Social media is a great tool that has shrunk the world and has given voice to the people. It is also a platform that has brought accountability for the companies in the service sector as people through a tweet, or a post can display their cause of distress.
In most of such incidents when a consumer posts their issues on social media, the company either apologise or provide some kind of solution that the customer agrees upon.
But, Karthik Srinivasan, a Bengaluru-based digital marketer, has taken the social media activism to a different level with his method and dedication against HDFC bank’s not so customer-friendly policy. According to Srinivasan, the bank is levying hidden charge via its emails to the customers.
HDFC bank is sending its account holders an email for welcoming them to a virtual relationship manager program. Under this program, customers of the bank will be getting some additional benefits. However, this program will charge ₹400 per year, and the bank mentions this crucial fact only in fine print somewhere at the bottom of that email. Also, the bank is signing up users by default and asks to unsubscribe manually by clicking on a link again somewhere at the bottom of the email.
Srinivasan rightly felt that customers might not read the mail or the fine print and get subscribe to the program without knowing about it. He then contacted the bank to address his concern, and HDFC replied that this process is ‘fair and transparent’ and in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Unsatisfied with the response, Srinivasan decided to tweet highlighting this issue every day till the end of this year starting on February 1 until the bank apologises.
Today is the 50th day when Srinivasan is continuing with this tweets asking HDFC bank to apologise to its customers. He now has more than 25K followers on Twitter, and this has become a movement to create awareness among people.
Below are a couple of his tweets:
Day 46: Baby = customers. Rabbit = @HDFC_Bank - why you behave like this HDFC? Please do the right thing, will you? https://t.co/ayDkFPTWWJ pic.twitter.com/nryrpeBo1C
— Karthik (@beastoftraal) March 18, 2017
Day 42: HDFC sends customers mail about 'invite-only' program. Customers have to pay for it! Email has opt-out link! https://t.co/ayDkFPTWWJ pic.twitter.com/SS7lANAZHo
— Karthik (@beastoftraal) March 14, 2017
Day 37: "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things" -Pls do the right thing HDFC Bank https://t.co/ayDkFQbylj
— Karthik (@beastoftraal) March 9, 2017
Day 33: "Divorced from ethics, leadership is reduced to management" —please check your HDFC bank statements https://t.co/ayDkFQbylj
— Karthik (@beastoftraal) March 5, 2017
Day 31: Lawyers on my timeline: can @HDFC_Bank escape this legally using 'estoppel'? Ethics is my point, though https://t.co/LDxoYLaZVV
— Karthik (@beastoftraal) March 3, 2017
Day 49: Invite-only, they said.
You'll be charged, they said.
'Here's opt-out link', they hid in email.
If not...! https://t.co/ayDkFQbylj
The bank is yet to reply. Nonetheless, the effort of Karthik Srinivasan is commendable.