Is SBI’s customer service reliable? Have you faced any issues with their support?
SBI’s customer service is often a point of discussion among cardholders, and my personal experience with it has been mixed. While they have a lot of channels for getting in touch—like phone support, email, and even social media—there are times when it can feel like things are a bit slow.
On a few occasions, I had to reach out for issues with reward point redemptions and fraud detection on international transactions. While they eventually resolved everything, the response time was longer than expected. For instance, when I had a charge dispute, it took almost a week to get a proper response, which felt like a long time compared to the more agile support systems of private banks.
One issue that frustrated me the most was the lack of transparency regarding the redemption process for reward points. I tried calling customer support to get clarification on why my points were valued differently for statement credit, and while the agents were friendly, the information provided wasn’t always clear or consistent. After multiple follow-ups, I was finally given a satisfactory answer, but the whole process felt unnecessarily drawn out.
Another common complaint I’ve seen, which I also encountered, was with fraudulent transactions. SBI’s system sometimes flags international transactions and blocks them as a security measure. While that’s understandable, the issue was the delay in unblocking the card. I had to call them several times during my overseas travel to get the transaction cleared, and their response was often delayed, which caused some inconvenience.
The one thing that stood out as a positive was their online chat support. It’s pretty efficient for quick queries, and I was able to resolve a few issues without the long waiting times you’d expect from phone calls. But, for more complex issues like card disputes or rewards, you might have to wait a bit longer for an actual resolution.
In comparison to private banks, I’d say SBI’s customer service is reliable, but not always fast or efficient. They get the job done eventually, but you’ll often have to wait longer for a resolution. If you value a more streamlined and faster service experience, private banks like HDFC and Axis may have the edge. However, if you’re okay with a slower process and are looking for a card with good overall benefits, SBI Elite’s customer service is still workable.