REQUEST FOR REFUND OF WRONG BANK CHARGES
Request to the bank to refund charges taken from my account
Date: 2 April 2026, at Ludhiana
I am sending this by registered post with acknowledgement due. I am also emailing a copy to grievance@examplebank.example.com.
To: The Branch Manager, State Bank of India, Model Town branch, Model Town, Ludhiana 141002
From: Gurpreet Singh Dhillon, House No. 88, Urban Estate Phase 2, Patiala 147002 (email gurpreet.dhillon@example.com, telephone +91 98150 47731)
Subject: Refund of wrong charges on savings account ending 3318
Sir or Madam,
- 1. My account. I hold my savings account ending 3318 with your bank.
- 2. The charges. On 30 June 2026 and 30 September 2026, 590 rupees each, shown in the statement as "Non-maintenance of minimum balance"; and on 12 October 2026, 177 rupees shown as "SMS alert charges". The total is ₹1,357 (Rupees One Thousand Three Hundred and Fifty Seven only).
- 3. Why they are wrong. My account was opened as a basic savings account, which carries no minimum-balance charge, as the account-opening form says. I never asked for SMS alerts.
- 4. What I have already done. I first noticed these charges on 1 April 2026. I raised it at the branch on 16 October 2026 and was told to write. I also phoned the helpline on 18 October 2026 and was given reference 55410.
- 5. What I require. Please, within thirty days of receiving this letter: (a) refund ₹1,357 (Rupees One Thousand Three Hundred and Fifty Seven only) to my account, together with any tax or cess that was charged on these entries; (b) tell me in writing the basis on which each charge was levied, by reference to the bank's schedule of charges and my account terms; (c) make sure these charges are not applied again; and (d) tell me in writing the name of the officer handling this.
- 6. If you do not. If I do not receive a satisfactory written reply, I will take the complaint to the Reserve Bank's Ombudsman and, if needed, to the District Consumer Commission, and I will ask for interest and the costs of the complaint. This letter does not waive any of my rights.
ENCLOSURES
- 1. Statement of the account from 1 June 2026 to 31 October 2026 with the entries marked. 2. Account-opening form. 3. The bank's schedule of charges as printed on its website.
LEGAL BASIS
Punjab and Chandigarh: A bank may levy only the charges that its own schedule of charges and the terms of the account allow, and the Reserve Bank of India's directions to banks on charges and customer service expect charges to be disclosed in advance and applied fairly. A bank's service to its account holder is a service under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, so a complaint of deficiency can be taken to the District Commission, and the Reserve Bank's Integrated Ombudsman Scheme in force allows a complaint to the Ombudsman after the bank rejects the complaint or does not reply. No fee is payable on this letter.