To the chairman and Managing director
I wanted to
share two interesting experiences I had with public banks.
1.
The
first experience was in the year 2008. My father was a senior manager with a prominent
public bank. Upon his demise in 2007, the bank closed all the loans pending and
settles the monitory benefits. That was swift and timely. The events that
happened after this was tiring. I had to collect the house document from the
bank for which the loan has been closed. I went to the branch where he worked during
his final official days – Nungambakkam – inspection centre. They asked me to
come on Saturday and I went on every Saturday for next 2 months. After 8
visits, I lost my patience and asked them, where the document is. They said –
they are still searching it. I was informed that it should be with the Nandanam
branch. I went to the Nandanam branch and met an officer and narrated by whole
story. He took my name and number and politely asked me to come on a Saturday.
This time I was very confident that the job is done. Next Saturday, I was not
able to find that guy and no one knows my story there. I directly went to the
general manager stationed in that branch. He asked me to call after 2 hours. I
called him after 2 hours and he said that the document is surely not in
Nandanam branch and his scope is closed with that.
I started to search on my own. I wrote to many branches where my father
worked after he bought that house. No one replied. I went back to Nungambakkam
inspection centre and asked for information. They started ignoring as they said
they will call me once they find it out. I was totally frustrated – I was being
treated as guy who is asking for loan without any securities.
Time marched; it was 6 months after I started the “document search”. Many
officers will listen to me, take my number and then forget it. It was like a
weekly for loop. But one day, I happened to meet one of my father’s friends. He
was really helpful. One last time, I narrated the whole story and he directly
asked me to write “to the chairman and managing director of XXXXXX bank”. I did
it immediately – a three page long message with my entire plight that happened in
those 6 months. It’s magic – 3 days later, I was asked to go to Neyveli branch
and collect the document.
2.
The
second experience happened in 2014. My wife cleared the IBPS exam and interview
in 2013 and she was asked to join in Dec 2013 in a reputed bank. As she was pregnant,
we gave a request letter for further extension. The extension was granted till
July 2014. We were blessed with a boy baby and after a joyous three months, intimation
came for joining. We felt it’s too early to join and thought of requesting
another month of extension. Though we sent many written request, no confirmed
orders came. So, my wife used to call the HR manager of Mysore circle (the
circle where she was posted initially) – he used say the same answer “You will
get it this Saturday” (why bankers are obsessed with Saturdays?) and that Saturday
never came. The date of joining is just a week away. My wife called him and
asked him for an affirmative answer, he immediately asked her to join on July 7th
batch else, her joining will be a question as the next batch is not yet
finalized (and some blah blah blah).
My wife started with the one week training that held in
Bangalore. The first day itself, she submitted a letter requesting to post her
in either Bangalore or Mysore as she delivered a baby just three months back
(on medical grounds). They took the letter and did what they do best – forget it.
The same request was given to the Union leaders too (at the end of this
experience I understood that these union leaders have no scope in HR department
of the bank). At the end of her training she was asked to join “Arakere” – I
can’t find this in google map initially J. It’s a village 25 kilometres from
Mysore. Imagine the plight of a new mother travelling 50 Kms every day in bus.
I along with my father in law went to the village and did a trial travel from
Mysore to Arakere and felt it is impossible task. Since I require high speed
internet, we can’t shift to that village and stay there.
On date of joining, my wife called up Arakere branch manager
and said that she will be reporting late as we need to meet the HR manager in
person in Mysore. We went to Mysore to meet the HR and had the worst of all
experience with him. The union guy is just like radio transmitting what the HR
manager just said. I was fed up and convinced my family to quit the job as my
wife’s and son’s wellbeing is my priority. The family members were in dilemma
but they agreed that there is no other choice to quit if she has to work in
that village. But I had one last idea – write a letter “to chairman and
managing director of XXXXXX bank”. I wrote a three page long letter describing
all that happened. It’s magic – 3 days later, a joining letter was received in
my wife’s name to report in Mysore city branch.
