In a quest to get the LTF Rupay Select Debit Card, I opened 2 savings account at Jana Small Finance Bank in Lucknow. The process, which started with a call-back request on their website for the Exclusive account (initially I was interested in exclusive account), went downhill from there. Despite waiting 5–6 days, no one contacted me, prompting me to visit their only branch in the city, which is 20 km from my residence.
At the branch, I spoke to a RM who provided vague details about the Exclusive account, pushing offers like ₹10,000 Taj vouchers with welcome kit (as per T&C it takes min. 3-4 months) and a zero MAB after an IP of ₹3 lakhs. Having already researched the account, I wasn't convinced. Instead, I decided on the Legend account for my parents, which had a more reasonable ₹25k MAB and came with a LTF RuPay Select Debit Card, a key feature of the Exclusive account.
The RM continued to push the Exclusive account, but I made it clear that as someone with no prior experience in small finance banking, I wanted to start with the lower-tier Legend account. Then the real challenges began.
The RM explained that accounts could only be opened through a home visit, not at the branch. While this sounded like a convenient feature, it quickly became a major disadvantage. I was at the branch around noon and requested a home visit for later that day. The RM assured me he would come within a few hours, but he never showed up. For the next seven days, I followed up repeatedly via calls and WhatsApp messages, only to receive either no response or false assurances.
Frustrated, I escalated the issue by emailing the MD's office with a detailed timeline and supporting screenshots. This finally got some attention. The very next day, I received a conference call from the Regional Head and the BM, who apologized for the delays. The BM personally visited our home to open the accounts.
However, the hurdles didn't end there. The IP had to be made via cheque, and no online options were available. While the accounts were officially opened on 22nd August, the cheque for my father’s account wasn’t deposited until six days later, and my mother's account saw a deposit even later. When I enquired about the debit card with BM confirmed me that the Debit Card will be issued automatically by the head office, only after IP deposit. So, after 5 days of IP deposit my father received his debit card on 3rd September, but my mother’s card took an additional nine days because it wasn’t issued automatically after IP rather it required me to contact customer care and apply for the debit card.
After these complications, I learned from BM that I could add myself as a joint holder to my parents’ accounts to receive an additional RuPay Select Debit Card. I filled out the necessary forms on 10th September, but even as of today, 20th September, the process hasn't been completed yet. Today they found that I am already a nominee in my parents' account, so I can't be a Joint Holder without deletion of nominee, so they sent someone to get my parents' signatures on a nominee deletion form, and now I'm waiting once again.
Timeline of Events:
At the branch, I spoke to a RM who provided vague details about the Exclusive account, pushing offers like ₹10,000 Taj vouchers with welcome kit (as per T&C it takes min. 3-4 months) and a zero MAB after an IP of ₹3 lakhs. Having already researched the account, I wasn't convinced. Instead, I decided on the Legend account for my parents, which had a more reasonable ₹25k MAB and came with a LTF RuPay Select Debit Card, a key feature of the Exclusive account.
The RM continued to push the Exclusive account, but I made it clear that as someone with no prior experience in small finance banking, I wanted to start with the lower-tier Legend account. Then the real challenges began.
The RM explained that accounts could only be opened through a home visit, not at the branch. While this sounded like a convenient feature, it quickly became a major disadvantage. I was at the branch around noon and requested a home visit for later that day. The RM assured me he would come within a few hours, but he never showed up. For the next seven days, I followed up repeatedly via calls and WhatsApp messages, only to receive either no response or false assurances.
Frustrated, I escalated the issue by emailing the MD's office with a detailed timeline and supporting screenshots. This finally got some attention. The very next day, I received a conference call from the Regional Head and the BM, who apologized for the delays. The BM personally visited our home to open the accounts.
However, the hurdles didn't end there. The IP had to be made via cheque, and no online options were available. While the accounts were officially opened on 22nd August, the cheque for my father’s account wasn’t deposited until six days later, and my mother's account saw a deposit even later. When I enquired about the debit card with BM confirmed me that the Debit Card will be issued automatically by the head office, only after IP deposit. So, after 5 days of IP deposit my father received his debit card on 3rd September, but my mother’s card took an additional nine days because it wasn’t issued automatically after IP rather it required me to contact customer care and apply for the debit card.
After these complications, I learned from BM that I could add myself as a joint holder to my parents’ accounts to receive an additional RuPay Select Debit Card. I filled out the necessary forms on 10th September, but even as of today, 20th September, the process hasn't been completed yet. Today they found that I am already a nominee in my parents' account, so I can't be a Joint Holder without deletion of nominee, so they sent someone to get my parents' signatures on a nominee deletion form, and now I'm waiting once again.
Timeline of Events:
- 07/08/2024: Requested the call back from the website.
- 12/08/2024: Visited branch
- 20/08/2024: Emailed MD’s desk
- 21/08/2024: BM visited our home to open accounts
- 22/08/2024: Accounts opened, but no IP deposit made
- 29/08/2024: Father’s cheque deposited
- 01/09/2024: Mother’s cheque deposited
- 03/09/2024: Father’s debit card received
- 09/09/2024: Called customer care to request mother’s debit card
- 10/09/2024: Form filled for joint holder addition
- 13/09/2024: Mother’s debit card received
- 20/09/2024: Form filled for nominee deletion
