Having trouble with your digital payments? Well, the digital payments Ombudsman is here to address all your concerns. Here’s how you can get in touch with the problem solver.
Digital payments are easy and convenient in today’s day and age. All you need is access to the internet and a smartphone, and you’re good to go. The nature of these payments has put many of us at ease and saved us all that time standing in long queues at the bank.
Moreover, these digital payments can be done at the comfort of your house and from your couch! However, all this comes with its own set of drawbacks. Digital payments are prone to the risk of fraud, incorrect instructions, wrong amount wired out or the usual case of missing payments wherein your account has been debited but the receiver has not received money etc.
Additional Reading: What’s Up With Digital Payments in India?
And you can’t always get these issues resolved right then and there. Sometimes, they need following up and sometimes you’ll need to get answers from someone with authority. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has created a dedicated grievance redressal mechanism for such disputes.
So now, customers can file complaints against prepaid instruments (PPIs), e-wallets/digital wallets and other payment service providers with the digital payments Ombudsman. The RBI has set up 21 offices for such Ombudsman in 19 cities across the country.
That said, if you face issues with an online transaction at your bank, you will still have to redirect your complaints to the Banking Ombudsman.
Additional Reading: How To Register Banking Complaints Online With RBI’s Banking Ombudsman
Nature of complaints
You can file complaints with the digital payments Ombudsman for the following things:
- Unauthorized electronic funds transfer
- Inability to transfer funds to your digital payments account
- Funds not reflecting in your e-wallet after a certain period of time
- Unable to make a payment or transfer funds
- Failure to get a refund in case of a cancelled transaction
- Inability to implement stop-payment instructions within the specified time frame
- Complaints regarding Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Bharat bill payment system, Bharat QR code, and UPI QR code can also be made with the digital payments Ombudsman
How to file a complaint
- Whenever you face an issue with your digital payment, your first instinct should be to reach out to the service provider’s grievance redressal portal.
- If you get an unsatisfactory response from them, then you can go ahead and file your complaint with the ombudsman under whose jurisdiction your service provider’s office is located.
- If your service provider has centralized operations, then your billing address will determine the jurisdiction.
- You can also file this complaint online without physically going to the ombudsman’s office. You will find the email address of the ombudsman listed on the RBI’s official website.
- Apart from your personal details, you will also be required to submit the case details with relevant proofs and supporting documents, what your expected remedial action is along with a declaration that your grievance falls under the Ombudsman’s purview.
Important points to remember
While this system is a great way to file complaints one must note a few things while going through the Ombudsman route. The Ombudsman will not act upon any complaint filed in any other forum. Your grievance must fall under eligible grounds for the Ombudsman to take any remedial action. Complaints must be filed within a stipulated time frame, any concerns filed after one year of the issue can really hamper your case.
Additional Reading: RBI Mandates Safety Valves For Digital Wallets
Unhappy with the Ombudsman’s verdict?
If you aren’t satisfied with the decision from the Ombudsman, then you can approach the deputy governor in charge of the RBI department implementing this scheme. An appeal can be filed within 30 days from the date of receiving the verdict from the Ombudsman or rejection from the Ombudsman. However, the deputy governor can extend this limit by 30 more days if they think that the complaint had a valid reason for not meeting the deadline.
If nothing works, then you can always approach the consumer court to get the necessary remedial course for your issue.
Compensation
The Ombudsman can award any amount as compensation in lieu of the customer’s time, expenses incurred and mental agony. The maximum compensation that can be awarded is Rs. 20 lakhs.
You can get your digital payment concerns sorted via the Ombudsman. But did you know that BankBazaar has a dedicated customer service helpline should you need any help while applying for any of the financial products such as loans and Credit Cards?
Check for yourself.