Habib Bank, You Seriously Need to Start Behaving with Customers: ProPakistani

Habib Bank, You Seriously Need to Start Behaving with Customers
Newest Internet Celebrity: Hina Rabbani Khar
3G License Auction Likely in October: Reuters
Djuice Choti Call Offer
PTCL EVO Wifi: Pay for Two Months and Get 3rd Month Free
Samsung to Release Galaxy S II with WiMax
Decision for 3G Auction Delayed

Habib Bank, You Seriously Need to Start Behaving with Customers

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 07:50 AM PDT

I didn't know before today that commercial banks in Pakistan can literally threat you, let alone the misbehaving part.

Even if you are a three years old customer, who has paid every credit card bill in last 40 months before the due date, I didn't know they can call you in – shout at you, threat you, humiliate you and what not.

I had this HBL Credit card, I was founding member, which means I was using their credit card since their service started.

This month I didn't pay my bill; that was mainly due to a fact that I had lost my credit card and I was in process of getting a replacement, which was likely to reach me in a week or so. So for the first time in my life, I took this bill casually and thought of paying it next month (just like we sometimes do with electricity or PTCL bills)

So here's the timeline, just to let you know how pathetic a bank service can go:

Bill's due date was 22nd July 2011 and amount was Rs. 8,800
I didn't pay the bill, as mentioned above (this is only the second time in my three years plus relation with HBL that I couldn't pay my bill before the due date)
I get a call on July 27th 2011 about payment – I thanked him for reminding and told him that I plan to pay the bill next month.
I get another call the following day (from same guy), and he said this:

When are you paying bill (Dude I told you, I am not planning to pay this month)
You must pay the bill, there's a procedure to follow – we can't spare you even for a week, or tell me your address so we may collect the card – I was like, Hey man, you have my address, be my guest – come and collect your card.
Next thing he said was shocking: "Pay the bill or we will tell your father about this” #WTF?

I didn't have in my wildest dreams that a bank can go to this level. I wonder, if they do such things to other customers too? If they do – it's disgusting, highly offensive and ill-mannered.

Habib Bank, claimed as the largest bank of Pakistan, it's time for you to do little schooling and learn manners before you get kicked by every customer.

And by the way once you are done with learning manners, there are terms called “Professionalism”, “Customer Profiling” that you must get familiar with.

This makes me realize that Telecom sector is far better than others!

P.S. There's no blog on banking in Pakistan, so I had to paste it here. Sorry if it interrupted your usual sense of reading.

Update:

Thanks to Sam, one of ProPakistani reader, there’s a SBP rule according to which banks can’t harass their customers for payment collection, here’s the link: http://www.sbp.org.pk/psd/2009/Anexx/Anexx-C1.pdf

It says:

Banks/DFIs must ensure that their recovery/collection officers should not resort to any verbal or physical harassment of the delinquent Credit Card holder, their family members, referees and friends during recovery/collection efforts. Recovery/Collection officers should also not humiliate publicly or in private or intrude the privacy of the Credit Card holder's family members, referees and friends.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Newest Internet Celebrity: Hina Rabbani Khar

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 07:45 AM PDT

Pakistan's new foreign minister, Hina Rabani Khar is topping the news in channels and the digital media trends lately.

34 year old and mother of two, Ms. Khar, is termed as Pakistan's youngest foreign minister. (Few say she's world's youngest foreign minister)

Soon after her promotion from junior minister to full minister-ship of foreign office, she flew to India where she became the center of attraction for the media. Be it her winning smile or her Rs. 1,700,000 birkin bag – Hina's charm and pricey South Sea pearls shinning at her neck has greatly impressed the crowd.

Her this attractiveness, keenness in her outlook and brand consciousness has made her to top the digital media as well. Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus – everything is abuzz with Hina Rabbani Khar and her visit to India.

People are keenly discussing her as we have incorporated few updates and a short documentary as well.

3G License Auction Likely in October: Reuters

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 07:40 AM PDT

Pakistan is planning to issue 3G licenses to potential operators through an open auction in October this year, reported Reuters while citing unnamed Pakistani government officials.

According to Reuters report, which more looks like a tipped story says, a committee of the federal cabinet has agreed in principle to launch 3G services as soon as possible without any conditions – agency citied a source who is directly handling the 3G license auction.

Citing another source, without naming it, report says that the Economic Coordination Committee is expected to green-light the auction in the first week of August. The auctions are expected to be held in mid to late October.

The officials did not say if the licenses would be offered to the existing telecoms operators, or include others. A PTA official said it would probably be only for those already operating in Pakistan.

3G in Pakistan recently hit the spotlight when Federal Minister for Finance Dr. Hafeez Shaikh told the media that 3G license policy have made it's way to federal cabinet for final official approvals.

Pakistani officials have been promising 3G license auction in the past but deadlines were never met, mainly due to resistance from local operators who think that 3G isn't viable business case in Pakistan with rock bottom ARPU and high opex.

Djuice Choti Call Offer

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 07:22 AM PDT

Djuice has introduced Choti Call Offer with which you can call your friends and family (FnF numbers only) at 15 paisa per 30 seconds.

This is a daily subscription offer which allows you call all your friends and family at affordable rates but keep in mind that offer has daily subscription charges and limitation to use during peak hours.

Offer Details:

Call your friends and family (FnF) at 15 paisas + tax /30 second
Offer has a validity of one day
Subscription (or daily) charges of Rs. 3 + tax per day
Calls made during 8PM to 10PM will be charged as per regular tariff plan

How to subscribe:

Offer can be subscribed by dialling *345*130#

Validity:

Since the offer has a validity of one day, so it will expire at 12 midnight everyday and for those subscribers who have subscribed after 6 PM, it will expire at 12 midnight next day.

Also note that this offer will not be active between 8PM to 10PM.

To read more, click: Djuice Choti Call Offer
ProPakistani.PK

PTCL EVO Wifi: Pay for Two Months and Get 3rd Month Free

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 03:00 AM PDT

PTCL is offering one month free, on EVO Wifi Cloud, for those customers who will pay for two months in advance.

If you are going to buy new EVO Wifi, you can get one month free by paying in advance as this offer is for new customers only.

How much to Pay?

In total, you have to pay upfront charges of Rs. 11,000, explained below:

Rs. 7000 as EVO Wifi device charges
Rs. 4000 for two months’ line rent

You will be able to enjoy 3 months internet and from 4th month, regular monthly billing of Rs. 2000 will start.

Note that this offer is for new customers only and is valid for both PSTN and Non-PSTN packages.

So if you are already EVO USB user and had planned to upgrade, may be this is the right time for you, if you can afford the upfront charges. While for the new customers, offer seems to be pretty non-attractive one as who will pay Rs. 11,000 at once to save Rs. 2000?

Samsung to Release Galaxy S II with WiMax

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 01:32 AM PDT

Galaxy S II Samsung to Release Galaxy S II with WiMax

WiMAX players should listen to this closely: News is that Samsung will soon releases Galaxy S II which will be WiMax enabled version. If you are already an SGS II lover, this news will surely add something to it.

Just imagine a place like Pakistan, with no 3G, but a way to have a high speed internet phone - definitely a mouth watering thing that is about to happen soon.

Samsung will launch this phone sometime in August in the US market. After going through FCC regulations recently, experts say that this depicted phone is very much similar to the leaked picture of sprint-based Galaxy S II.

Sprint version incorporates the same specs such as 1.2GHz dual core processors as the EU version, and Google’s 2.3 Android Gingerbread. Difference in dimensions is there as phone will be 5mm taller and 3mm wider.

It will not be long now when we will enter into a new era of WiMax enabled devices, and one such popular device – Galaxy S II is coming with this facility, sometime in August.

It merits mentioning here that Galaxy S II has already made its mark throughout the world and recently passed sales record of Apple’s iPhone as well. It is said that company has sold some 5 million SGS II handsets worldwide in 90 days, without hitting the US market yet.

Decision for 3G Auction Delayed

Posted: 27 Jul 2011 03:01 PM PDT

Due to shortage of time and non-finalization of summary, Federal Cabinet was not able to approve the modalities for the auction of 3G licenses, reported Daily Times.

Earlier it was reported that policy for auction of 3G licenses had reached the federal cabinet for the final approval of the bidding plan and further execution of 3G rollout in the country.

However, there was not enough time to finalize and then to get the 3G policy approved.

No further deadline was mentioned for the approval of 3G license auction.

After the Cabinet meeting, Federal Minister for Finance Dr Hafeez Shaikh confirmed that very short time was available for finalization of the summery and due to this, issue could not be taken up at Federal Cabinet meeting.

However, the minister was of the view government was committed to move forward quickly and complete the process within specified period (which he didn't specify).

To read more, click: Decision for 3G Auction Delayed
ProPakistani.PK