The Dilemmas of Moving Base

Day 27, Sep 27, 06: Kolkata:

Yesterday I got the fright of my life. The joy of depositing my first pay check was shattered by the trauma of no means of withdrawing my money. Well here’s what happened.

Shortly after depositing my cheque at the teller, I decided to check my balance at the ATM outside the branch. Well all went smoothly, till at the end of the transaction the machine swallow up my card and asked me to go to the nearest branch for assistance. So I went in and after locating the person in charge of such matters was assured that I’d get it back. I just needed to come back in half an hour or so. I headed back to office and several hours later returned to the Bank.

I was shocked to hear the person telling me that my card had been hot listed, whatever that meant. So I wouldn’t get it back. I thought I’d talk my way out of this one and get it back only to be shocked by his answer that the card had been destroyed as was the procedure for all cards that had been hot listed. Man, I was going dizzy by now and wanted an explanation for such an extreme measure. He explained that a hot listed card was one that was reported stolen or had been blocked by the Bank for precaution towards further misuse. I needed to call Phone Banking to get a new card. Just by the way someone behind the counter said that it was possible that they had sent me a new upgraded card so I should check that.

So a brisk walk bordering on a jogging brought me back to office. I’m not sure if the sweat I had broken out into was due to the hot and humid climate, the walk or stress, but I was glad to be back in the sanctuary of a cool office and set upon making that much needed call.

Well Kolkata Helpline was not being answered, so I made a call to the Delhi Office and after much probing got to the bottom of it all. They had issued me a new card, but since I wasn’t there to receive it, it went back to Chennai and was resent to the branch where my account was. Yippie! Now I’ll just have to go to Delhi and pick it up from there. Fortunately or unfortunately I have to go back anyway to pick up the rest of my belongings which were supposed to come with someone else, but he backed out at the last minute.

So Delhi here I come, well after Pujas that is.