Stupid.Maybe..... Cheated.Surely....

I have noticed a very peculiar thing about the menu at the ATMs of HDFC Bank. While nothing seems wrong with the menu flow, it is when the option of having a receipt printed for the transaction is presented that something odd happens. The options for the response are reversed. The buttons that are used to capture the "yes" response is now switched to reflect the "no" option. And it is only for this question that the reply buttons are switched.

The first time I realized this was when I pressed the erstwhile "yes" button and registered a "no" to the "print receipt" option. I felt so stupid that I did not analyse and read the screen before pressing the "yes" button. I made a mental note of this. The next time I was at the ATM, I again accidentally clicked the top button which was a "yes" response on all other questions. Now I was really angry at myself for having fallen to this trick twice in a row. I felt cheated that I could not get a receipt for the transaction I just conducted.

From that time onwards, I have reprogrammed my mind to always pause at the question of "print receipt" and always respond with the correct "yes" button press.

Yesterday, I walked in to an IDBI Bank ATM. The menu were so standard. No doubt I felt so good walking out of the ATM. With HDFC Bank, I always feels as if I prevented myself from being cheated out of a receipt.

I can only guess that HDFC Bank has reversed the menu for saving the cost of printing. Now if this is for purpose of saving cost, then I wonder how much of a cost will this translate to. But, lets say in the spirit of CSR, if this is to save one tree somewhere, then it has been done in a bad manner leaving a bad taste in the customer who just "fell for the trick".

A better way would have been to prominently display the message encouraging the customer to opt for no receipt. If the reason is for saving cost, then the benefit could be shared with the customer by say crediting 1 Rupee for every 10 transactions where the customer did not opt for a reeipt.

But the way, the bank went about it was very sly leaving the customer feel stupid sometimes, but cheated always.