch and remember them always.
11) The
customer must behave decently and politely when he is inside a bank or when
he contacts his bank over phone or email.
12) Especially
when he contacts his bank over phone, he must be very specific on his query
and end his conversation within a few minutes, because the bank staff at the
other end has several constraints in prolonging the conversation
unnecessarily.
13) If
necessary, the customer must visit the branch in person to satisfy his
needs, as all his needs and wants cannot be fulfilled through a phone
call.
14) For
certain types of jobs like withdrawal of large sums of cash, premature
cancellation of a term deposit of huge value, issuance of TDS certificate
etc., advance intimation to the bank is necessary.
15) The
customer must approach the right person (bank staff), for attending to his
particular need. He shall not expect all the bank staff to perform every
kind of job at a time.
16) Similarly,
the customer must approach the right branch/office for his special needs.
For example, in metros, there may be a specialized branch for processing
Housing Loans or Forex transactions. Some branches which have been
designated as Corporate Finance branches cannot be expected to extend gold
loans and agricultural advances.
17) When some
bank staff is on leave, the customer shall not approach another staff for
some special type of jobs. For instance, a staff sitting at the counters
cannot be expected to process his loan proposal, in the absence of a regular
staff who has been entrusted with this work.
18) The
customer must understand his bank is there only to fulfill his genuine
banking needs and the bank cannot act as his finance manager or accountant.
For the special needs like investment and tax counselling, the customer must
approach his auditor or any other competent professional only.
19) The customer shall not
expect his bank to offer solution for the problems faced by him elsewhere.
20) Whenever
there is acute shortage of staff in the branch, due to the absence of many
staff at a time (on the grounds of leave, training, transfer, deputation
etc.), the customer must co-operate with the staff present at the branch and
learn to adjust, without showing his impatience, irritation and anger on
them.
21) The
customer shall not attempt to jump the queue, when there are several other
customers waiting before him for the same purpose – like withdrawal/payment
of cash, purchase of DD, remittance of taxes, sending RTGS/NEFT remittances
etc.
22) The
customer shall not demand any privilege or concession or service to which he
is not entitled, as per the bank rules in vogue. However, he may seek
clarification from the bank staff, regarding his ineligibility or
disqualification in this regard.
23) Once the
bank manager has given his oral approval for any credit proposal, it is the
duty of the customer to submit all the necessary papers and documents in one
bunch, neatly sorted and arranged, without submitting them in piecemeal. It
will save a lot of time for everyone and will obviate dissatisfaction and
complaints.
24) Having
accepted all the terms and conditions of sanction of a loan/advance, it is
the duty of the customer to comply with them sincerely, honourably and in
time.
25) Finally, the customer must realize that the bank staff are also human beings
and they have got their own limitations. Hence, the customer must treat them as
his equal. If he does this, he will get spontaneous respect and love from all
of them
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