Sankaranand Balaradjou

Author: Sankaranand

  • How HDFC Bank uses Strategy to Sue Saving Account Customers

    Long back i was in search of a good private bank that provides reliable services and good customer relation. So after several reviews and suggestions from experts i decided to go with HDFC due to its reasonable Quarterly Average Balance which is INR5000. HDFC provides almost all the features of a good end bank with many benefits and security but today everything changed up down when i was checking my online statement and found something like AQB SER CHGS INC ST & CESS APR-JUN2010 with a Debit of  INR827.25. A simple Google search explained me that it is nothing but a fee for not maintaining an Average Quarterly Minimum balance.

    I am very concerned about maintaining the records and managing the finance. I always stick to use and get addicted using my online bank accounts but then i am still not able to get an idea of why HDFC would charge me INR827.25 even though i take care to maintain my minimum balance always. But then some consumer and complaint forums had the answer. HDFC has changed their AQB from INR5000 to INR10,000. So by this way a bank customer gets to know about the change in Banking Policy and that too very critical important information like change in AQB.

    HDFC Bank does a the following:

    • Calls a Customer every occasion to inform about new offers, car loans, free credit card, insurance
    • Sends ATM pin no via First class Indian Courier Company
    • Asks to Fill a form for Third Party Fund Transfer
    • Even sends a Representative to customers house for opening a new current account

    But things like change in the AQB is not a critical matter of information right ? Why should we inform our customers, let us post a small snippet of information in the very corner of website in between promotional offers so customers might not be aware of it and we can charge them because they are weak in math.

    Finally i had to call HDFC Phone banking service. It is a big puzzle game to play, you have to find the right option to connect a phone banker, if you click any other option then you end up with a single choice PRESS ZERO to QUIT.  Seriously i do not know how i won this game, the phone banker is on line and i told him the whole situation. The kind hearted person at the other end tells me that my AQB is INR10,000 not INR5000. So i asked him all the questions you would ask if you were in my shoes, She told me that “they had mentioned about the change in the footer of the January Bank Statement” and even sent a private letter informing it. I don’t get statements becoz i opted for E-Statements nor did i got one private letter.

    As you very well know E-Statements are attached PDFs with password protection. I used to check my E-Statements but there is no mention of it except the covering letter of some two months Email statement which has a four line information of change in AQB without any highlighting. The Email they send you is a big one with a lot of commercial offers listed in the first place and important information in the middle. Would someone care to read an email with 1500 words or just check the attached statement ?

    I have a saving account and a current account with HDFC. Now my final decision would be to close it, never mind if they waive me of the fine. Your comments and critics are really appreciated !

  • Enthiran Audio to be launched this August !!!

    The wait is finally over and i am happy again. The most awaited movie of decade, Robo @ Enthiran will be launched this august if i am not wrong. Based upon the posts of Director Shankar in his blog and other media hypes i believe this to be true.  Have a look at the poster below.

    38067_106075542781356_100001367310775_54049_4162860_n

    You can even pre-order audio cds, tickets, other stuffs like badges, autographed posters too. You can either call 42244000 or log on to enthiran online for orders. Check more Enthiran pics at Director Shankar’s Blog.

  • The Face of Volkswagen India

    passat

    As one of the Select bloggers to represent Volkswagen India in the web i am happy to write this first post.  When it comes to Germany engineering, solidity, innovation, safety, state-of-the-art technology the only thing that comes to our mind is Volkswagen. Let me give a quick heads-up on where they are coming from and what they are heading.

    Being Europe’s most successful car brand Volkswagen has made successful inroads into the Indian market by presenting itself in a variety of segments as a high volume manufacturer. They launched the globally successful Passat in 2007. By expanding their portfolio and catering to the mid segment, Volkswagen launched one of the brand’s bestselling models, the Jetta, in India in July 2008. Both the sedans are being assembled locally. The iconic New Beetle and the high-end SUV Touareg were introduced in December 2009. Also available is the high-end Phaeton.

    From December 12, 2009 the new Pune plant has started rolling-out the hatchback version of the Volkswagen Polo. Recognizing the importance of an extensive dealer network towards scripting a long-term success story, the Volkswagen Group is setting up dealerships spanning the entire country, having in total around 120 dealerships across the country today. They are not only laying the foundation for a substantial increase in sales but also doing the groundwork for offering a first-class all-round service, taking customer satisfaction to the highest level.  The launch of Polo, the hatchback, is a visible testimony to Volkswagen’s vision of “Mobility – Made in India”.

    Volkswagen India is working incessantly towards bringing in the right products for the new-age Indian motorist who loves to drive and wants his/her set of wheels to be his companion in all that life throws at him/her. They also endeavor to back this up with an always-with-you approach towards online media. Because at Volkswagen, your expectation is our greatest inspiration!

    P.S: The New Vento sedan will be officially unveiled in India on the 6th of July, 2010

    They are active on these social media platforms-

    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Volkswagenindia

    Twitter: http://twitter.com/volkswagenindia

    YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/volkswagenvwin

  • Add filters to your Digital images with a click

    You don’t really have to be a professional photographer to bring that effect into your images because the folks at Rollip.com have developed a new site that gives any digital photo a new look and feel by offering filters ranging from 70’s vintage to more modern ones.

    They offer 40 various filters as far now and will be adding more filters in the future.. Rollip.com is free for smaller images but they do offer additional high-quality processing which some photographers can use for their professional work.

    I’ve tried a couple of filters and really satisfied with the output results. Just check my image below where i opted for a movie effect and how the orginal image transformed into a frame from a movie.

    And the Good news is Rollip.com offering 15 pro accounts to readers of this blog on a first come first serve basis. This pro account contains 30 credits which you can use for processing high quality images of yours. If you are interested to try Rollip then
    signup using the link below.
    Signup | Rollip.com

  • In love with my Best Friend

    This is a short film about two idiots, Kenneth and Shivani. They are best friends but have a very big problem in their lives…
    “In love with my best friend” is written, shot and directed by Raghav Bhotika, its loosely inspired from the archie comics…They are currently looking for a third idiot ( hopefully she should be cute and bubbly), so if you are interested pls call Raghav at 9972940791 and Kenneth at 9916379626 or drop your info at Kenny Media.  Pls dont expect any remuneration for this as they believe in “SASTA HAI ACHA”  but they can promise a wonderful experience while shooting!
    After casting, principle shooting and post production, they will be sending this short film to many Film Festivals nationally and internationally. This film is a venture by Lights Off Productions.

  • Set My Computer as Default in Windows Explorer

    By Default the Windows Explorer in Windows 7 will open library folder instead of My Computer. In previous version of Windows, we have a My computer Icon that would actually pinpoint to all the higher levels of Drives in our Computer. If you are really annoyed with the default library folder of Windows 7 then there is a workaround for you which will actually change the default target of Windows Explorer to open My Computer.

    Follow the Steps below to apply the workaround:

    • Hold Shift and Right click the Windows Explorer Icon in Taskbar
    • Select properties in it and under the Target Field, replace the existing code with the following code below

    %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n,/e,::{20d04fe0-3aea-1069-a2d8-08002b30309d}

    or if you wanted to open a specific drive  you can use the following code

    %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,d:\Documents

    Where d: is the drive letter and Documents is any of the folder u wanted.

    • Click Ok and Close the Task bar
    • To make this changes to All the occurances of Windows Explorer, Simply Open the Start menu
    • All Programs > Accessories and Right Click the Windows Explorer.
    • Then Invoke the properties and apply the same code above.

    Feel free to comment if you wanted any help over it.

  • A.R Rahman to make poverty a history

    A_R_Rahman_New

    Oscar Winner and Music Legend A.R Rahman wants poverty to be history. With his A.R Rahman Foundation, he is planning to set up educational institutions and provide world class, state-of-the-art infrastructure and education to children who do not even have the means to access and fund their education.

    The main reason why A.R Rahman foundation concentrates on funding children’s education is that they can specialize their knowledge which would be helpful for getting career opportunities and settle in life. Such a unique initiative is really appreciated considering other alternatives of shedding money and other stuffs in the name of social funding which are utilized by the middle crooks. Recently Rahman has performed a nationwide JAI HO concert to fund several social service organizations.

    As a first step towards achieving the vision, A R Rahman released a coloring book for children. This coloring book will feature stories for children based on human values & spread the message of love & peace. A new story will be released every month. Each coloring book is priced at INR 99/– only and proceeds from sales will go towards the A R Rahman Foundation.

    Being an Ardent fan of A.R Rahman you could simply purchase this coloring book and contribute to the A.R Rahman Foundation. Simply order the coloring book from A1Books Store online.

  • Very inspiring Ad of Bharti Airtel

    A very inspiring AD of Bharati Airtel that showing us how proud we Indians and India is. We should be proud of ourself. Music is composed ultimately by A.R Rahman another legend, who they missed to add in the video.. Please have a look at a AD.

  • How the future robots will help you drive safely

    aida

    A  project known as AIDA (Affective, Intelligent Driving Agent), a collaborative initiative between MIT and AUDI is a personal driving assistant and an intelligent navigation system.   AIDA is not a traditional navigation system that just predicts the best route between two points, its an intelligent system which sets goals for the driver and helps to achieve it.

    I would appreciate if you could watch the above video for understanding the system clearly. An another innovation in Technology…

    AIDA_Sensors21

    AIDA_Sensors11

    AIDA_Dash1

    The best part of AIDA is the personalization which includes analyzing driver behavior, frequently used routes, predicting real time events in the city that would interfere the route, collecting city traffic data as well has maps with incorporated information like business area, shopping area, workplace, night club etc.