84 threatening calls: Bank ordered to pay Rs 2 lakh relief to senior citizen in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: A 75-year-old man, who had never missed paying his credit card dues through cheques by visiting his bank branch for 25 years, received 84 threat calls from the bank's recovery agents.

While the bank took four months to realise its mistake, the senior citizen approached a consumer court which recently ordered the bank to pay him a compensation of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 10,000 towards his litigation expenses.
Koramangala resident Loganathan Jayakumar is a long-time customer of Standard Chartered bank, holding its credit card since 1997 and has been a non-defaulting client. On January 17, 2022, he received a credit card bill for Rs 31,271. The septuagenarian visited the Standard Chartered branch in Koramangala on January 27 and paid the full bill amount through a cheque and received a receipt. The due date for payment was February 4.
However, after February 4, much to the shock of the senior citizen, recovery agents from Standard Chartered started calling him on his phone, demanding that he pay his credit card bill or face legal action. Jayakumar, an advocate who has practised at Madras high court, tried to explain to the agents that he had paid the full amount to the branch and there was some miscommunication. But the elderly customer's explanations did not convince the agents, who started harassing and abusing him.
On February 14, Jayakumar lodged a complaint with the bank's customer care helpline about being harassed despite paying his credit card bill on time, but no action was initiated. Flooded with threat calls to pay up, the senior Bengalurean on February 17 wrote a letter to the bank authorities, warning of legal action if the harassment calls did not stop. But this too failed to elicit any response.
Between February 8 and 19, the senior citizen received 26 threatful and abusive phone calls.
Driven to the edge, Jayakumar approached the Bangalore 2nd urban additional district consumer disputes redressal commission in Shantinagar on February 23 through e-daakhil, suing Standard Chartered bank and its customer care unit for deficiency in service and harassment.
While the Bengalurean presented his case, Standard Chartered failed to appear despite a legal notice on the matter. Shockingly, as the court proceedings were under way, the bank's collection agents continued calling Jayakumar with threats. The elderly victim produced evidence in court about receiving another 58 phone calls when the matter was sub judice. However, on June 2, the bank sent an apology letter to the senior citizen.
Authorities remained casual & negligent: Court
In their verdict pronounced on August 11, judges of the consumer court slammed Standard Chartered for ill-treating the senior citizen and said that despite him complaining about the bank's fault, the authorities remained casual and negligent in addressing the issue till June 2 (when they sent the apology letter).
Instead of sending immediate communication to the department concerned following the complaint, the bank kept quiet for four months and let their callers make the customer's life miserable, the judges noted.
The judges ruled that Standard Chartered was inconsiderate towards a senior citizen and must pay him Rs 2 lakh with interest as compensation, in addition to Rs 10,000 for his court expenses. The court also ordered the bank to comply with the order within 60 days of the verdict.