HDFC Bank responds to Bengaluru doctor for criticism over persistent loan solicitation calls
Dr. Sundar Sankaran expressed frustration with the increasing annoyance caused by HDFC loan requirement callers. He noted that even when attempts are made to block these calls, reacting with anger only results in more persistent calls.
A senior doctor located in Bengaluru has expressed frustration towards HDFC after receiving numerous unwanted calls from the bank's loan requirement team. Dr. Sundar Sankaran, who serves as the program director at Aster Institute of Renal Transplantation, stated that despite attempting to block certain numbers, he continued to receive calls from various other numbers. Additionally, he mentioned that when he confronted one of the callers about the spam calls, another individual claiming to be the telecaller's manager contacted him, questioning why he was perceived as ‘rude’.
Dr. Sankaran wrote on X expressing his frustration with HDFC loan requirement callers, describing them as a nuisance. Despite blocking these calls, he found that getting angry with them only led to receiving more calls. He recounted a recent incident where he confronted a caller and subsequently received a call from someone claiming to be a manager at HDFC, questioning his behaviour. Dr. Sankaran indicated that these calls appeared to be spam, but emphasised the need for HDFC to take action and conduct an investigation into the matter.
HDFC loan requirement callers have become a nuisance and if you get angry with them you are pestered with more calls despite blocking
— Sundar Sankaran (@sundar_s1955) March 30, 2024
Today after one caller got fired by me another caller claiming to be manager HDFC wanted to know why I was rude looked like spam calls but HDFC…
Speaking to Moneycontrol, Dr. Sankaran expressed his concern, stating that the situation is very troublesome, especially when attending to sick patients. He highlighted the challenge of distinguishing between unknown callers and genuine patients seeking urgent medical assistance. Dr. Sankaran emphasised the importance of being accessible to patients in need, explaining that he cannot afford to keep his phone on silent mode, as it may result in missing urgent calls for help.
The doctor additionally provided a list of phone numbers from which he had been receiving the spam calls and tagged HDFC and its customer support team's handles, eliciting a response from the bank. "Hi Sundar, sorry to hear about your experience. Please DM us the caller details and your contact number on which the call was received for better assistance," commented an HDFC customer service representative named Ajay.
Dr. Sankaran noted that he had previously informed the bank about the issue with telecallers, yet the spam calls persisted. In a shared screenshot, an HDFC bank representative stated that the bank adheres to all legal directives, regulations, and laws, implementing strict controls over telemarketing activities as a corporate entity. However, the representative explained that it falls beyond the bank's jurisdiction to identify freelance agents and press charges against them. The representative suggested that affected parties should lodge complaints with their telecom service providers to address the matter within the provisions of the law.
The doctor's situation resonated with other users on X platform.
One X user (@KashmirDrarif) expressed frustration, stating that the issue persists despite his efforts. He noted that while there may be a temporary pause in the spam calls following his recent post, a permanent solution has yet to be implemented. According to him, the lack of proactive action from the relevant authorities contributes to the ongoing problem.
In a tweet posted by another X user Nikkhil Narang (@acenik10), he highlighted the futility of blocking numbers to stop spam calls. According to him, the callers frequently obtain new numbers from their operators, rendering blocking ineffective. Nikkhil further asserted that the loan department, under pressure to meet target numbers, often resorts to outsourcing customer data to third-party agents working on behalf of the bank. He emphasised that these agents may not have proper identification, such as employee IDs, further complicating the issue of spam calls.
There's no use blocking numbers. They will get new numbers from their operator again
— Nikkhil Narang (@acenik10) March 31, 2024
They are so much under pressure over target numbers that the loan department often outsources customer data to third party agents acting on behalf of the bank, they don't know their employee IDs
According to a survey published in February, approximately 90 percent of respondents reported receiving unwanted calls from individuals promoting financial services, real estate projects, and various other products, despite being registered on the Do Not Disturb list. The majority of those surveyed disclosed that they receive spam calls on a daily basis, with a significant portion of these calls originating from individuals marketing financial services and real estate products.
