With a height of around 5"5' and wing span of about 6"0', the FLYING FOX BAT is the largest bat ever!! Don't worry it won't run after your blood, it eats fruit!!
LARGEST BAT!!
With a height of around 5"5' and wing span of about 6"0', the FLYING FOX BAT is the largest bat ever!! Don't worry it won't run after your blood, it eats fruit!!
100% needed for B.Com at SRCC
If Sri Ram College of Commerce is your dream college and you are not a commerce student, 100% is what you need to make that dream come true. At the nearby Hindu College you will need 99% marks and if you settle for the south campus, Lady Sri Ram College has a first list cut-off at 97%.
"This is crazy even the second rung colleges are out of reach, even in colleges like Khalsa, the cut offs have gone upto 92-93% " a student Keshav said.
Despite the exceptionally high cut offs this year, there are some who have managed to qualify but the number of such students are not many.
"I have got 97%. They are doing it to keep the non commerce students out" a student Dheer said.
Unlike 2010, in 2011 the university decided to do away with centralised application forms and asked colleges to come out with cut offs on their own based on this years Class XII results and previous cut off trends.
The rider is that every student who makes the cut has to be given admission that is one reason the colleges are playing it safe, at least the first cut off list.
But the HRD ministry Kapil Sibbal and the Vice Chancellor of Delhi University Dinesh Singh are not happy.
"I request VC and college to take note of it and I want to tell the parents that they should not worry we will take care of this irrationality," Sibbal said.
Vice Chancellor of Delhi University said, "High cut offs because of very high percentages students have received in their boards. in the first list colleges are always cautious, cut offs will come down in second and third lists. We are looking to reform our processes."
With around 2000 students across the country securing above 95 per cent, 800 of which are from Delhi alone, the principal of SRCC Dr PC Jain says this kind of a cut off list was not unexpected.
"Performance of students has been extraordinary this year, that's why, the cut off is so high... There is nothing unfortunate. Infact, its very fortunate that students in this country are performing so well. The criteria are an old practice that has been followed so nothing like that it has been done deliberately to keep the non-commerce students out of SRCC," said Jain.
Even as the first cut off list has brought more shock than hope among students, college authorities say there is hope that the second cut off list is likely to be more realistic.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, whose two sons study in a Delhi school, is also worried over the high cut-offs. Omar tweeted saying, "Worry? I'm terrified for my sons because in five years, when Zamir (Omar's son) moves to college, the cut-offs will be even more insane."
Omar said he was happy that he finished college 20 years ago as the present cut-offs were "scary".
"With these kinds of cut-off marks, I'd have been doing a correspondence course because I wouldn't have even gotten a 'pass course' admission," he said.
Another Delhi University college Daulat Ram College has hiked its cut-off for chemistry honours by as much as 13%, while Gargi has increased the cut-off marks for chemistry honours by 12%. For English Honours, the cut-off is 88% at Gargi, Hans Raj and Ramjas.
Meanwhile, St Stephen's has done away with the Class 10 component from its eligibility requirements and is giving 85% weightage to the Class 12 marks and remaining 15% to interview.
Are Malls Our New Temples?
Festivals are a time for shopping. Well and good. But I think those of us who live in large cities would be kidding ourselves if we pretended that this is the only time we engage in rampant consumerism. No, from Bangkok to Singapore, Mumbai to Manila, shopping—particularly shopping in large malls—is a year-round priority.
Shopping centres are good. They are a sign of dizzying economic growth, and a demonstration of how far Asians have come, in such a short time. For many of the older generation who can remember a time when everyone lived in villages and there was no running water, the multi-level, air-conditioned mall represents comfort, choice, luxury and better times.
But many Asian metropolises with burgeoning middle classes now have such a proliferation of malls—all teeming with outlets of Marks & Spencer, Gap, Starbucks, Bulgari, Cartier, Mont Blanc—that they appear to have long crossed saturation point. Nowadays, it seems our default venue for every activity is the mall—it’s where we shop, eat, watch movies, bowl, arrange to meet our friends, have a romantic date or just generally lounge around.
Not only that, we have come to regard malls as important landmarks or tourist attractions. “When you come to visit us, you must see our new shopping centre, it’s massive and has an Egyptian pyramid at the entrance”—sentences such as these are quite usual. Whole generations of Asians are growing up to think that, aside from home and school, the shopping complex is the most natural place to be. Many young people shop for clothes at the mall so that they can look good when they meet their friends—at the mall.
My main contention with shopping centres is not that they are often massive concrete blocks that don’t take into account the architectural nuances or cultural backdrop of a city, or that they promote ultra-consumerism at a time when our planet can ill afford it. My main gripe with the plethora of malls is that they don’t seem to make us happy. Oh, the large advertisements outside the stores could persuade us to think that if we only had this pair of jeans, or if we hung out at this café, then we could feel more fulfilled. But once we buy something, we only want to buy something more.
But many Asian metropolises with burgeoning middle classes now have such a proliferation of malls—all teeming with outlets of Marks & Spencer, Gap, Starbucks, Bulgari, Cartier, Mont Blanc—that they appear to have long crossed saturation point. Nowadays, it seems our default venue for every activity is the mall—it’s where we shop, eat, watch movies, bowl, arrange to meet our friends, have a romantic date or just generally lounge around.
Not only that, we have come to regard malls as important landmarks or tourist attractions. “When you come to visit us, you must see our new shopping centre, it’s massive and has an Egyptian pyramid at the entrance”—sentences such as these are quite usual. Whole generations of Asians are growing up to think that, aside from home and school, the shopping complex is the most natural place to be. Many young people shop for clothes at the mall so that they can look good when they meet their friends—at the mall.
My main contention with shopping centres is not that they are often massive concrete blocks that don’t take into account the architectural nuances or cultural backdrop of a city, or that they promote ultra-consumerism at a time when our planet can ill afford it. My main gripe with the plethora of malls is that they don’t seem to make us happy. Oh, the large advertisements outside the stores could persuade us to think that if we only had this pair of jeans, or if we hung out at this café, then we could feel more fulfilled. But once we buy something, we only want to buy something more.
Shopping malls, even though they try to look as glitzy and as welcoming as possible, can be
harsh places. The very concept of the mega-mall plays on human feelings of inadequacy and competitiveness. To make us buy, it must make us feel that we lack something, or that everyone else has something we do not yet own. We must consume to surpass others or, at the very least, to keep up. We purchase to fit in. How can this constant undercurrent of competitiveness, of us always trying to be “cool,” bring us true joy?
The saddest thing is that the modern mall, basically an American import, has made us put aside a whole array of beautiful, worthwhile —and yes, cheaper—activities, many of them intrinsic to our own cultures or region. We have no one to blame but ourselves. Instead of shopping, we could be cooking, visiting a nearby waterfall, beach or temple, reading a novel, writing poetry, starting a blog, making music, taking a long walk, playing a game, learning a dance or—here’s a radical idea—visiting a friend.
Every time there’s a spare piece of land, all we can think of building on it is yet another mall. This way,
we show not only our affluent status but also demonstrate our poverty in terms of imagination, adventure and passion. Perhaps instead, we should be building libraries, or theatres, art galleries, museums, sports halls, public swimming pools, parks, animal sanctuaries—the list is endless.
We might even consider leaving that plot of land alone, to flourish as it will.
And this is something that the mall may have caused us to forget; In order to be happy, we must create as well as consume.
harsh places. The very concept of the mega-mall plays on human feelings of inadequacy and competitiveness. To make us buy, it must make us feel that we lack something, or that everyone else has something we do not yet own. We must consume to surpass others or, at the very least, to keep up. We purchase to fit in. How can this constant undercurrent of competitiveness, of us always trying to be “cool,” bring us true joy?
The saddest thing is that the modern mall, basically an American import, has made us put aside a whole array of beautiful, worthwhile —and yes, cheaper—activities, many of them intrinsic to our own cultures or region. We have no one to blame but ourselves. Instead of shopping, we could be cooking, visiting a nearby waterfall, beach or temple, reading a novel, writing poetry, starting a blog, making music, taking a long walk, playing a game, learning a dance or—here’s a radical idea—visiting a friend.
Every time there’s a spare piece of land, all we can think of building on it is yet another mall. This way,
we show not only our affluent status but also demonstrate our poverty in terms of imagination, adventure and passion. Perhaps instead, we should be building libraries, or theatres, art galleries, museums, sports halls, public swimming pools, parks, animal sanctuaries—the list is endless.
We might even consider leaving that plot of land alone, to flourish as it will.
And this is something that the mall may have caused us to forget; In order to be happy, we must create as well as consume.
Mumbai office mkt sixth most expensive globally
Mumbai has been ranked as the sixth-most expensive office market in the world, according to a global survey by property services firm Cushman & Wakefield.
With office rentals in its main business district averaging $114 a square foot per year, Mumbai ranks behind Hong Kong , London, Tokyo, Rio de Janiero and New York, the report said.
Rentals for Class A space at the Nariman Point area in south Mumbai typically range between 300 to 400 rupees per square foot per month. Mumbai had been ranked No. 5 last year in a similar survey.
Cushman & Wakefield said lack of new supply and limited demand for office space is likely to keep office rentals stagnant in Mumbai.
Property prices in Mumbai and Delhi have more than doubled over the past 18 months, spurred by rising incomes and a firm stock market, but sales volumes are down by a third from a year ago as high prices and rising borrowing costs deter buyers.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised interest rates seven times since March 2010 to curb stubbornly high inflation, further hurting demand.
India's top seven cities hold total office space of 280 million square feet, and this is expected to rise by another 50 million square feet in 2011.
KBC-4 gives its first 'crorepati'
Rahat Tasneem, the maiden contestant to win the prize money of Rs one crore in the fourth season of popular show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' (KBC) is confidence personified, a trait which was even lauded by the show's host megastar Amitabh Bacchan. Coming from a small town of Giridih in Jharkhand, the 37-year-old says she played well utilising the options of 'phone a friend', 'double dip', 'expert advice' and 'audience poll' effectively.
Rahat said that she was confused initially and had to use the lifelines. "But, from the stage of Rs 3.20 lakh to Rs 50 lakh, I knew my answers and did not require lifelines."
"When Big B asked me where did I get my confidence from, I replied it stemmed from self-belief and the fact that I knew it all," she said.
Rahat won the crore sum by opting for 'double dip' to a question about which state did the first woman president of an African nation, belong.
"I was confused so I used my last lifeline (double dip)," she said adding she quit the game as she did not know the answer of the jackpot query of Rs 5 crore on the first heart transplant. "I did not have any lifelines left."
The lucky housewife had only Rs three in her mobile phone as balance when it began all, with a question on Hindu mythology on October 16. "I decided to take a chance and send the SMS," Rahat said.
"When Big B asked me where did I get my confidence from, I replied it stemmed from self-belief and the fact that I knew it all," she said.
Rahat won the crore sum by opting for 'double dip' to a question about which state did the first woman president of an African nation, belong.
"I was confused so I used my last lifeline (double dip)," she said adding she quit the game as she did not know the answer of the jackpot query of Rs 5 crore on the first heart transplant. "I did not have any lifelines left."
The lucky housewife had only Rs three in her mobile phone as balance when it began all, with a question on Hindu mythology on October 16. "I decided to take a chance and send the SMS," Rahat said.
World's Biggest Rangoli.........Happy Diwali-2010
A total of 120 girls, boys and women worked for hours to make what the organisers said was the world's largest rangoli at the SRK college ground in this Uttar Pradesh town.
The huge rangoli at SRK college ground in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad
town made using 13 quintals of colour. (IANS Photo)
Praveeen Agarwal, secretary of the Indian Career Welfare Society which organised the show, said the rangoli was made on 12,000 sq feet of ground, using 13 quintals of red, yellow, green and black gulal.
"We also used white marble powder," Agarwal told IANS. The rangoli was opened for public viewing later.
Participants were trained for a week. Computer aided diagram and sketches helped the artists to work on 17 different blocks simultaneously. The figure was of a human face.
The next step, the organisers said, was to get a Guinness certificate.
The huge rangoli at SRK college ground in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad
town made using 13 quintals of colour. (IANS Photo)
Praveeen Agarwal, secretary of the Indian Career Welfare Society which organised the show, said the rangoli was made on 12,000 sq feet of ground, using 13 quintals of red, yellow, green and black gulal.
"We also used white marble powder," Agarwal told IANS. The rangoli was opened for public viewing later.
Participants were trained for a week. Computer aided diagram and sketches helped the artists to work on 17 different blocks simultaneously. The figure was of a human face.
The next step, the organisers said, was to get a Guinness certificate.
Top 10 mistakes of Bill Gates
Bill Gates is considered as a great man. Many people look up to him. And a lot of people are inspired by his life. But then again like any other human being he also has his own mistakes. Here are the top 10 mistakes of Bill Gates.
The man created a software monopoly and in return he got so many lawsuits for it.Bill Gates is still fighting with lawsuits.The source on wikipedia clearly stated that
United States v. Microsoft was a set of consolidated civil actions filed against Microsoft Corporation on May 18, 1998 by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and 20 U.S. states. Joel I. Klein was the lead prosecutor.The trial started on May 18, 1998 with the U.S. Justice Department and the Attorneys General of twenty U.S. states suing Microsoft for illegally thwarting competition in order to protect and extend its software monopoly.
Bill Gates did not consider opensource. His business strategies always counter opensource principles and paradigm.You may be interested in his open-source debate In a Fortune magazine he clearly says that
It’s easier for our software to compete with Linux when there’s piracy than when there’s not.
The Windows OS made Mr. Gates the richest man in the world. But its latest iteration is bombarded with lots of negative criticisms.
He allowed Windows Mobile to happen. Did he run out of innovative ideas so he settled for a miniature Windows OS for mobile phone. He could have put up a team to design the OS from ground up.
He let DOS die. It was a promising OS and a very stable one.
Bill Gates did not think of cloud computing probably because of his proprietary Windows OS. But this is definitely one of his biggest mistakes.
He allowed Windows Millennium edition to be released. The OS was definitely a reflection of the lack of talents from Microsoft. It failed the expectation of the people. It was premature.
He ignored search. Look what happened to Google now. Bill Gates already made some moves about search in the end of the 90s and it was definitely a mistake to trash it.Scobleizer once revealed in his post that
Look at my last post. Now read this one over on LiveSide. It’s a short report that Microsoft executives are bragging to MVPs that “we’re in it to win.”
I don’t think Microsoft is. The words are empty. Microsoft’s Internet execution sucks (on whole). Its search sucks. Its advertising sucks (look at that last post again). If that’s “in it to win” then I don’t get it. I saw a bunch of posts similar to the one on LiveSide coming out of the MVP Summit. I didn’t post any of them to my link blog for a reason: All were air, no real demonstrations of how Microsoft is going to lead.
The Microsoft Zune is a mistake. A lot of money poured into its development but yet it did not yield enough profit.John Biggs from Crunchgear had a poetic post on “Who killed Microsoft?”.Some of the extract are as follows:
Who killed Microsoft? Why did all those jobs get lost?
“Not I,” said the Zune fanboy, “I got Zune, I’m no iToy Sure it didn’t do too much and too bad my girlfriend bought a Touch now we’re iTunes all the way what else do I have to say?”
The Xbox on the other hand is too pricey for a gaming console and because of this; people go for other brands- the cheaper ones.This is only reason why Xbox price set to drop in war with Sony’s PS3 and Nintendo’s top-selling Wii. Those are the top 10 mistakes of Bill Gates. These might be some of the negative side of the guy but these will never take away his greatness.
Gold Vending ATMs May Become a Reality in India
 Indians might soon get a chance to buy gold from ATMs, as Germany's Ex Oriente Lux AG is in talks with Indian entities for setting up gold dispensing automated machines in India.Ex Oriente Lux AG, which also operates an online shop for the yellow metal, is the maker of gold vending machines. A company official said that talks are going on with interested entities in India to set up gold dispensing ATMs in the country. "We are currently in talks with many interested parties from all over the world, also from India... the door is still open for further applications," the Ex Oriente Lux AG's Director (PR & Marketing) Joe Dreixler told PTI from Germany. However, the official did not provide details about the ongoing talks. The Gold ATM, known as 'Gold to go', made its debut in Abu Dhabi earlier this year. It can issue up to ten different products and their real time prices are updated every ten minutes, according to the company's website. Other features include the option to see a selected product before making the purchase decision. Currently, such ATMs are there in four countries -- the UAE (Abu Dhabi), Germany, Italy and Spain. Most of these machines are located in Germany. "At this stage, we have nine machines on air (in use). Further, locations to be opened soon," Dreixler said. Going by the website, "Gold to go originated as an opportunity born out of the turmoil of the financial crisis". Ever since the global financial meltdown in 2008-09, gold prices have been on the rise, as more investors are seeing the yellow metal as a safe investment. According to the official, response to these ATMs have been overwhelming. "Thomas Geissler's -- inventor of the world's first gold vending machine and CEO of Ex Oriente Lux AG -- motivation is to make it easier for normal consumer to purchase precious metals in safe and easy way and at fair prices," Dreixler added. |
Consumer Fee Charges for Nothing
Fees, fees and more fees fill up your monthly statement as banks, credit cards and service providers insist on charging consumers for basic functions. Shruti Srivastava takes a deeper at your losses. Ridiculous it may seem, but service providers levy a host of charges that border on fleecing. While it is not known how much such charges add to their toplines, surely they pinch your pockets.
These days it costs to pay your own bills; even if you do it before the due date, and cash down! That's what New Delhi based Vijay Kumar realised when he faced problems with his Internet banking and chose to pay his Standard Chartered Bank credit card bill in cash at a branch near his place. The teller at the branch informed him that paying the bill in cash would cost him Rs 120. To avoid it, the teller said, he could make the payment through cheque or Net banking.
Ridiculous, it may seem. But banks and other service providers levy a host of charges that border on fleecing. While it is not known how much such charges add to their toplines, surely these pinch your pockets and more than anything else leave behind a feeling of harassment and helplessness.
As far as banks are concerned, till 1997, the Indian Banks' Association used to keep a check on service charges and fees levied by banks. Later on, individual banks were given discretionary powers to decide charges. However, after a flood of complaints by consumers, banking regulator Reserve Bank of India (RBI) set up a working group for assessing the ` Reasonableness of Bank Charges' in 2006 for standardising the service fee charges for basic banking services. The RBI also asked banks to display the service charges for all the normal banking transactions on their websites.
The RBI's move was also a result of strong arguments made by several consumer organisations, claiming that bank customers in India are mostly "captive" because of the difficult procedure in changing their banks even when they are not satisfied with the services offered. Customers forced to pay the absurd charges have found support in an unlikely place -the Internet. A page called `I'mtired-of-ridiculous-charges-and-fees-from-mybank' has been set up on social networking site Facebook! Though sectors like telecom and aviation are regulated by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and Director General of Civil Aviation and Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), the loony charges by these sectors remain a sore point with customers.
Welcome to the world of charges:
1. Penalty on deposit of cash in collector box
ICICI charges its customers Rs 100 if they deposit cash in a box meant for collecting cheques. The charge increases to Rs 300 in case the deposit amount is above Rs 500 and repeat instances of cash deposits through cheque drop box attracts an increased charge of Rs 500 for any amount. That means if you deposit Rs 600 by mistake in the collector box, the bank will charge Rs 300 on the transaction!
2. Free debit card
When debit-cum-ATM cards were introduced by banks, the idea was to encourage customers not to overcrowd banks for something as simple as withdrawal of cash. For those fearing technology, it was criminal to do so while for the more tech-savvy ones, it was time saving. Then the banks introduced the facility of using debit card for making several payments ranging from bill payments to shopping. However, banks like HDFC charge an annual fee plus taxes for debit card.
There is no pattern of charging for lost card or replacement cards with some banks like ICICI charging Rs 200 per card while HDFC charging Rs 100 plus taxes for the same. ICICI imposes a surcharge on fuel purchases at HPCL outlets. It is nil for transactions above Rs 400, while 2.5 per cent subject to a minimum of Rs 2 for transactions up to Rs 400. While at non-HPCL outlets, the charges is 2.5 per cent of purchase or Rs 10 per transaction whichever is higher. Booking of railway tickets through debit card attracts 1.8 per cent of the transaction value. Standard Chartered bank also charges the higher of a surcharge of 2.5 per cent on the purchase value or Rs 10 while using debit card at petrol pumps.
3. Charges for unsolicited services
Supriya was surprised when she got a debit card of a leading public sector bank without even asking for it. She called the customer care to report the same and was assured that it would be taken care of. But it has been a year and she has been charged for services on the debit card she never asked for. Many banks have been providing such unsolicited ser vices and charging for the same, thereby hassling customers. Though in many such cases the charges levied are minimum, but when added keeping in mind the number of branches and the reach of the bank across the country, the amount is staggering.
4. Foreign banks charging for inter-bank withdrawals from ATMS
Rina Prasad, a housewife, had to pay a transaction fee when she went to next door HSBC bank ATM to withdraw money using an SBI Debit card. As per the RBI guidelines, in a month, five withdrawals from ATMs of any other bank are free of service charges and after that, a fee of Rs 20 is charged. However, Rina was puzzled as this was her very first transaction from a bank other than SBI. While inserting the card, a message on the screen conveyed to her that HSBC being a foreign bank is not governed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines and hence she would be charged for the same.
5. Inter-bank fund transfer
Udita Bhattacharya went to a nearby HDFC bank branch to transfer funds in her friend's account, which is in another branch located some 15 km from her home. While depositing the money she was told that Rs 100 would be charged for transferring fund from one branch to the other. "But which bank does that?" she questioned. "We do", he said. Few banks have started the practice of charging their customers for core banking services like these. According to Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group, a con sumer organisation, core banking system (CBS) has become an excuse for many banks to cover up their faulty practices.
6. Account closure
As the consumer organisations have been rightly pointing out, a bank customer is captive. If you want to close your account within six months of opening it, you have to pay Rs 100 after the first 14 days of opening the account. HSBC charges Rs 1,000 for the same if the account if closed in less than 6 months of account opening and ICICI charges Rs 500 from 31 days to one year.
7. Charging erroneously
Not only are the charges loony, in many cases banks charge wrongly for a transaction. For example, according to a consumer organisation, a customer in Chennai was charged because his cheque bounced due to insufficient funds in his account. He was surprised because a few days back he had deposited Rs 50,000 in his account. On enquiring further and producing the receipt of deposit slip, he learnt that the bank had wrongly credited the entry in an another account. The victim is yet to get the money wrongly credited and the amount charged for the bounced cheque.
8. Customer care, a paid service
It may come as a surprise but Vodafone has started charging for its customer care services. So next time you call for registering a complaint or knowing your account balance or usage, you would be charged as per the extant tariff. Other services providers like Airtel are still doing it for free. But you never know when others might start following the trend.
9. Unsolicited calls & messages while roaming
Rajeev disliked caller tunes. But he was provided one by his service provider Uninor without even informing him. When he called up the customer care, he was told that he requested for it! Aghast, he gave the customer care executive a piece of his mind and asked them to remove the caller tune. Another problem which customers face is a torrent of unsolicited messages both from their service provider and telemarketer. Not only are these messages annoying, they also cost you when you are availing of roaming facility.
10. Seat assignment by airlines
Did you know that your coveted seats with more leg space costs you a bit extra? Low cost airlines such as SpiceJet and Indigo charge around Rs 300 per passenger for seats in the front row or near emergency exit points, which have extra leg space. If the passenger wants a seat allocated before check-in, he has to pay Rs 50 extra.
These days it costs to pay your own bills; even if you do it before the due date, and cash down! That's what New Delhi based Vijay Kumar realised when he faced problems with his Internet banking and chose to pay his Standard Chartered Bank credit card bill in cash at a branch near his place. The teller at the branch informed him that paying the bill in cash would cost him Rs 120. To avoid it, the teller said, he could make the payment through cheque or Net banking.
Ridiculous, it may seem. But banks and other service providers levy a host of charges that border on fleecing. While it is not known how much such charges add to their toplines, surely these pinch your pockets and more than anything else leave behind a feeling of harassment and helplessness.
As far as banks are concerned, till 1997, the Indian Banks' Association used to keep a check on service charges and fees levied by banks. Later on, individual banks were given discretionary powers to decide charges. However, after a flood of complaints by consumers, banking regulator Reserve Bank of India (RBI) set up a working group for assessing the ` Reasonableness of Bank Charges' in 2006 for standardising the service fee charges for basic banking services. The RBI also asked banks to display the service charges for all the normal banking transactions on their websites.
The RBI's move was also a result of strong arguments made by several consumer organisations, claiming that bank customers in India are mostly "captive" because of the difficult procedure in changing their banks even when they are not satisfied with the services offered. Customers forced to pay the absurd charges have found support in an unlikely place -the Internet. A page called `I'mtired-of-ridiculous-charges-and-fees-from-mybank' has been set up on social networking site Facebook! Though sectors like telecom and aviation are regulated by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and Director General of Civil Aviation and Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), the loony charges by these sectors remain a sore point with customers.
Welcome to the world of charges:
1. Penalty on deposit of cash in collector box
ICICI charges its customers Rs 100 if they deposit cash in a box meant for collecting cheques. The charge increases to Rs 300 in case the deposit amount is above Rs 500 and repeat instances of cash deposits through cheque drop box attracts an increased charge of Rs 500 for any amount. That means if you deposit Rs 600 by mistake in the collector box, the bank will charge Rs 300 on the transaction!
2. Free debit card
When debit-cum-ATM cards were introduced by banks, the idea was to encourage customers not to overcrowd banks for something as simple as withdrawal of cash. For those fearing technology, it was criminal to do so while for the more tech-savvy ones, it was time saving. Then the banks introduced the facility of using debit card for making several payments ranging from bill payments to shopping. However, banks like HDFC charge an annual fee plus taxes for debit card.
There is no pattern of charging for lost card or replacement cards with some banks like ICICI charging Rs 200 per card while HDFC charging Rs 100 plus taxes for the same. ICICI imposes a surcharge on fuel purchases at HPCL outlets. It is nil for transactions above Rs 400, while 2.5 per cent subject to a minimum of Rs 2 for transactions up to Rs 400. While at non-HPCL outlets, the charges is 2.5 per cent of purchase or Rs 10 per transaction whichever is higher. Booking of railway tickets through debit card attracts 1.8 per cent of the transaction value. Standard Chartered bank also charges the higher of a surcharge of 2.5 per cent on the purchase value or Rs 10 while using debit card at petrol pumps.
3. Charges for unsolicited services
Supriya was surprised when she got a debit card of a leading public sector bank without even asking for it. She called the customer care to report the same and was assured that it would be taken care of. But it has been a year and she has been charged for services on the debit card she never asked for. Many banks have been providing such unsolicited ser vices and charging for the same, thereby hassling customers. Though in many such cases the charges levied are minimum, but when added keeping in mind the number of branches and the reach of the bank across the country, the amount is staggering.
4. Foreign banks charging for inter-bank withdrawals from ATMS
Rina Prasad, a housewife, had to pay a transaction fee when she went to next door HSBC bank ATM to withdraw money using an SBI Debit card. As per the RBI guidelines, in a month, five withdrawals from ATMs of any other bank are free of service charges and after that, a fee of Rs 20 is charged. However, Rina was puzzled as this was her very first transaction from a bank other than SBI. While inserting the card, a message on the screen conveyed to her that HSBC being a foreign bank is not governed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines and hence she would be charged for the same.
5. Inter-bank fund transfer
Udita Bhattacharya went to a nearby HDFC bank branch to transfer funds in her friend's account, which is in another branch located some 15 km from her home. While depositing the money she was told that Rs 100 would be charged for transferring fund from one branch to the other. "But which bank does that?" she questioned. "We do", he said. Few banks have started the practice of charging their customers for core banking services like these. According to Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group, a con sumer organisation, core banking system (CBS) has become an excuse for many banks to cover up their faulty practices.
6. Account closure
As the consumer organisations have been rightly pointing out, a bank customer is captive. If you want to close your account within six months of opening it, you have to pay Rs 100 after the first 14 days of opening the account. HSBC charges Rs 1,000 for the same if the account if closed in less than 6 months of account opening and ICICI charges Rs 500 from 31 days to one year.
7. Charging erroneously
Not only are the charges loony, in many cases banks charge wrongly for a transaction. For example, according to a consumer organisation, a customer in Chennai was charged because his cheque bounced due to insufficient funds in his account. He was surprised because a few days back he had deposited Rs 50,000 in his account. On enquiring further and producing the receipt of deposit slip, he learnt that the bank had wrongly credited the entry in an another account. The victim is yet to get the money wrongly credited and the amount charged for the bounced cheque.
8. Customer care, a paid service
It may come as a surprise but Vodafone has started charging for its customer care services. So next time you call for registering a complaint or knowing your account balance or usage, you would be charged as per the extant tariff. Other services providers like Airtel are still doing it for free. But you never know when others might start following the trend.
9. Unsolicited calls & messages while roaming
Rajeev disliked caller tunes. But he was provided one by his service provider Uninor without even informing him. When he called up the customer care, he was told that he requested for it! Aghast, he gave the customer care executive a piece of his mind and asked them to remove the caller tune. Another problem which customers face is a torrent of unsolicited messages both from their service provider and telemarketer. Not only are these messages annoying, they also cost you when you are availing of roaming facility.
10. Seat assignment by airlines
Did you know that your coveted seats with more leg space costs you a bit extra? Low cost airlines such as SpiceJet and Indigo charge around Rs 300 per passenger for seats in the front row or near emergency exit points, which have extra leg space. If the passenger wants a seat allocated before check-in, he has to pay Rs 50 extra.
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