கிரெடிட் கார்டுகள்

அழகிய பெண் குரலுக்கு மயங்கியோ, 'ப்ளீஸ் வாங்கிக்கோ சார்' என்ற ஆணின் கெஞ்சலுக்கு அனுதாபப்பட்டோ கிரெடிட் கார்டை வாங்கி விழி பிதுங்கும் பல்லாயிரக்கணக்கானோரில் நீங்களும் ஒருவரா? பாரத ரிசர்வ் வங்கி கிரெடிட் கார்டுகள் மற்றும் வாடிக்கையாளர் உரிமைகள் பற்றிக் கொடுத்திருப்பவற்றின் அறிமுகம் இது. விரிவான விவரங்களை விரைவில் தமிழிலேயே தருகிறேன். பொருத்தருள்க!


While usage of cards by customers of banks in India has been in vogue since the mid-1980s, it is only since the early 1990s that the market had witnessed a quantum jump. The total number of cards issued by 42 banks and outstanding, increased from 2.69 crore as on end December 2003 to 4.33 crore as on end December 2004. The actual usage too has registered increases both in terms of volume and value. Almost all the categories of banks issue credit cards. Credit cards have found greater acceptance in terms of usage in the major cities of the country, with the four major metropolitan cities accounting for the bulk of the transactions.
In view of this ever increasing role of credit cards a Working Group was set up for regulatory mechanism for cards. The terms of reference of the Working Group were fairly broad and the Group was to look into the type of regulatory measures that are to be introduced for plastic cards (credit, debit and smart cards) for encouraging their growth in a safe, secure and efficient manner, as also to take care of the best customer practices and grievances redressal mechanism for the card users. The Reserve Bank has been receiving a number of complaints regarding various undesirable practices by credit card issuing institutions and their agents. Some of them are:
Unsolicited calls to members of the public by card issuing banks/ direct selling agents pressurising them to apply for credit card.
Communicating misleading / wrong information regarding credit cards regarding conditions for issue, amount of service charges/ waiver of fees, gifts/prizes.
Sending credit cards to persons who have not applied for them / activating unsolicited cards without the approval of the recipient.
Charging very high interest rates /service charges.
Lack of transparency in disclosing fees/charges/penalties. Non-disclosure of detailed billing procedure.
The Working Group deliberated a number of major issues relating to: a) to customer grievances and rights: a) Transparency and Disclosure, b) Customer Rights Protection, and c) Code of Conduct. The Group recommended that the Most Important Terms and Conditions should be highlighted and advertised and sent separately to the prospective customer. These terms and conditions include various issues relating to: a) fees and charges, (b) drawal limits, (c) billing, (d) default, (e) termination / revocation of card membership, (f) loss / theft / misuse of card, and (g) disclosure.
These recommendations are being processed within the RBI and a set of guidelines would be issued which are going to pave the path of a healthy growth in the development of plastic money in India. The RBI is also considering bringing credit card disputes within the ambit of the Banking Ombudsman scheme. While building a regulatory oversight in this regard we need to ensure that neither does it reduce the efficiency of the system nor does it hamper the credit card usage.