INTERNAL OMBUDSMAN [IO] SCHEME- SUGGESTION

Date: 06-09-2018

To,

Chief General Manager,

Reserve Bank of India,

Consumer Education and Protection Dept

Sir P M Road, Mumbai 400001

Email: helpdoc@rbi.org.in

Dear Sir,

INTERNAL OMBUDSMAN [IO] SCHEME- SUGGESTION

Under extant above scheme, the complainant has no access to IO. Bank is supposed to invariably forward rejected/partly rejected complaints to IO. The complainant is not even informed of reference to IO, unless he resorts to RTI Act. This provision of scheme facilitates Bank’s lower level officer not to refer complaints to IO.

In one of the complaints of my relative against PSB, the matter does not appear to have been referred to IO, till receipt of RTI application seeking interalia information on reference to IO.

If complainant is not informed of reference to IO or pending with IO, customer may proceed to BO/Consumer Forum, which will frustrate one of the aims of above scheme.

My humble suggestions to make aforesaid scheme effective and really customer-centric are as under:

1. Public should be informed of IO [name, designation, postal address and email ID] through bank’s website/passbook or monthly statement of account/notice board at branches.

2. Whenever GM/PNO refers complaint to IO, copy of covering letter should be marked to complainant.

3. IO should provide opportunity for hearing [by mobile/phone] or written submission of complainant. My relative had received mobile call from IO when he was deciding the complaint.

4. Condition that customer can approach BO only after complaint is decided by IO, be deleted. This is anti-consumer and restrictive.

5. Time limit be fixed for reference to IO by bank and for IO to decide, or else complaint may be time-barred at BO level/consumer forum.

6. Decision of IO should necessarily be signed by IO.

7.  At present Bank’s executive acts as IO.  Retired General Manager/Executive Director of other Bank or retired Judicial Officer may be considered as IO to avoid conflict of interest. Such IO be paid per complaint decided by him.

In the present form, the scheme will not be of any effect nor enjoy confidence of public. It will be just one more layer in grievance handling mechanism and cosmetic.

Please consider suggestions positively.

Yours faithfully,

J P Shah