Introduction:

The Bank believes that providing prompt and efficient service is essential not only to attract new customers, but also to retain existing ones. Therefore, the customer service and customer satisfaction is the prime concern of the Bank.

The Customer Grievance Redressal Policy of the Bank has been formulated in accordance with directions as advised by RBI in the regulatory guidelines and frameworks relevant to Customer Service.

The Customer Grievance Redressal Policy outlines the framework for addressing the customer grievances. The Bank shall ensure that the policy is made available in public domain (website and branches).

Objective of the Grievance Redressal Policy:

• Customers are treated fairly at all times
• Complaints raised by customers are dealt with courtesy and on time,
• Customers are fully informed of avenues to escalate their complaints/grievances within the organization and their rights to alternative remedy, if they are not fully satisfied with the response of the bank to their complaints.

This policy applies to employees of the Bank as well as Business Correspondents (BCs), is applicable in respect of all customers catered to by branches/BCs and covers all the products/services offered by the Bank including third party products distributed by the Bank along with issues relating to services provided by the outsourced agencies.

Definition of Request, Query and Complaint:

The Bank has clearly defined Requests, Queries and Complaints so that customer issues are logged accurately. It is to be noted that examples mentioned below are illustrative.

A “Request” refers to a customer's expression of desire or need for assistance, or information, and related action from the service provider. Example of the request can be: Customer requesting for physical debit card, customer requesting for statement etc. Such a request can be from the existing as well as prospective customers.

A "Query" typically refers to a question or inquiry posed by a customer seeking clarification, information, or assistance related to products, services, policies, or any other aspect of the Bank's offerings. Examples of the queries can be: When will I receive my cash back, where can I find my Unique Transaction Reference (UTR no) etc.

A "Complaint" refers to a grievance disputing non–conformance of services/ products/ processes where an error has allegedly been committed by the bank. Example: Money not refunded within 24 hours in PPBL account after failed UPI transaction

Exclusions from the above defined definition of complaints:

• Complaints / concerns raised by customers with the Bank, where the Bank is part of the transactional ecosystem, but where the underlying cause for grievance / concern is attributable to deficiency elsewhere (outside the Bank) in the overall transaction ecosystem, beyond the scope of influence of the Bank.
• Complaints/ concerns raised by customers with the Bank, for reversal of charges/levies/ fees applied to his/her account(s) as part of the previously agreed and accepted terms and conditions, or restoration of charges / fees paid by the customers as part of the account
• Complaints or concerns raised by customers regarding fraudulent transactions or activities, happened on the account of customer negligence
• Customer complaints or concerns that are addressed by the Bank within 24 hours from the time of receipt shall be classified and reported as 'Requests' instead of 'Complaints’
• Complaints / concerns raised by customers with the Bank, on action taken by the Bank in accordance with regulatory directions, with due notification(s) to the relevant customers, through appropriate channels (as per the information available to the Bank on its records), and where the customers have failed to act in accordance with the directions notified by the Bank, shall fall outside the purview of the aforesaid definition. Non-receipt of communication(s), in this regard from the Bank, for reasons where the contact details of the customer have undergone change and the customer has not updated the same on the Bank’s records, shall not be considered as grounds for grievance.
• Customer queries, doubts, inquiries, status, request and clarifications will not be treated as complaints except non-receipt of deliverable (within TAT) etc.

Touch Points to report Customer Grievances:

• Mobile app, IVR help desk & social– frontend channels.
• Grievance officers and physical complaint/suggestion register & drop box available at a branch.
• Complaints received through Banking Ombudsman (BO), Banking Codes and Standards Board of India (BCSBI)and Centralized Public Grievance Redress & Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) of the Government of India

Logging and Tracking of Customer Grievances:

• The customer will be given an acknowledgement/ticket number of his/her complaint within 1 working day.
• All customer complaints received through digital channels will be acknowledged through email/notification along with a need-based intimation to concerned branch and controlling office.
• An automated system will be devised to record digitally the customer complaints received through multiple channels, which will also be accessible to the branches and controlling offices to monitor and update the status of the complaint.
• Each of these complaints will be assigned a unique tracking number which will be shared with the customer for future reference and monitoring purpose.

Escalation Matrix

• Bank has a defined turnaround time of 4 working days for all queries, 14 working days for all requests and 30 calendar days for Complaints.
• Resolution time does not include time taken by the customer to provide required information/documentation.
• If any case/transaction is related to third party or an entity outside the Bank, then the TAT will be dependent on the respective clearing house/other banks /network providers/regulator. Resolution time will include this TAT along with Bank’s resolution time.
• Bank will make all efforts to resolve the complaint in a timely manner but in case of any inadvertent situation where additional time is needed, Bank will inform the customer the reasons for the delay and provide expected timelines for resolution of the issue.

If a customer is not satisfied with the resolution provided through various channels, the customer can escalate the issues to the next higher level, as displayed in the escalation matrix available at the branches/Bank’s website

Level 1: Channels as mentioned in section above

Phone - 0120-4456-456
Bank branch - Skymark One , Shop No.1, Ground Floor , Tower- D , Plot No. H - 10B, Sector 98 Noida , UP – 201304
PPBL social media handles

Level 2:

Online support in mobile app (http://m.p-y.tm/care) or website (https://www.paytmbank.com/)

Level 3: Grievance Redressal Officer

Grievance Redressal Officer: The Grievance Redressal Officer desk serves as a dedicated point of contact for customers who encounter issues or grievances with any aspect of our banking services.

Shri Alok Singhal
Paytm Payments Bank Limited,
B-121,Sector 5 Noida, Uttar Pradesh-201301
Email: grievanceredressalofficer@paytmbank.com**
Phone: 0120-4899-234

Level 4: Principal Nodal Officer (PNO)

Principal Nodal officer: If the customer is not satisfied with the resolution provided even after contacting various complaint resolution channels, the complaint may be escalated to the Principal Nodal Officer at:

Shri Sumit Bajaj
Paytm Payments Bank Limited,
B-121, Sector 5 Noida, Uttar Pradesh-201301
Email: nodalofficer@paytmbank.com**
Phone Number: 0120-4809-661

**Note While corresponding, please raise the issue along with related Query Reference Number/Ticket IDs followed by Paytm Payments Bank registered mobile number and transaction ID/Order ID (if any).

Internal Ombudsman of the Bank:

An Internal Ombudsman (IO) shall be appointed by the Bank as per the guidelines laid down by the regulator. IO shall be the focal point for the internal grievance redressal system, so that least number of Complaints are escalated to Banking Ombudsman. If the Bank decides to reject a complaint and/or decides to provide only partial relief to the complainant, it will be forwarded to the IO for further examination. The IO shall not handle complaints received directly from the complainants or members of the public.

The following types of complaints shall be outside the purview of the IO:

• Complaints related to corporate frauds, misappropriation etc., except those resulting from deficiency in service, if any, on the part of the Bank;
• References in the nature of suggestions and commercial decisions of Bank. However, service deficiencies in cases falling under 'commercial decisions' will be valid complaints for the IO;
• Complaints / references relating to (i) internal administration, (ii) human resources, or (iii) pay and emoluments of staff in the regulated entity;
• Complaints which have been decided by or are already pending in other fora such as the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, courts, etc.;
• Disputes for which remedy has been provided under Section 18 of the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act, 2005.
• The Bank shall forward all rejected / partially rejected complaints under the categories (a) and (b) above to the IO/s.

In case the complaints are not resolved to the satisfaction of the complainants after examination by IO, the complainants can approach the Banking Ombudsman of the jurisdiction concerned.

For Business Correspondence: Redressal mechanism for grievances raised in-person

• The Bank has appointed Grievance Officer whose primary task is to handle the customer grievances. A grievance officer (GO is an employee of the Bank, who is to act as a touch point for customers, in order to ensure seamless disposal of escalated customer grievances and queries.
• Each GRO will be allocated few districts to handle customer’s grievances & channel management. The district wise list of Grievance Officers is accessible over Bank’s website link (https://www.paytmbank.com/Policies/grievance-officers). Alternatively, customer can SMS GO <Area Pincode> to 9223990641 to get the schedule of the Grievance Officer’s.
• In case a customer walks-in or meets grievance officers to raise the grievance, the official will help in resolving the grievance by educating the customer regarding the grievance redressal mechanism and escalating the grievance to the relevant escalation level.
• For resolution of the grievance, the escalation matrix and the procedure, as mentioned above, will be followed

Redressal Channels outside the Bank: Banking Ombudsman

• The customer can approach the Banking Ombudsman (BO) located in state capitals for redressal for addressing any deficiency of service by the Bank in the following circumstances:
  • the complaint was rejected wholly or partly by the Bank, and the customer is not satisfied with the reply; or
  • the customer had not received any reply within 30 days after the filing of the Complaint
• The Complaint to the BO should be filed within one year from the reply by the Bank or within one year and thirty days in the case where no reply was received
• The Bank shall ensure that all final written responses to customers on complaints extended beyond 30 days contain the mandatory clause to make customers aware of their rights to approach the BO.
• The contact details and the procedure for approaching the BO are provided at all the branches as well as here: https://cms.rbi.org.in/
• Complaints can be made in Physical mode to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre (CRPC) Contact details of the RBI CRPC are:
  Toll-free number – 14448
  Address - Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre, Reserve Bank of India, 4th Floor, Sector 17, Chandigarh – 160017
• The first point for redressal of complaints is the bank itself and the complainants may approach the BO only if the complaint is not resolved at the bank level within a month
• For all the complaints received from the regulator, timelines as mandated by respective regulator will be adhered to.

Standing Committee on Customer Service

• The Standing Committee may be chaired by the MD or the ED and include non-officials as its members to enable an independent feedback on the quality of customer service rendered by the bank and adherence to Fair Practice Code (FPC) of the Bank. Each parameter of the FPC should be mapped against the nature of complaints and the root cause analysis (RCA) of the complaints should be undertaken so as to reduce the recurrent types of complaints
• The Standing Committee may be entrusted not only with the task of ensuring timely and effective compliance of the RBI instructions on customer service, but also that of receiving the necessary feedback to determine that the action taken by various departments of the bank is in tune with the spirit and intent of such instructions.
• The Standing Committee may review the practice and procedures prevalent in the bank and take necessary corrective action, on an ongoing basis as the intent is translated into action only through procedures and practices.
• A brief report on the performance of the Standing Committee during its tenure indicating, inter alia, the areas reviewed, procedures / practices identified and simplified / introduced may be submitted periodically to the Customer Services Committee of the Board.

Customer Service Committee of the Board

Customer Service Committee of the Board shall review major areas of the customer grievances and deviation, if any, from the FPC along with RCA report and the measures taken to improve customer service, on a periodic basis. The Committee will examine issues impacting customer service, decision / award issued by IO and later disposed-off by MD & CEO. The committee may also suggest ongoing improvements in the quality of customer service provided by the banks.

Report a fraud

Complaint regarding any fraudulent transaction in bank account/wallet or payment related transactions can be lodged at following,

• IVR help desk number : 1800 120 130
• Email : reportfraud@paytmbank.com
• http://m.p-y.tm/care : User can reach out to us from the “Help & Support” section on our Mobile app & register his/her complaint on “Report a fraud” category.
• SMS : User can report unauthorized transactions by sending an SMS to a designated short code mentioned in the transactional SMS notifications received

Disclaimer : In case of any suspected or detected fraudulent activity on your account, it is strongly recommended to immediately block your account to prevent unauthorized transactions by either calling our above referred helpline number or using our Mobile App.

Ticket number is generated for each complaint, which would enable the customer to track status.

Resolution Time for Reported Frauds:

• Bank’s internal resolution time – 30 calendar days
• Resolution time does not include time taken by the customer to provide required information/documentation
• If any case/transaction is related to third party or outside bank entity then the TAT will be dependent on the respective clearing house/other banks /network providers/regulator. Resolution time will include this TAT along with Bank’s internal resolution time
• Bank will make all efforts to resolve the complaint in a timely manner but in case of any inadvertent situation where additional time is needed, Bank will inform the customer the reasons for the delay and provide expected timelines for resolution of the issue
• If the customer is not happy with the response, he/she can escalate it to the principal nodal officer as per details mentioned above.
• It is always in the interest of customer to lodge complaint with the Bank without loss of time by furnishing complete details of fraudulent/unauthorised transactions
• Customers are advised to lodge complaint with the police against the fraudster at the earliest for faster resolution of complaints.
• In case the Bank is liable to pay any compensation, the same will be paid to the complainant as per the provisions of the ‘Customer Compensation Policy’ of the Bank.

Publicizing Redressal Mechanism

The grievance redressal mechanism is appropriately displayed at the branches as well as on the Bank’s website to spread its awareness among customers

Sensitizing Staff on Handling Complaint's

The Bank staff will undergo regular training to ensure that consumers’ queries and grievances are handled properly
They will be encouraged to work in a manner which will help the Bank in improving customer experience and building the consumer trust

Disclosure

The Bank shall make the Disclosures regarding the complaints received by it from the Customers as well as from the Banking Ombudsman in its Annual Reports. The specific disclosures that will be made in this regard have been listed in Annexure I.

Review of Policy

The policy has been approved by the Customer Service Committee of the Board and is reviewed whenever required or at least annually. These reviews shall consider the following:

• Internal factors such as changes in organizational structure or products and services offered
• External factors such as changes in legislation or technological innovation
• The results of audit, if any conducted during the year by internal / external auditors.

Regulatory References

• RBI Master Circular on Customer Service in Banks dated July 1, 2015
• IBA Model Policy for Grievance Redressal in Banks
• IBA Fair Practice Code
• IBA Model Customer Rights Policy
• BCSBI Code of Commitment to Customers
• RBI circular on 'Operating guidelines on Payments Bank' dated October 6, 2016
• Reserve Bank of India- Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (IOS), 2021 launched on November 12, 2021
• RBI circular on Strengthening of Grievance Redress Mechanism in Banks dated January 27, 2021
• Master Direction - Reserve Bank of India (Internal Ombudsman for Regulated Entities) Directions, 2023 dated December 29, 2023

Disclaimer

• The policy will be reviewed by the Board as and when required or at least annually to incorporate regulatory updates/changes, if any
• The records pertaining to customer complaints will be maintained as may be required as per the KYC/AML policy of the Bank
• In the event of any conflict between the "Customer Grievance Redressal Policy" of the PPBL in English language listed at https://www.paytmbank.com/Policies/Customer-Grievance-Redressal-Policy-for-Paytm-Payments-Bank and the translated version of the "Customer Grievance Redressal Policy" in concerned local language updated on PPBL website, the English version shall prevail.

ANNEXURE 1 –

Refer to Clause 4 of RBI circular on Strengthening of Grievance Redress Mechanism in Banks dated January 27, 2021. The list of specified disclosures to be made has been enlisted therein.