Two areas every Pakistani needs to cover ASAP!

Our state is going through extremely tough times due to the current security situation and there is a lot that those in the top seats are supposed to do; but some steps need to be taken by every Pakistani for the security of the state and specially for keeping themselves safe from SERIOUS problems.

1. Check the SIMS issued in your name:

Keeping your security as a priority, Pakistan Telecom Authority has introduced a system whereby you can find the number of SIMs of each mobile operator registered under your name. Just follow the simple steps below:

•  SMS your CNIC number (13 digits, with no spaces of dashes) to 668 from your mobile.
• PTA will immediately send you an SMS telling you the number of active SIMs of any operator issued in your name
• On receiving the SMS, if there are any unexpected SIMs in your name, contact the nearest Customer Service Center of the relevant mobile operator with your original CNIC and mobile phone. You can fill out PTA’s prescribed form and get all unwanted numbers removed from your name within 48 hours of the receipt of the complaint.

Since this service is exclusively available over SMS to 668, Customer Services will not be able to share the list of numbers registered against your CNIC with customers. After you file your complaint, your 668 status/SIM information will be updated within 45 days of receipt of the complaint.

2. Make sure the vehicles that you have sold are still not on your name:

Most of us while selling their vehicles hand over an open transfer letter enabling the new owner to either get it transferred on their name or just keep in on yours till they decide to sell it to someone else and so on.

While ensuring now that you are completely covered with regards to all the vehicles you have sold till date is not an easy task, at least make some effort and try contacting those people or the specific departments to check the current status of the vehicle. The stamp paper i.e. sale deed you signed while selling the car would become handy later on but the unimaginable situation you would face explaining it to the security agencies how your vehicle is not with you now and your ignorance about its whereabouts would not be pretty.

You can go through this topic "vehicle verification services in Pakistan, and the risks that remain" to make sure you are doing whatever you can to keep yourself safe from buying a vehicle with legal issues attached.

Act now so that you do not regret it later!

The opportunity costs of buying a market car

Opportunity cost is defined as the cost of an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue a certain action. Put another way, the benefits you could have received by taking an alternative action.

One of the basic questions that arises before buying a car is deciding which specific one to go for, and among all the factors that are considered for reaching a conclusion, the one that is given the most weightage in our land is the market value while giving little or no importance to other areas. I explained one of the most important aspects i.e. legal issues associated with buying a used vehicle before, now its time to move on and compare the different options available in the market,

What does the market value of anything mean? The price that most people in the market are ready to pay for it, which might not have much to do with the actual benefits the product is able to offer compared to the same products which are valued less by most people, and more to do with the “perceived” benefits by public at large. But what is stopping you to take advantage of this situation and picking something that offers you the maximum benefits while people keep paying more for less, solely because others who do not even ponder over other factors are doing the same?

The whole logic behind buying a market car revolves around one thing i.e. perceived monetary benefits, whereas many financial aspects are not even considered where it actually might not be the best decision even from this specific angle. The only rhetoric we keep hearing endlessly is that they sell faster, well how often does one have to sell a car compared to the time spent driving it, striving to keep it safe or having less features to enjoy during the whole course of ownership ? The various aspects hat are not considered while buying a market car are mentioned below:

      1.       You pay more for less e.g. for getting a sedan which is valued higher in the market as compared to another which is not, you would generally end up paying around 3-4 lacs more under the pretext that it would sell at a higher price i.e. 3-4 lacs more. So you have your money stuck throughout the entire ownership period for no added benefit coming out of this blocked fund.

      2.       The probability of a market car being stolen is so high that it is not even comparable to an out of market one, so why not to opt for some peace of mind instead of sleepless nights whenever a car is stolen from your area which was similar as yours, or you are out for having a good time and spend most of it looking after the thing you came on. Have you ever noticed the guests who keep going towards the gate in order to listen to the sound of a car alarm after pressing the button ? Great hobby isn't it ?

      3.       In case of a major accident, the price of both types of cars would fall drastically. Since buying a market car involves a greater sum of money, you actually have much more to lose in the end as the option you thought would attract more buyers suddenly became a bad choice for the same type of people. Even in case of less extreme cases e.g. losing the original documents, the resale would dip and all the sacrifices you made to buy the inferior product would go to waste.

      4.       Genuine spares of no car come cheap; since the variety of qualities available for the same part for market cars is huge, your chances of tracing an actual good one are pretty slim given that dealers almost never tell the truth. On the other hand the low quality part manufacturers have not much to gain by fabricating parts of cars that sell less, so you end with mostly genuine spares if you own an out of market car. This although looks like it costs more but with a better operational and service life it indeed is a better and safer investment.

      5.       In the used spare market where we end up when facing complete engine swap or replacing body parts etc, the demand for parts of market cars is really high while the supply is hardly able to catch up hence higher prices. The same parts for out of market cars can be found at much cheaper rates although this trend is seen more for mechanical and less for body parts. Try searching the salvage markets for the price of an engine from a Mehran, Khyber, Corolla etc, and then compare it with those for a Vitz, Lancer, Sunny. You might be astonished at what you would discover, several times the price for the same thing, in fact mostly inferior, for what added benefit ?

      6.       Generally the out of market cars offer much more features comparatively, e.g. if you opt for a lancer instead of a corolla, you can fetch a clean 1.6 liter top of the line model in a price you cannot grab a decent 1.3 liter corolla of the same year and comparable condition. The later would have much lower built quality, fewer features, less power, shorter trouble free service life and a driving experience not at all comparable to the counterpart and still costs a lot more. Value for money?

      7.       In the end, a car is a machine and you never know what shape the market conditions would take by the time you decide to sell it. Some cars that cost a lot less when they enter our local markets shoot up in price later on when some acceptance is shown by the masses like in the case of Vitz.

Instead of hoping that your car would give you profits, get the best machine that provides the maximum utility with a reasonable risk factor. This does not mean that you buy something that has no spare availability and is seen nowhere e.g. a Ford or a Renault. There are reasonable alternatives available to the handful of market cars that we keep buying blindly without considering the competition. Our buyer market has seen some evolution recently and people are realizing that they have been getting so much less in the same amount of money they could have used to grasp a much better machine.

The results of this adaptation is that now we have a decent list of options to consider when buying a car, and competition leads to better products for the customer so all of us are the real beneficiaries of this trend. Let us hope our people get over the phobia of re-sale and start enjoying the driving experience of better machines then what has been imposed upon them for ages i.e. decade’s old designs with obsolete technology at sky rocketing prices.

So please think before you act, this would lead to better cars for you and favorable conditions for everyone else while forcing the local assemblers to offer improved products. Although our markets have moved from the strict chitti od (white 2.OD corolla which was the default choice for anyone who had access to a good sum of money) mentality, we needs much more realization before assemblers of market cars are pushed to offer basic features such as airbags and in case of a mehran , a brake servo unit and maybe no more leaf springs; although just thinking that we buy something without such basic necessities is downright ridiculous. Experience the driving pleasure that the better machines have to offer, it’s your right.

Kyonkay Lota, Reliable Hay!

Before you let your imagination loose into thinking that this would be about some political phenomenon since the term lota is most excessively used in that context, or even associate this to a specific party which preaches its message while roaming around the land while visibly displaying this specific utility item on top of their baggage; I must stop you to clarify that this in fact is meant to address the reliable and diverse nature of the pure and simple product known as, lota.  

Whenever a specific product is replaced by an evolved one, there are bound to be some clear benefits and hence its adoption leading to the phasing out of its predecessor. But this did not happen in this case; not at all. Although muslim shower did gain much popularity but it’s not like the sight of a lota has diminished, it still maintains its dominant position and stands out in many areas. Some of those are highlighted below to explore why this is so and how this magnificent artifact has survived from being obsolete.

1.       No heart stopping surprises, you won’t come to know after doing some serious business that there is no water when you press the button of the muslim shower. A lota would never do that to you, the resource availability is ensured beforehand and major catastrophes are avoided.

2.       There cannot be any sudden disconnects; you always know the exact amount of resources you can play with so that you are in a position to plan accordingly, and do not run out of them when required the most.

3.       No sudden and insane temperature changes, the way water supply can change from cool to steaming hot especially in summers is a “lot more” than just painful.  With a trustworthy lota, the temperature of the first drop would be maintained till the last.

4.       Infinite mobility, no restrictions as with the length of a muslim shower. You can even take a lota to other places as opposed to its competitor which if connected to the wrong side of the wall becomes a nuisance even for the main purpose it is installed for. You cannot water the plants with the new invention while carrying it around can you?

5.       No funny gadgetry to fiddle around with, no pressed buttons that fail when pushed and you have a gush of uncontrollable water to deal with when you certainly have much more important issues to handle already.

6.       Going on a trip, with no guarantees of washroom on the way. What options do you have to replace the lota ? Imagine not having it when its most needed during the trip, horrific thought isn't it.

7.      For learning the depth of deprivation faced by those who do not have access to this life saving item when in dire need, talk to any expat and then you'll understand how blessed you really are while taking it for granted. Ever thought of carrying mineral water bottles to toilets and managing with them ? That is what they have to deal with regularly, so be grateful for your circumstances as many are not so lucky.

So before you think any further, admit the fact that our reliance on the diverse and irreplaceable lota is here to stay. There are some things in life which can be replaced; a lota sure is not one of them.

Baby on board: Breaking child safety taboo in Pakistan

While residing in a land where passenger safety is not only taken non seriously, but in fact is a laughing matter for most, observing such precautions takes much more than just the realization that it’s imperative  for you and your family’s safety  and something you have to stand for. There is some encouragement required at a social level also to make people adopt safety measures and as the famous saying goes “no one can make you feel inferior without your consent”, if you realize you are the one responsible for the wellbeing of your family and not the people who would just laugh around, you’ll act in a way that serves you best.

Sights which would leave one is a state of shock, owning to the lack of concern shown towards the safety of children on our roads are very common; from kids being used as air bags i.e. sitting on the lap of the driver in front of the steering wheel, really underage kids driving with their elders being proud on this stupid act, to kids peeking out of sunroofs while standing inside moving vehicles or sitting on the windows while dangling outside, there is no limit to the insanity shown without any regret until of course the obvious happens; which in these cases are mostly fatal accidents.

In order to ensure the safety of child occupants inside the vehicle, kindly consider following the measures mentioned below:

     1.  Never leave children unattended in a parked car in summers, the temperature inside the cabin rises really fast and this becomes a life threatening situation before you least expect it.

     2.  Children are not meant to be used as airbags – whenever you drive with your kid seated in your lap, that is exactly what you are using him for. It does not matter if the child enjoys it; you are responsible for his safety and need to stop acting childish yourself. He would enjoy driving himself one day if he outlives the dangers you are exposing him to.

     3.  Do not use extreme air conditioning i.e. chilling the air inside the car while it’s hot outside, the sudden temperature difference the child would be exposed to would lead to negative affects health wise. Sacrifice some enjoyment for their sake, you want to make him tough then find more suitable ways to do it e.g. a karate class.

     4.  Your children are not meant to be used as a windsock, so do not use them to check the direction of the wind by dangling them out of the sunroof of a moving car. Sudden braking or steering might lead to events which you would have not imagined, visit the appropriate place for such fun like the rides at a joy land which have secure seats.

     5.  Moving on from the totally ridiculous things to do category, we can move to what should be done in order to make sure the kids are safely secured while travelling in a car. For this we can follow the guideline made by concerned authorities abroad after studying all aspects carefully

2013 Child Passenger Safety National Best Practice Recommendations
Phase 1	Rear-Facing Seats	Infants: Birth – 35+ pounds, 2+ years old. Rear-facing infant or rear-facing convertible safety seat as long as possible, up to the rear-facing height or weight limit of the seat. Properly install according to instructions in owner’s manual, rear-facing in the back seat.
Phase 2	Forward-facing Seats	When children outgrow the rear-facing safety seat (2+ years), they should ride in a forward-facing safety seat as long as possible, up to the upper height or weight limit (40 – 80+ pounds) of the harnesses. Usually 4+ years old. Properly installed forward-facing in the back seat.NEVER turn forward-facing before child meets all: AGE/HEIGHT/WEIGHT requirements set by safety seat manufacturer for forward-facing.
Phase 3	Booster Seats	After age 4 and 40+ pounds, children can ride in a booster seat with the adult lap and shoulder belt until the adult safety belt will fit them properly (usually when the child is 4'9" tall, 10 – 12 years old). MUST have a lap/shoulder belt to use a booster seat.
Phase 4	Adult Safety Belt	Once children outgrow their booster seat (usually at 4'9", 10 – 12 years)   they can use the adult lap/shoulder safety belt if it fits them properly. Lap portion low over the hips/tops of thighs and shoulder belt crosses the   center of the shoulder and center of the chest.
Children are better protected the longer they can stay in each phase. Keep children in each seat up to the maximum age/weight/height limits before moving to the next phase. ALL children younger than age 13 years should ride properly restrained in the back seat.

Source: http://www.dps.texas.gov/director_staff/public_information/carseat.htm

     6.  Apart from these specific precautions for child occupants, others which are a must for all passengers should be observed, such as ensuring proper maintenance of the vehicle specially tires so that any untoward incident is avoided.

     7.  Attaching a sticker on the vehicle’s rear clearly warning that there is a kid inside it might also add another level in our strive towards safety, you never know what might make a driver reconsider his actions

Drive safe and love your kids, you owe it to them!

Three steps to save petrol in a CNG fitted car, while the blessing is not available respectfully!

The new schedule recently implemented for the supply of CNG is clearly aimed at minimizing the availability of this fuel, since the total number of hours these stations are able to supply it minus the time wasted due to electricity load shedding comes out to around three in a day. The station owners have stopped using generators since they are also facing a minimal income and it is no longer financially feasible to operate during hours of power cut.

This situation has made it impossible for most of us to receive this blessing of low cost fuel and is forcing many for the time being to use the precious commodity known as petrol, with the intention of reverting to CNG again soon. While we cannot do much in changing this scenario of CNG availability, some simple steps can ensure that we are making the most of our very limited supply of petrol that we can afford. The general rule that applies is to maintain the car properly and avoid our general behavior towards maintenance which I described in ,What car maintenance...chaddo yar.

When your car is operating on CNG there are some changes done which lead to its economy and performance on petrol being adversely affected, reverting those for some time would make it perform at its peak on the primary fuel again.

Step 1 - Removing the air restriction:

In order for your car to run on CNG, its air supply to the engine is restricted a lot which means that when you convert it to petrol there is a shortage of air resulting in loss of both power and economy. The best bet is to avoid the most common method of applying tape after the box which contains your air filter and instead getting a rubber or plastic restriction made which can be affixed to the end of air intake with a clip. This would enable you to remove it easily whenever you are driving on petrol and if you are lucky to get CNG then it can be fixed back simply.

If your setup has a venturi installed which also leads to a restricted air supply to the engine, you would need to remove it to reap maximum benefits for this duration.

Step 2 - Adjusting the plug gaps:

If you have no plans of standing in lines for many hours until the situation changes, you should also get the plug gaps to their original setting. For example if the original gap at petrol was 1.1 mm then for CNG it would have been moved to 0.8 mm, reverting it would result in our intended target here i.e. fuel economy

Step 3 - Letting go of that fat passenger in the trunk:

Removing the excess weight that you keep roaming around with i.e. the CNG cylinder, is quite a simple job and requires only opening some bolts. If you are at good terms with the mechanic then he would even keep it in his shop for the time you feel like putting it back. I am pretty sure that many people would have never cleaned the cylinder for removing the oil that gathers in it, so use this opportunity for getting that service performed also.

All the steps mentioned above are a thirty minute job and would hardly cost Rs.500 from a local workshop, reverting to CNG setup would again require the same time and amount. Removing other parts of the CNG setup is not required since that would not lead to any advantage and they cause no hindrance in the top performance of your vehicle while it is operating on petrol.  Given that no relief is in sight in the current scenario, you would save much more and enjoy the noticeably increased performance at the primary fuel that you deserve by spending the precious petrol lightening your wallet. Happy driving!

Tire Rights in Pakistan, a guide for buying the appropriate rubber

If you still bought a car despite the horrific picture I portrayed in “Vehicle verification services in Pakistan and the risks that remain” , and have identified the kind of behavior you practice when it comes to car maintenance through “What car maintenance, ChaddoYar”, now it’s time to move on  and start doing some things right.

Whether you own the most prestigious car out there with top of the line features or the cheapest thing to commute from point A to B, its only contact patch with the road is through one of the most important parts i.e. the tire. The correct selection of tire would make one of the biggest differences in your ride’s safety, comfort, economy, handling and for some the looks also. While we invest quite heavily in getting the best car we can within the available budget and getting accessories which would result in no added benefit compared to those a good quality tire would, many people accord less importance to this area where in fact saving some expense on it is a bad option altogether. If a tire explodes while driving there is not much one can do to control the car and it results in very serious consequences, so it’s a good idea to do whatever can be done to avoid this beforehand.

Determining the Right size:

Knowing the correct size of the tire for your ride is essential, it is printed on a sticker affixed on the car’s body near driver’s seat.  Any deviation greater than 10mm in tire width would mean you would be compromising on the car’s economy while putting extra strain on the suspension also, plus the wider tire might not be safely mounted to the genuine rim leading to incorrect and unsafe use. Moreover in order to move to wider tires, switching for cheap, heavy and unsafe alloy rims is the worst thing you can do to your ride, so please refrain from it unless you are ready to buy good ones which cost a lot. 

As shown in the picture, P215/65 R15 means that the tire is 215 millimeters wide, the profile of the tire that is the height from rim to where the tire ends is 65 percent of 215 i.e. 139.75mm in this case, and the digits after the R (for radial) depict the diameter of the rim on which this tire can be mounted.

As an example, the new Honda city comes with stock 175/70 R15 tires. Switching to a set from a good brand with specification 185/70 R15 while removing the euro star that it came with would lead to added advantages with no harmful outcome since the later are of really bad quality, although deviating more than that would mean you are ready to sacrifice many good factors as mentioned before. Sometimes a little deviation from the original profile for a slightly higher one is required in order to enable the car to safely maneuver through the potholes and speed breakers (pretty much car breakers) in the locality you live in. A little deviation in the profile would affect the speedometer reading a bit, but this would not be much and neither are they calibrated accurately in most cases.

If the tire shop owner tells you it makes no difference to jump to wider tires e.g. 195/65 R15 in this case, and you would not find the size you are looking for anywhere, interpret it as he does not have them in stock and look elsewhere as it would benefit you in the longer run after all. Size availability is a problem for recent imports which have really different requirements, for the local assembled ones this is not a problem.

Choosing the Right brand that suits your needs:

Apart from the size, there are many other aspects related to tire selection. The tread pattern, rolling resistance and rubber compound are the major ones among those but you do not need to study all that just to buy a tire, generally the appropriate brand selection would suffice.  The premium brands available in our markets are Continental, Michelin, Yokohama, Dunlop, Sumitomo, Hankook, Kumho etc. But do check the exact series you are buying for example all Dunlops are not the same, the best bet is to search for reviews available on the internet and you would get many details for the specific series you intend to buy especially the year that series was introduced.  Plus the country of manufacture also counts, a continental tire made in Europe would be expensive than the one made in Malaysia so would be a Japanese made Yokohama or Dunlop compared to a Malaysian or Indonesian. The product coming from the company’s actual origin is mostly the most superior.

Building on the example of Honda city, the options available in 185/70 R15 are many and it comes down to what your priorities are and your budget, a set of Dunlops SP300 made in japan would currently cost around Rs.7300 per tire while a Malaysian made continental CC5 would set you back Rs.10000 per tire, while the same CC5 made in Europe would cost Rs.12000 per tire. If you travel through the motorway most of the time and quietness is a very high priority then spending on the Continental’s makes sense, otherwise these Dunlop’s are really good value for money. The Japanese made SP300 are again a bit expensive then the Indonesian ones and from the other Dunlop series like Eco, LM 702 and LM 703.

Checking the Right details:

One crucial thing that should be checked when picking up a tire is the manufacturing date engraved on the sidewall, since rubber degrades over time, dries out, cracks and eventually, fails to hold air or explodes. Even if this extreme condition is not faced it would not work as a good tire and deliver a rough ride, increased braking distance and other disadvantages and safety risks. 

The manufacturing date is engraved as a four digit code e.g. 1203, the first two digits are the week number (12th in this case) and the last two the year of manufacture (2003 in this case). But it is very common in our local markets that expired tires are re-stamped (which costs around Rs. 150) which is a fraud, leading to expired stuff being sold at the price of new. Such re-stamping though can be checked firstly by comparing different brands of tires on the shop since all manufacturers have a different font of engraving; if the font appears same for different brands available at a shop then something is fishy. Rubbing the date code would also lead to the fake stamp wearing off, this should sound some alarms. But the best way is to purchase the tires thorough a reputed dealer, since the professionals would come up with reasoning which might convince you to buy even the expired stuff.

The Right time to change:

If you are wondering whether the set of tires on your ride needs replacement or not, first check the tread wear indicator which is a small hump between the gaps in the tread shown below.  Even if the remaining tread is very close to this raised surface it’s time to change the set. One can also check the tire for manufacturing date if it’s more than five years old or for visible cracks / swollen sidewalls. Every tire has a different tread wear and there is no rule of thumb here in predicting when a change is due, generally passenger car tires are good for fifty thousand kilometers if used properly and rotated every ten thousand kilometers ensuring uniform wear for all four of them.

  

The not so Right choices:

A very common sight these days is directional tires mounted in the opposite direction, first of all there is no passenger car available here that needs such tires since performance handling isn’t possible by just putting in a set of tires. These cars are made to haul passengers and they need good comfortable set of tires to match this criterion properly, so stick to the normal ones which are also quieter then directional.  But if you really have gone the extra mile which was in the incorrect direction, please do read the arrow on the sidewall to ensure that your passenger car delivers positive “performance” while going forward and not in reverse.

Many of the imports recently are coming with winter / snow tires and their owners are adamant that since there is plenty of tread left on them, there is no need to change. Well there is a good reason these are called snow / winter tires, they work in THOSE conditions i.e. extreme winters where it snows. On normal roads they are extremely noisy and result in horrendous fuel economy, so take them off…..now!

While picking the most appropriate tires for your specific ride, one very important factor has nothing to do with the ride actually but the condition of the roads you mostly ply your vehicle on. A tire that might provide the most comfortable ride on nicely paved road might prove to be an incorrect selection as soon as you come across patches of broken roads in dilapidated state, the soft sidewall would puncture or even face cuts that are irreparable (sidewall puncture lands a tire in unsafe category anyways). Therefore keeping in mind the kind of roads we have to travel through occasionally, this aspect has to be considered that the tire is able to withstand the abuse expected. Which means that some really soft ones which brands like Yokohama offers in the passenger car category might not be the best shot, unless you are ok with getting replacements very often apart from other risks.

Do get one thing straight, putting in extra wide tires in hilariously under powered vehicles like the locally available ones and specially the “economical passenger car” thought of as a “sports car” i.e. the civic; does not make them look cool! It is unwise to start from and only leads to you paying more for the tires in the beginning and bad fuel average in the longer run apart from other increased maintenance costs and terrible lack of comfort. So stick to the proper size and reap the benefits that the car has to offer as per its intended function instead of sacrificing on them for some assumed ricer advantages. Low profile tires are not meant for these underpowered passenger cars, it is like making a baby wear DMS boots (the ones that soldiers wear) to make him look tough. Neither would the baby be extremely uncomfortable with moving in them while they hurt him, those who look at him would curse you instead of appreciating the intent that you had.

Since this was meant for novices, things like speed, load and temperature ratings were skipped; these things usually are not required to be checked when buying passenger car tires from good brands. For any suggestions you can leave a comment which would be answered as per my best judgment, drive safe and stand up for tire rights :-). FeamanAllah

Askari Bank and the mystery of ATM's safaid perchi

This is the correspondence I had with Askari Bank following some incidents I faced due to them. The exact replies of the bank have been omitted.

First Mail :

Although it was never unclear to me that Askari Bank holds an unprecedented image of unprofessional-ism and sheer ignorance towards anything known as customer satisfaction since the first day I visited to open an account was quite an experience, the latest episode that I have been a victim to speaks volumes about the height of lunacy this bank is bent upon doing.  Since the disappointment is not limited to just one issue, I would need to break it down into points : 

1.       I had the unfortunate incident of using this bank’s ATM, which although I completely agree was a mistake on my part to approach an ATM of this bank again, since just before the machine was about to handover the cash the UPS died and so did the machine, after which I waited for quite some time for electricity to be restored so that I can know what might happen with the transaction since my card was in it and the SMS for the transaction being completed received on my cell phone without any cash being delivered. When the electricity was restored it solved one mystery for me i.e. why are so many blank slips littered on the floor since the machine did give me a properly printed slip after a successful transaction which I did before this one. Whenever the UPS and machine died, the card and cash of the customer are withheld when it restarts and it only gives out a blank slip hence the huge number of slips on the floor equals the number of people who would go through the ordeal of blocking their cards on phone, visiting a branch in office timings which might not be a really easy job for most since I have not even visited the branch of my main bank for years since the day I opened my account as the world has progressed to better solutions expect one bank i.e. Askari Bank 

2.       After the card and cash was captured by the useless machine, I used the phone inside the ATM cabin to contact the help center only to be told that the number has been changed, on asking why this is still active I was told that this one is now used to inform customers about the new number. What is the point of installing a phone inside the ATM which connects to a line which is not correct ? Sorry my mistake, this is Askari bank we are talking about here 

3.       I decided to mail the branch responsible for causing this misery to the people and is surely least interested about solving it because if so many people are facing this complain then they would have thought about it yet, even the barber I was visiting warned me against using this machine saying that it’s UPS does not work and it takes ages for it to become live again and I wish I could have taken him seriously. But I came to know that since it’s askari bank, they do not have email addresses of braches mentioned at the website since it’s too advanced, phones would do for another decade or so at Askari. The machine being used is installed at Fizaya Housing Scheme and comes under the supervision of this branch 
 

19. CHATTRI CHOWK, RAWALPINDI
City: Rawalpindi Branch Code : 0182 Manager: 051-9268197 Manager (Ops) : 051-9268199 PABX #: 051-9268198 Fax No: 051-9268195 Address : Chattri Chowk, Near Khanna Pull, Islamabad Highway, Rawalpindi.

Apart from this heart winning experience, I have had many more incidents at this amazing bank leaving great memories : 

4.       I was given a note completely torn apart in two and then re-taped from the ATM of F-11 branch of an amazing bank, yes the Askari bank which although was changed when I went to the cashier and asked him who would accept this gift handed over to me by your ATM but I was in luck because it was bank timings, not the best use of an ATM though and who would have replaced it if I came next day 

5.       On losing my wallet once which contained two blank cheques which I needed to be blocked, one of it was done on phone by one bank but the other one required a visit to the branch and an application of the style in which students request their headmaster for a day’s leave, any guess which bank would that be ? 

6.       After being a customer for seven years, the bank was not even courteous enough to hand over new notes near Eid, not just on one instance but on repeat visits. But again for a bank which cannot care less about very important issues, what on earth is courtesy worth ? Foolish me 

7.       I changed my primary bank to the one which has always exceeded my expectations some five years back and have never looked back towards Askari bank for any of my basic banking needs and only used it as a backup, but now I am realizing that even this is a very dangerous proposition for me and it is time to look away for a safer backup option. This third rate institution would continue to prove its ability to surpass all barriers when it comes to bringing itself a bad reputation and I really hope it dies its really deserved financial death soon. 

RIP in advance 

Also, I find the so called vision of this bank "to be the bank of first choice in the region" highly amusing. Firstly because whoever came with this line lacked imagination and secondly because even if all the other banks in this country stopped operating the people would prefer keeping money in their pillows then risking any business with this joke of a bank. I would make sure that everyone in my social circle does one thing when they see the logo of this bank......... run away and never look back 

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Second Mail :

Since no organization takes weeks to reply an email, suspecting that even the email server of this third rate company also does not work so adding the web manager also.

To add insult to injury, the useless branch of this utterly pathetic company is situated in an area where general public is not allowed so they are inaccessible to the people being humiliated due to the incompetency and un-professionalism of these stooges. Surprised how this clown house is still afloat

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First Reply :

A one liner, asking for my number.

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Third Mail :

Hi X,

I believe the issues have been explained clearly descriptively in the mail below, if it is repetition on phone that is required to still understand the problem and know the stance of your bank on it then I find it surprising.

X 

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Fourth Mail :

The website of this miraculously alive house of cards says :

In case of any ATM operational issue, please contact:
2.		Manager - ATM Management (Alternate Delivery Channels Division)	ASD@askaribank.com.pk

but in case someone actually uses the mentioned email address the auto reply received is :

The message was not delivered to asd@askaribank.com.pk because it's not authorized to send mails to this group (Exact reply omitted)

Even my free email service is intelligent enough to classify the email properly :

From:	Postmaster@askaribank.com.pk Microsoft SmartScreen classified this message as junk.
Sent:	Monday, XXX
To:	XXX (xxx@outlook.com)

This bank really is a source of entertainment and should start it's own comedy program with the theme "this is how we operate"

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Second Reply :

Again a one liner, asking me that my reply is awaited

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Fifth Mail :

Dear Mr X,

Then I believe you need to check your email more often and with more concentration, let me forward you the two emails I have sent after you bestowed the courtesy to send me the reply which was a bit hard to digest provided the immensely incorrect use of the language and the absence of any stance on the issues forwarded. 

X                                               

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Third Reply :

Guess what, another one liner again asking for my contact number.

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Sixth Mail :

Dear Askari Bank representative,

Although I think I cleared my stance very clearly before "I believe the issues have been explained clearly descriptively in the mail below, if it is repetition on phone that is required to still understand the problem and know the stance of your bank on it then I find it surprising.", since I have the monitory body also in the loop of the original email I a looking forward to getting the official stance of the bank on the issues presented. A verbal discussion holds no value specially when one of the stakeholders i.e. me in this case has zero confidence on the organization being addressed. 

So I do not think that a verbal discussion would address any of my concerns, your company's reply on them is still awaited in written.

Regards,

X

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Fourth Reply :

Well they finally thought of replying properly this time, offering apologies for the inconvenience faced and a somewhat better stance on the issues faced.

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Seventh Mail:

Dear X,

Thanks for the clarification, the criticism if taken positively can be utilized in improving the services since I believe I have put forward many loopholes which should have been unearthed by the quality assurance team of the bank. The last problem I faced is being looked into by the other bank since the card captured was not Askari bank's and it is being resolved. 

By mentioning the list of issues I have been facing before, there is nothing the bank can do to resolve them now and can be utilized to improve on their services afterwards for all customers

Regards,

X