I visited the Bund Garden branch, of the ICICI Bank in Pune to open an account as an NRI needing a Credit Card. The information that is given is only half true and you only discover this after you have parted with your hard earned dollars.

You lose about 8% in the exchange rate as soon as you open the account, considering the best they can offer is about 5.33% per year you have already lost 1 1/2 years interest in a couple of seconds. The minimum amount to open the account is $400. Then you find out that you as an NRI from USA (other country NRI's are exempt)can only invest your account money in Mutual Funds of their choice, with a recurring deposit of Rs.100,000(about $2500)per year for 3 years. You have no say in the matter if their Mutual Fund goes South and you begin losing your Principal, you would still be forced to keep paying $2500 per year for 2 more years. THERE BROCHURE DOES NOT MENTION THIS FACT AT ALL AND IS FRAUDULENT AND MISREPRESENTATIVE OF THE TRUTH. They should be sued on just this point alone.

They have yet another clever scheme/scam where you are led to believe that the funds in the above account can be put in a "Special" High Interest (8.5%)earning vehicle only to learn that you would have to add another $9600 to the above account to avail of this scam (always losing a "measly" 8% in the exchange rate of course).

Now, after all this as if this is not enough already, to get a Credit Card you have to open another Fixed Deposit (CD) account with a minimum balance of Rs.100,000. Within 5 minutes of learning the facts I asked that my application for opening the account be canceled and that my amount be returned to me. NO WAY JOSE!! You are now the victim of the ICICI System. You will now have to wait a week so that the account can be ACTIVATED before you can DE-ACTIVATE it.

Can you believe this cr*p!!

NRIs in the USA you don't know how good you have it in the US. The service here SUCKS!! and the morons who run this business here try to make you feel that they are doing you, the CUSTOMER, a favor. Things have not improved here in this part of the world no matter what they say in the News. This attitude, the bureaucracy and red tape along with the corruption will keep India in a rut long after all the other developing countries in Asia have left us in their dust.

WAKE UP INDIA!!!!

FYI

The officers(?) who subjected me to this unforgettable experience were Ms.Arti and one other who gave me a card bearing the name Yatin Gupta, Branch Manager.