Moneylife » Personal Finance » Consumer Interest » Tata Cards allegedly shortchanges a loyal card customer
Tata Cards allegedly shortchanges a loyal card customer
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| 02/07/2012 12:25 PM |
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A loyal Tata Cards customer and a former tata employee was unable to redeem his points due to ‘faulty’ EDC machines at Tata partner outlets. Instead, of solving the problem, Tata Cards deducted his rewards points and shows no signs of engaging with the customer
A Moneylife reader and former Tata Group employee has been using the Tata Credit Card as a primary card for six years and had accumulated significant number of reward points, and therefore wished to redeem some of the points earned. Apparently, there is no online interface for redeeming points for Tata Cards, and it has to be redeemed at a store. So, he tried to redeem at some Tata partner outlets in the Mumbai/Thane region in recent months, but was unable to do so. Some of the stores he visited were Croma (Mulund, Mumbai), Westside (Korum Mall, Thane), Tata DoCoMo brand store (Naupada, Thane) and World of Titan showroom (Naupada, Thane). He thereafter lodged a complaint on 17 March 2012 and was assured that his complaint would be resolved within seven working days. After a few days a representative claimed that that its rewards Electronic Data Capture (EDC) machines at the Tata partner outlets may have been temporarily 'faulty'. How would it be possible that several Tata rewards EDC machines were faulty at the same time? He had been facing the problem of redeeming his reward points since March 2012.
On the Tata Cards website, it was mentioned that it was 'easy' to redeem points. It said, "Swap your Tata Empower Card on a Tata EDC machine only for accrual of the reward points. Redeeming of the points is the easiest in the industry. Just walk to any Tata brand outlet, pick a product or products of your choice and redeem the points instantly. So, no calling to services, no visit to a website and no courier charges. It is simple, just earn it and burn it then and there." Yes, this is what mentioned on its website.
Rewards EDC machines are devices used by retailers when the merchant swipes the credit card through an electronic card reader or terminal in order to display the number of bonus/rewards points accrued and utilise it. The information on the card's magnetic strip is entered into the processor's database electronically and the information is promptly displayed.
Meanwhile, he was intimated by Tata Cards that his reward points accumulated till April 2012 points would 'expire' if not redeemed by 31 May 2012. Since the rewards EDC machines were 'faulty', he could not redeem it. Instead of trying to solve the problem, Tata Cards deducted the points that were to be expired. How could they do this?
Further, the e-statements of May 2012 and June 2012 intimated him of further 'expiry' of points if not redeemed by 30 June 2012 and 31 July 2012 respectively. If there are faulty rewards EDC machines, where's the question of redeeming? If Tata Cards was unwilling to help a loyal customer redeem his points, again, where is the question of redeeming? It is conveniently ignoring customers' grievances while mechanically deducting all the rewards points accrued. What is most pertinent is that it is doing this to a loyal customer who has worked with the Tata Group before. He had complained to all concerned including the head of Tata Cards, but all of them went unanswered. It is not known how many other Tata Cards customers are having the same problem. If you are one, let us know. Moneylife sent emails to Tata Cards to verify the story and received an automated reply from one generic id which replies to all customer complaints.
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Comment
Bapoo Malcolm 11 months ago
The major problem is with the boiler room pressures put on the staff to perform. Listed prices are often not charged, usually at Westside Army & Navy outlet, complaints unanswered, vague excuses given. Some outlets are better handled like under Chudasma at Hughes Road. Cannot paint all with the same tar brush.
BUT, the Tata name is taking a beating. Imagine a 65 year old Parsi woman unwilling to touch a Tata product after these experiences! When at one time the joke was that if you saw a Nano, it had to be a Parsi colony.
Bapoo M. Malcolm
Parag Mehta 11 months ago
Hello,
I am a IndusInd Bank credit card customer. I was owning a Deutsche Card since 2007. As long as the portfolio was with Deutsche Bank, services were upto the mark.
Sighting you one of the experiences with IndusInd. I called up their IVR system to have a word with customer care executive. I was held on for 20 minutes or so. Atlast, I just gave up. This happened twice. I have accumulated substantial points on the card.
With Deutsche Bank the service was prompt.
Parag Mehta
Kumar Jagtiani 11 months ago
Tata cards operations represent the dark side of Tatas. Their card operations are typically anti-customer, insensitive, unresponsive, uncommunicative, unapproachable, uncaring, opaque, obtuse and secretive. Probably run by a bunch antagonistic misanthropes who are also socially and commercially challenged.
Having a Tata card is like suffering from an incurable disease.
Kumar Jagtiani 11 months ago
The operations of Tata Credit Cards represents the dark side of the Tata group. The Card operations are most intractable, unapproachable, uncommunicative, insensitive, unresponsive in corporate history probably run by some socially and commercially challenged people having a deep-seated hatred for mankind.
Having a Tata card is like having an incurable disease.
avaneesh gupta 11 months ago
Hi,
It is not only Tatas who are cheating this loyal customer out of his duly accumulated reward points.
I have faced the same problem today with IndusInd Bank Credit card. I have been using a Deutsche Card since 2006 dec and my usage has been reasonably high on this card. Around 18 months back, Deutsche Bank sold their card portfolio to IndusInd Bank and last year, I got a new IndusInd Bank card also. As per my statement dated 18th June 2012. I had 26700 reward points in my card account. As Indusind does not have a decent card redemption scheme, I was not able to redeem these points.
Today when i decided to redeem these points against my card outstanding, I was told by the call centre executive that now I have only 17000 points as some 9000 odd points have expired in last 10 days.
The most shocking aspect is that there is no communication to me of this regard that the points are getting expired so I should hurry to redeem these points. If I convert these expired points to money term, its a loss of around INR 4500 to me as each point is equivalent to 50 paise. The executive further told me that this expiry clause was mentioned in the joining kit of Deutsche Bank when I would have received the card first time.
The last communication which I received from Indusind bank, my current card statement does not mention about expiring points but the bank expects me to remember terms and conditions mentioned in a document sent to me some 5-6 years back.
Can moneylife please explain me where can i take my grievance for redressal as it is not a question of losing INR 4500 but more of taking a stand against a bank which is trying to cheat me in such a shameless manner