I recently opened an NRE (Non-Resident External) account with ICICI NRI Banking Services. I was surprised to see that, a private bank, which is hyped so much all around the financial news, has so poor IT systems and worst customer service. Initially, I visited their website and posted a query on the website and they later called me and were very cooperative in making me open an NRI Bank account. Once my application has been processed then the trouble started.
- First, I didn't get my login ID for internet banking. I had to call the customer service to find out what my login is.
- Second, I sent an email to a senior manager who was handling the NRI accounts. I got his email from the customer rep who was making me open the account. The manager's name is Muralidharan ([email protected]). I sent him an email explaining to him my situation that I haven't received my ATM card or login. No response at all.
- Third, during the account opening they said they would send a package full of details on what to do, how to access a login, procedures to change the password etc., But the package contained no such information. Not that these are complicated, but this is what caused the problem, as I will explain later.
- Fourth, every time I called the customer service, after entering the account information and other details, there came a customer rep. I won't deny the fact that they were very polite and patient. But their assistance was limited to that and nothing beyond. They keep asking me to call later saying that they are sorry and that their "IT systems" are down. Not once, not twice, but every time this is the reply I used to get. Sometimes, I used to wait for 10 minutes or so until their systems catches up with the request.
- Fifth: When I received the passwords in postal mail, I changed them and created my own password. Also, I changed my login name. But no body told me, either in the brochure or in the website, that if the user/login name is changed, the passwords should also be changed. After entering the new ID details, it takes me to a page to change the password. So, here are the two options that come up:
Password given to you:
New Password:
Does "Password given to you" mean ...is it the password sent by them via postal mail or the password I changed. Such basic mistakes!! And after changing the passwords, when I clicked "enter" the page showed "error" message. I am not sure if my password changed or not.

- So obviously, when I attempted to login in again, after 3 attempts my login was disabled. Then starts the second phase of trouble. I call the customer service to place a request to enable my login. First call, the Customer Rep takes my request but not Service Request Number and nothing happens. After a week, I call again. This time, another Customer Rep says that I never placed any such request. He says that their records doesn't indicate any request from me. So, I place another request for enabling my login and get a service request number. My login gets enabled. But my password is still not working. So I call the customer service again - 3 times. Each time, they can't access my records as the systems are slow. Then, when they do, they ask me to go to the ICICI "Generate Password Online" option in the website.
I tell them that the I already tried the option and it asks specifically for a mobile number only (for India-based customers). Since I am in US, I couldn't use that option. Then they ask me to update my email on the profile so that the "email" option would come instead of "mobile number". My email address is already on the profile. They have been sending me statements and account information to my email id. Why the hell would it not be on the profile? So, I call again to update my email address in to the account. When the email option came, I gave my email address and the system says that the email address is invalid and that I should call the customer care. Since I tried that 3 times, even that option is disabled.

- Now comes the best part. I received a customer survey email which contained some links. I assumed that the links will take me to a page where there will be survey questions. But when I clicked on it, all I got was the message with this gist: "Thank you for participating in the survey. Your feedback us appreciated". The ICICI bank doesn't even have a proper feedback system to monitor its products. Unbelievable.

- Jeff Bazos of Amazon visits the Amazon.com website everyday... to buy a product...to check the user experience directly and to see what customers are facing. I wonder if Chanda Kochar (CEO) or K.V.Kamath (Chairman) are even remotely in touch with what the customers experience on a daily basis. They get these fancy titles and awards... but the reality is that they are not in touch with one. Go online and you will see many like me frustrated with ICICI Bank.

- I have a savings a/c in HSBC and its customer service is in India. Although the call waiting time is longer than ICICI, the service is fast and productive. So are the IT systems. I don't have to call again. Their calls have a "quality monitoring system". When I call HSBC, before the customer rep picks up, it says that "this call may be monitored for quality purposes". In over 20 calls to ICICI, not even once, they monitored the service quality of the person taking my call.

I have my own doubts about ICICI bank going global or becoming big... with non-working customer feedback system, dead-slow IT systems, poor customer service... you can take a guess where it will go.

My name is Bharat A and my Customer ID is 525055904. I don't have other alternative right now and my money is stuck in my account and I can't access it online.

I WOULD STRONGLY ADVISE OTHERS NOT TO JOIN ICICI NRI BANKING SERVICES.

Sincerely,
Bharat