... The learning is that the experience depends more on the branch than the bank.
That's the most important learning. I believe that the performance of a particular branch depends to a large extent on the manager of the branch at that point. I'd also add that the particular Bank's overall culture matters as well. Examples below.
Based on my personal experience
CENTRAL BANK OF INDIA - 1/10 - Absolutely worst staff, poor backend and horrible processing time.
My best PSU Bank experience has been with Canara Bank. Bank of Baroda is another one to be avoided.
* My first salary account was with a
Central Bank of India branch in Bangalore (pre-netbanking days). The sevice was excellent! I'd rate them
8/10.
* The salary account next moved to
Canara Bank, also in Bangalore. They immediately won the worst PSU bank crown from me (until they were surpassed later by
Union Bank). Apart from the poor service, the staff there openly discussed our individual salaries amongst themselves! Rating -
1/10. On the plus side, -- this had helped us learn rather easily about our colleagues' salaries which were supposed to be a secret! That one point was given only because of this plus side of the experience!
🙂.
Later, in another branch of
Canara Bank (in another state) the service was also poor, but not quite to the same extent, and it also depended a lot on the manager at that point. Rating - 3/10
* My best PSU experience had been with
IDBI (emphasis on "
had been").
* My
SBI experience at an SPB branch in Bangalore was excellent. At other branches (spread over different states) it has been good to okay to poor, depending not only on the branch, but on the manager at that point at the same branch as well.
* Agree about
BoB.