HDFC Credit card enforce incorrect finance charges and HDFC Bank put a Hold on my saving A/C

sharmagovind50

sharmagovind50

New member
Bank Name
HDFC bank - Issue number 1059431897 ,'967820381' '965225130'
Customer Care Number
011-66668101
Loss Amount
108000
Ratings
5.00 star(s)
Opposite Party Address
HDFC Bank Narnaul , Haryana ,123001
Respected Sir/Madam.
I am Govind Ram Sharma , 80 yrs old and living alone at House 51 ,Mohalla Chanduwara, Narnaul -123001. I want to bring the fraud incident which happened to me and I am looking for your guidance and next steps.
I have been enrolled with HDFC Credit card # 48549#####332 issued by HDFC NARNAUL., Branch. I was using this card for more than 5 years. It was always set for auto payment and full amount used to go out for credit card payment. Even in some cases, I was very prompt to pay the large amount like my Tax filling etc promptly without even waiting for automatic monthly date.
Let me summaries my issue here:
Issue Statements:
1. On 16/02/2025 , I came to know that my credit card was declined and when I searched then I found that HDFC Credit Card (HDFC-CC onwards) had enforce large amount of finance charges and when I asked my family to find out the reason then I realised that this finance charge was accumulating from October 2024 statement.
2. I took the immediate action and I released the payment immediately for all items that I did use my credit card payment except the finance charge. I did the calculation and I paid immediately 4 LACS INR transferred to HDFC CC payment. Later I made other release of payments for genuine charges which I miss-calculated on 17/02/2025.
I immediately raised my concern to HDFC-CC team on such financial charges of more than 1Lacs INR.
3. HDFC-CC came with an answer ON 24TH April that I made changes in auto pay setting that only minimum payment was paid instead of full payment and this was done on July26th 2024.
4. I did check all my previous records and all instant alerts (these alerts are system generated when I make a payment, make a change on my CC or make any modifications in settings) and I do not see any changes made by me and I never received any such notifications. So,It was not in my knowledge at all.
5. I asked the HDFC-CC team to prove their claim that it was me who made such changes and till I am writing this complaint, there is no such evidence provided by HDFC-CC TEAM.
6. I have strong believe that this could have triggered through their system error and that is why I never received such notification. But I am not liable for such error.
7. I have been paying the full payment of this HDFC-CC and never had such fraud happened but now this incident forced me to cancel my interest with HDFC-CC in March-2025. I disable the card and de-registered the HDFC-CC and have informed several time that I have surrendered the card. And I asked to stop further charges till we do not resolve this issue together. But HDFC-CC team is still continued adding finance charges. I dont own card and I do not see any HDFC-CC in my A/C now.
8. I have attached the summary of all communications through emails with HDFC-CC team . Also I have attached my payment history from 2020 onwards and recent issue from July 2024 till Mar2025.
9. Now HDFC SAVING account team has put a forceful "HOLD" on my fund. They have blocked the 13,882 INR on my account without my permission.

Anticipated Resolution: Requesting Honorable Court
1. to issue the notice to HDFC-CC team to show me the reliable evidence that It was me who made this changes.
2. to remove the "HOLD" completely till they do not provide the sufficient papers that it was a deliberately done by consumer and consumer was aware of such error.
3. Issue a notice to HDFC-CC team to explain me if such Finance charges was accumulating then why they did not inform me as you can see that my history was always clean? There was no alert, no notification and no hard letter even sent to my notice.

Just for your information, I did raise this fraud issue to RBI as well.

I have attached the relevant material and requesting you to please email me (best way) for any further clarifications.

With Regards
Govind Ram Sharma
 
Hello @sharmagovind50

I'm sorry to hear about the distressing situation you've encountered with HDFC Bank. Based on the information provided, it appears that you've been subjected to unauthorized finance charges on your credit card, and a subsequent hold has been placed on your savings account without proper justification. Let's address your concerns systematically and outline the steps to seek redressal.

📝 Summary of Your Complaint​

  • Complainant: Mr. Govind Ram Sharma, 80 years old, residing in Narnaul, Haryana.
  • Credit Card: HDFC Bank Credit Card ending with 3332.
  • Issue Timeline:
    • October 2024: Alleged change in auto-pay settings from full payment to minimum due, leading to accumulation of finance charges.
    • February 16, 2025: Discovery of declined credit card and accumulated finance charges exceeding ₹1 lakh.
    • February 17, 2025: Payment of ₹4 lakhs made towards genuine credit card dues, excluding disputed finance charges.
    • April 24, 2025: HDFC Bank claims the auto-pay setting change was made on July 26, 2024, without providing evidence.
    • March 2025: Credit card surrendered and de-registered; however, finance charges continued to accrue.
    • Recent: HDFC Bank placed a hold of ₹13,882 on the complainant's savings account without prior notice or consent.

⚖️ Legal Perspective​

Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the actions of HDFC Bank may constitute:
  • Deficiency in Service: Failure to provide services with due diligence and care, evident from unauthorized changes in auto-pay settings and lack of communication.
  • Unfair Trade Practice: Imposing finance charges without proper authorization and placing a hold on the savings account without consent.

Furthermore, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) mandates that banks must obtain explicit consent from customers before making changes to auto-debit instructions. Any unilateral changes without customer consent are deemed unauthorized.


🛠️ Recommended Steps for Redressal​


1. Contact Customer Care:​

  • Submit a Written Complaint:
    • Detail the entire issue, including dates, amounts, and correspondence.
    • Attach copies of relevant documents: payment receipts, email communications, and account statements.
    • Submit the complaint through HDFC's Complaint Form.

2. Escalate to the Principal Nodal Officer​

  • If there's no satisfactory response within 10 working days, escalate the matter to HDFC Bank's Principal Nodal Officer.
  • Contact details are available on HDFC Bank's Contact Us page.

3. File a Complaint with the Banking Ombudsman​

  • If the issue remains unresolved after 30 days, file a complaint with the RBI's Banking Ombudsman through the CMS Portal.
  • Provide all relevant details and documentation.

4. Approach the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission​

  • Jurisdiction: Given the amount involved (₹1,08,000), file a complaint with the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
  • Procedure:
    • Draft a detailed complaint outlining the issue, relief sought, and supporting documents.
    • Submit the complaint along with the requisite fee (ZERO in your case).
    • List of documents need to upload on the E-Jagriti portal.
      1) Affidavit
      2) Memo of Parties
      3) Index
      4) Events
      5) Proforma

📜 Legal Precedents​


Several consumer forums have ruled in favor of complainants in similar cases:
  • Case: Satonsh Kumar v. HDFC Bank Ltd.
    • Issue: Unauthorized hold on savings account and transfer of funds to credit card without consent.
    • Outcome: The court held HDFC Bank liable for deficiency in service.

      HDFC Bank ltd. V/S Satonsh kumar - Consumer Court Case - 2017-12-15

      Consumer Court Case against HDFC Bank ltd. V/S Satonsh kumar - Consumer Court Case against - HDFC Bank ltd.
      www.consumercourt.in www.consumercourt.in

Tamil Nadu - Tiruvannamalai - The Manager, HDFC Bank Credit card Division V/S G.Devarajan

Complaint in Brief :

The complainant had been a customer for the past 10 years having transactions through his credit card No.5523 4419 0119 6701 with the opposite party. The complainant had to go to the United Kingdom for an education trip on a short notice and changed his credit card registered address. The complainant had requested the opposite party through email dated 24.11.2014 and again on 6.1.2015 to send the credit card statements to a new email address at decvarajan@gmail.com, since the registered email address devarajan@plaltinbill.com was not in use at that time. The complainant made several requests with the customer service to send the statement to the new email address. The email address which was initially registered with the opposite party's bank was later deleted in the internet, where as the opposite party had been sending the statement by email evarajan@platinbill.com and further falsely stated that those emails have never been bounced which was made to conceal the mistake of the opposite party. KYC update is a mandatory process for the banking operations. It is the responsibility of the opposite party to obtain the same from customers.

The opposite party has not followed the intimation of the complainant's correct email address. The opposite party's correspondences addressed to the complainant have not been reached. From September 2014 the complainant had made customer support requests via email and international telephone calls by doing all security checks and insisted for the statement of dues to be informed in time. The refusal of the opposite party to send due statements as requested by the complainant resulted in heavy penalties and fine. The existing credit card number ending with 6701 is replaced by the credit card ending with number 5802 and the same was kept active even without KYC and the same was cancelled only on 24.6.2015. The complainant had requested the opposite party to close the existing cards on 5.2.2015., 9.2.2015 and 16.2.2015. The complainant made a complaint on such a transaction which was actually made on 26.3.2015 and the same was acknowledged by the opposite party through SMS but the same was wrongly accounted as on 31.3.2015 which lead to the fraudulent charges of Rs.6516. On 5.6.2015 the complainant deposit Rs.28,5000/- and couriered the closure application.

Order
In the result, the complaint is partly allowed. The Opposite party is directed to pay a sum of Rs.10,914/- (Rupees ten thousand nine hundred and
fourteen only) together with interest at the rate of 12% per annum from the date of the complaint till the date of realization and pay a sum of Rs.10,000/- (Rupees ten thousand only) towards compensation for the deficiency in service and mental agony and also pay a sum of Rs.5,000/- (Rupees five thousand only) towards costs to the complainant within two months from the date of this order, failing which, the complainant is entitled to recover the above amount with interest at the rate of 6% per annum from the date of this order till the date of realization.

For complete case follow the link..

The Manager, HDFC Bank Credit card Division V/S G.Devarajan - Consumer Court Case - 2023-05-22

Consumer Court Case against The Manager, HDFC Bank Credit card Division V/S G.Devarajan - Consumer Court Case against - The Manager, HDFC Bank Credit card Division
www.consumercourt.in www.consumercourt.in


📌 Important Considerations​

  • Documentation: Maintain a comprehensive record of all communications, including emails, call logs, and written correspondence.
  • Timeliness: Act promptly to avoid any statutory limitations that might bar your claim.
  • Legal Assistance: Consider consulting with a legal professional to assist with drafting complaints and representing you in legal proceedings.

By following the above steps diligently, you can seek redressal for the grievances faced due to HDFC Bank's actions. It's essential to assert your rights and ensure that financial institutions adhere to fair practices.
 
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