Pradeep owns as many as 7 credit cards from different banks but uses only four. "I prefer not to use HDFC Bank, Reliance Citibank and UTI Bank (now Axis Bank) credit cards," he says anger palpable on his face. He has different issues with these banks with respect to their customer care service and inefficient management.

While the number of credit card users is increasing rapidly in India so are customers' complaints against them. For young and upwardly mobile credit card users like Pradeep an issue like a credit card company not having a toll free number or an unresponsive customer care service is reason enough to chuck aside the plastic that gives them instant purchasing power.

He stopped using UTI Bank credit card because of the same reason. "I hate the fact that UTI Bank credit card doesn't have a good customer care centre," he retorts failing to understand why a thing as fundamental as customer service is ignored by the bank.

"While ICICI Bank has a phone inside their ATM booths UTI doesn’t even have a toll free number where we can register our grievances," he says justifying why he has stopped using the latter's service.

Today Pradeep prefers using his HSBC, Citibank, Barclays, and ICICI Bank credit cards because they offer him facilities like converting his purchases into equated monthly installments -- which he can easily afford -- at very low interest rates.

However there are two things that he doesn't like about credit cards in general and wishes these to change. "When we go abroad we can't withdraw that country's currency from ATMs there; we can only shop. That's the most disgusting part."

Also, the fact that some retail merchant outlets charge two per cent of total purchases for using credit cards annoys him. He thinks that it is the duty of credit card companies to "strictly deal" with such merchant outlets.

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