SEPT – 15: CERS MEDIATES
Finally, ICICI bank gives refund
Dr. Chirayu Shinde of Ahmedabad was shocked to find his bank balance short of Rs. 92,832. He contacted his bank – ICICI, checked his transaction details and found that his card had been used for unauthorised shopping. He immediately complained to the bank and applied for recovery of the money. He even lodged a complaint with the police. A few days later the bank replied that “the investigation was complete and the dispute has been resolved in favour of the merchantâ€, which went against the consumer.
Disappointed, Dr. Chirayu approached CERS for intervention. CERS wrote to ICICI bank asking it how it proposed to resolve the matter. The bank did not respond to the letters. Several phone calls later the bank refunded the full amount of Rs. 92,832 to Dr. Chirayu’s account. An elated Dr. Chirayu wrote, “I am thankful to CERS for helping me in this process.â€
Tips
• Do not save your credit card details for future use.
• Do not save your password, pin number or even address on your mobile.
• Check your bank and credit card statements regularly.
Shopping for woes at 100bestbuy’s website
Rahul Thakur received a mail from 100bestbuy.com saying that he had won an iPhone 5c in a contest. He would have to pay Rs. 699 to claim the prize. Excited on winning a very popular brand of phone, Rahul deposited the amount in the said account. Later, an executive from the portal gave him a call and said that he had to buy any product from the combo offer for Rs 9,999. He asked the executive about the refund and replacement conditions. He was assured that if he did not like the product or if the product was defective, he could claim full refund.
Satisfied with the assurance, Rahul paid the amount. But when he did not receive his phone he tried contacting the executive without success. His calls to the customer care number were also disconnected during conversation without a satisfactory response. Feeling helpless he wrote to CERS. Within two days of CERS writing to 100bestbuy.com, Rahul got a mail saying that his refund had been initiated and the amount would be credited to his account within a few days. He did get a refund but only for Rs 9,999. With CERS’ persuasion 100bestbuys.com refunded the remaining Rs. 699 to Rahul, who had lost all hopes of getting his money back.
Tips
• Buy only from reputed online sellers.
• Verify authenticity of product and price.
• Don’t be lured into buying a product by attractive offers.
• Don’t go by oral promises. Get everything in writing.
