Pine Labs Private Limited (herein after referred as ‘our’ or ‘we’ or ‘Pine Labs’), is inter alia a leading provider of retail POS (Point of sale) solutions that simplify payment acceptance, while creating business opportunities for Issuers, merchants and brands to connect with consumers. Pine Labs engaged in the business of providing software and information technology solutions for various companies which include, information technology and payment software solutions for point of sales, and credit card and cash payment network of terminals at retailers and other ancillary services in the business of offering services in retail automation, retail payment solution and transaction processing in India. Over the period, Pine Labs has established itself as a leading provider of integrated POS (point of sale) payments solution (enabling credit and debit cards acceptance) for all leading Cards acquiring Banks and large organized retail merchants in India.
What makes Pine Labs a market leader today is constant innovation to develop new robust solutions which go beyond payment acceptance and helped retailers to acquire and engage customers at Point of Sale. Pine Labs merchants and partners get a robust platform to create new revenue streams with best in class value added solutions like Instant EMI, Instant Discounts, Cash Back Programs, Pay by Points, Loyalty Solution, Corporate Gift Solution i.e. Qwikcilver, Pine Perks, Targeted Promotions, Dynamic Currency Conversion etc.
Pine Labs has set up a Pan-India presence and there are various teams categorized according to different work locations and hierarchies. The various team including the Sales, Stock, Central Deployment, Merchant Establishment Setup, Customer Support & Operations are jointly responsible for handling the customer service requests registered at the first instance and ensuring the customer services are delivered within the desired Service Level Agreement and timelines.
Objective
A Customer Complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction from a Customer, requiring a response, about business activities performed by Pine Labs. A Customer is the focus of the organization’s products, services and people and an organization’s growth is largely dependent on the satisfaction of the Customer.
This policy outlines a structured grievance redressal mechanism to inform customers about the various channels available to them to escalate their complaints with respect to any grievances arising from availing the services of Pine Labs.
This policy details a mechanism for receiving and redressing Customer grievances courteously, promptly and satisfactorily.
There are various channels, where a Customer can lodge his/her grievance –in person, by telephone, through website & email. If a complaint received by any of the above channel are not resolved within the prescribed time frame or he/she is not satisfied with the resolution offered, he/she can approach Customer Service Head of Pine Labs through email/call and if still not satisfied by the response he/she can approach Nodal officer appointed by Pine Labs.
In case, the Customer is not satisfied with response/resolution of Pine Labs, he/she can reach to Ombudsman with his/her complaint or resort to other legal avenues for grievance redressal.
Scope
This policy is applicable to all products and services offered by Pine Labs under the Pre-paid Payment Instruments (PPIs), Payment Aggregator/Payment Gateway (PAPG) and Payment Aggregator-Cross Border (PA-CB) operations, and should be read in conjunction with the related operational guidelines issued from time to time.
2. Principles governing the grievance policy
Pine Lab’s policy on grievance redressal is governed by the following principles:
Customer shall be treated fairly at all times;
Complaints raised by customers shall be attended with courtesy and in time.
Customers are provided with effective and satisfactory resolution within an acceptable time period
Customers are fully informed of avenues to escalate their complaints/grievances within the organisation and their rights to alternative remedy, if they are not fully satisfied with the response to their complaints.
Guidelines for handling grievances
3. Guidelines for handling grievances/complaints of Customer has been put in place as below to ensure adequacy of response, response time, prompt closure, entry into a tracking system and analysis of recurring issues and trends.
While handling the complaints record keeping requirements and local laws and regulations must also be adhered to. All Customer interaction related to the complaints/request should be preserved for future reference as per the System of Pine Labs. All complaints/grievances are recorded in our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
Customer are provided with the Customer reference ID to facilitate follow-up, if required for future references.
Acknowledgment is provided to the Customer for complaints received.
Timelines are defined for the resolution.
Close looping is done by communication of resolution to the Customer
CRM is updated with every communication – i.e. email/Call to the Customer
Periodic reporting and review by senior management
Analysis of recurring issues and trends
4. Turnaround time and compensation for failed transactions
In compliance with the Circular DPSS.CO.PD No.629/02.01.014/2019-20 dated September 20, 2019 Turnaround Time (TAT) and Customer compensation for failed transactions using authorised Payment Systems (Harmonisation of TAT Circular) is tabled below* for applicable clauses:
Sl.no
Description of the incident
Framework for auto-reversal and compensation
Timeline for auto-reversal
Compensation payable
I
II
III
IV
1
Card Transaction
a
Point of Sale (PoS) (Card Present) including Cash at PoS Account debited but confirmation not received at merchant location i.e., charge-slip not generated. Auto-reversal within T + 5 days.
Card Not Present (CNP) (e-commerce) Account debited but confirmation not received at merchant’s system.
₹ 100/- per day of delay beyond T + 5 days.
₹ 100/- per day of delay beyond T + 5days.
2
Immediate Payment System (IMPS)
a
Account debited but the beneficiary account is not credited.
If unable to credit to beneficiary account, auto reversal (R) by the Beneficiary bank latest on T + 1 day.
₹100/- per day if delay is beyond T + 1 day.
3
Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
a
Account debited but the beneficiary account is not credited (transfer of funds).
If unable to credit the beneficiary account, auto reversal (R) by the Beneficiary bank latest on T + 1 day.
₹100/- per day if delay is beyond T + 1 day.
b
Card Not Present (CNP) (e-commerce) Account debited but confirmation not received at merchant’s system.
4
Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
a
Account debited but the beneficiary account is not credited (transfer of funds).
If unable to credit the beneficiary account, auto reversal (R) by the Beneficiary bank latest on T + 1 day.
If unable to credit the beneficiary account, auto reversal (R) by the Beneficiary bank latest on T + 1 day.
b
Card Not Present (CNP) (e-commerce) Account debited but confirmation not received at merchant’s system.
Off-Us transaction The transaction will ride on UPI, card network, IMPS, etc. as the case may be. The TAT and compensation rule of respective system shall apply.
b
On-Us transaction Beneficiary’s PPI not credited. PPI debited but transaction confirmation not received at merchant location.
Reversal effected in Remitter’s account within T + 1 day.
₹100/- per day if delay is beyond T + 1 day.
* The aforesaid TAT shall be complied by Pine Labs to the extent applicable and may get affected due to dependencies on external factors or third parties which are beyond control of Pine Labs.
* The aforesaid TAT applies only to domestic transactions, i.e., where originator and beneficiary are both in India as per applicable guidelines.
5. Revision
This Policy document will be reviewed annually or earlier in case a business need arises or if any regulatory changes are observed. The policy may also be reviewed in case of any change in the Policy Guidelines as released by RBI. In case, any changes are approved, the same will be made available to staff/concerned personnel/contractors.
6. Enforcement
Violation of this policy may result in penalty/action by RBI.
This section of policy is applicable to all the Customers availing the services of Pine Labs as Payment Aggregator and Payment Aggregator-Cross Border. The term ‘customer’ includes both the end-customer and merchant.
1. Internal mechanism to handle Customer complaints/grievances
For PA and PA-CB Customers, Pine Labs has a Customer Support Helpdesk distributed in two teams: Contact Centre (IVR), Plutus L2 services (Mails, Mobile App and Web) to address its Customers grievances and further Company has Internal Ombudsman process as per RBI Guidelines.
1.1 Broad description of the Transaction Life Cycle.
Complaint Registration Process Flow (IVR, Mail, Web & Pine Labs One)
1.2 Broad Complaint/Grievance registration and touch points (Escalation matrix)
Level 1.
1. Our Customers can register their grievances with us through various touch points:
Customer can also contact Customer Care by sending letters through post/courier at: Candor TechSpace, 4th & 5th Floor, Tower 6, Plot No. B2, Sector 62, Noida, U.P.-201309
2. A dedicated team reviews all such grievances received and provides a resolution to the customer on priority basis. All such Grievances are entered into our Complaint Management System for further resolution.
3. An acknowledgement is sent/communicated to the Customer acknowledging his/her complaint/grievance on receipt of the complaint/grievance.
4. If the Customer is not satisfied with the resolution provided by grievance cell, the Customer can go for next level of escalations.
Level 2
Customer Service (CS) Head
If a Customer needs to further escalate his/her complaint, he/she can write to the Customer Service Head cs.head@Pinelabs.com.
With this multi-layered and robust grievance redressal mechanism, Pine Labs not only focuses on redressal but also ensures that the gaps in process are identified and are rectified at grass root level.
Responsibilities of Customer Service Head
Review the grievances received and resolve in co-ordination with departmental heads.
Liaise with respective functions for speedy closure of complaint.
Regularly review and suggest revisions (if needed) in the grievance handling procedures for Pine Labs
CS Head would share findings and relevant gaps in the existing processes and work with process owners to put in place corrective actions.
To ensure that the Grievance Redressal Team is promptly handling all grievances received
Simultaneously, Grievance Cell logs an interaction in CRM.
Level 3
Nodal Officer
If the Customer is still not satisfied with the resolution provided by CS Head, he/she can approach Grievance Redressal Cell by writing to Nodal Officer.
Nodal Officer is a representative of Customer/Merchant and ensures appropriate resolution by interfacing with different functions within Pine Labs.
Customer can contact Nodal Officer by email or by sending letters at below mentioned address: Name: Megha Dugar Pine Labs Private Limited Plot No. B2, 4th & 5th Floor, Building 6, Candor Tech Space, Sector 62, Noida-201309 Email: nodal.officer@pinelabs.com Tel No.: 08069238440
Level 4
RBI Ombudsman:
Any person may file a complaint free of cost with the Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 having jurisdiction on any one of the grounds alleging deficiency in service. The salient feature of the Ombudsman scheme is available on the company website and can be requested from the Customer Service Head/Nodal Officer at the abovementioned address.
The complaints under the Scheme can be filed online on https://cms.rbi.org.in. Complaints can also be filed through dedicated Email Id CRPC@rbi.org.in and physical form, including postal and hand-delivered complaints, addressed and sent to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre – Reserve Bank of India, 4th Floor, Sector 17, Chandigarh – 160017.
1.3 System Support & Tools for Grievance Management
Grievance management is supported by integrated CRM system. The main functionalities of the system are:
1. Complaint Recording and acknowledgement
All touch points can log a complaint through CRM system. The system generates a Complaint Reference Number which is communicated to the Customer.
2. Process for resolution and tracking of Complaint
Once all touch points log the complaints in the system, the complaint status can be tracked by various stakeholders at any given point of time. The current CRM sends escalations to the next level in case the complaint is not resolved. MIS is also being getting shared with all the relevant stakeholders keeping them informed about the total number of complaints open and their TAT. The complaint is then resolved by the respective process owners. The resolution by the respective process owners is also communicated to the Customer.
1.4 Turnaround time for complaints and escalations
In case Customer/Merchant approach us through any of our contact channel for queries or complaints, or approach our corporate center, we shall initiate a confirmation of the query logged either through phone/email/SMS immediately and the same shall get resolved either as a First Call resolution (FCR) within 24 hours or it is assigned to concerned department on priority on the basis of the nature of request/complaint. Further, at each level, the complaint will be resolved with- in 15 business days subject to any external factors not in the control of Pine Labs.
1.5 Review of MIS basis Complaint Category, Classification, Turnaround time and by Location
Periodic MIS review based on complaint category, classification, turnaround time and location is carried out.
2. Dispute Resolution Mechanism and Chargebacks
A chargeback is a process that allows a customer to dispute a card/UPI transaction and have the money returned to them. It is usually initiated by the customer and involves the bank reversing the transaction and taking the money back from the merchant. There can be multiple reasons for a customer to dispute a transaction e.g., goods/services not received, transaction failed but amount deducted, duplicate transaction etc.
This entire process is managed and supervised by payment networks like Visa, MasterCard, and NPCI, the processes are the same across the industry.
2.1 Turn around Time
This is defined as per the network guidelines, for eg., in general, transactions can be disputed within 120 calendar days from the date of transaction. However, the timeline can extend where the date of service or delivery is in the future.
2.2 Process Flow/Transaction Lifecycle
The below flowchart describes the chargeback process.
3. Refunds
In the online business landscape, customers may occasionally request refunds for purchases made on merchant website or app. These situations, often stemming from dissatisfaction with products or services, are a normal part of digital commerce. Efficiently managing these refund requests is vital for maintaining customer trust and ensuring a smooth transaction experience.
Refunds can be initiated by Pine Labs through one of the following routes:
Dashboard
API
For all refund flows, Pine Labs ensures that:
All refunds are made to the original method of payment unless agreed explicitly by the end customer to credit to an alternate mode.
Credits towards reversed transactions (where funds are received by Pine Labs) and refund transactions shall be routed back through Pine Labs’ PA escrow account unless as per contract the refund is directly managed by the merchant and the customer has been made aware of the same.
3.1 Refund Flow
A typical refund request initiates a procedure which engages several financial intermediaries. This involves the following steps:
3.2 Refund Timelines
Pine Labs will process refunds on its end as per the timelines outlined below:
Payment Mode
Refunds TAT
Cards
2-3 Working days (Maximum 5-7 days)
UPI
1-3 working days
Net Banking
5-7 working days
Wallets
5-7 working days
Please note: This may not reflect the actual time taken for funds to be credited to the customer’s account. The final credit depends on the issuer bank and other entities which are not under Pine Labs’ control.
4. Failed Transactions and Reversals
As per the Harmonisation of TAT Circular, A ‘failed transaction’ is a transaction which has not been fully completed due to any reason not attributable to the customer such as failure in communication links, non-availability of cash in an ATM, time-out of sessions, etc. Failed transactions shall also include the credits which could not be effected to the beneficiary account on account of lack of full information or lack of proper information and delay in initiating a reversal transaction.
Pine Labs will ensure that for all failed transactions and reversals, the timelines outlined under Section 4 of this Policy, as per the Harmonisation of TAT Circular.
Payment Mode
TAT- Online (Plural)
TAT- Offline (Plutus)
Cards
T+5
T+5
UPI
T+5
T+5
Net Banking
T+1
NA
Wallets
T+1
T+1
Control reference
Guidelines on Regulation of Payment Aggregators and Payment Gateways issued vide RBI/DPSS/2019-20/174 DPSS.CO.PD.No.1810/02.14.008/2019-20 March 17, 2020 as updated from time to time.
Guidelines on Regulation of Payment Aggregator- Cross Border (PA-CB) (RBI/2023-24/80, CO.DPSS.POLC.No.S-786/02-14-008/2023-24) dated October 31, 2023.
Harmonisation of Turn Around Time (TAT) and customer compensation for failed transactions using authorised Payment Systems, RBI Circular DPSS.CO.PD No.629/02.01.014/2019-20 dated September 20, 2019.
The Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 dated November 12, 2021, as updated from time to time.
This section of policy is applicable to all the Customers availing the products/services offered via Pine Labs.
1. Grievance redressal awareness
Publicizing redressal mechanism:
The grievance redressal mechanism is appropriately displayed on the Pine Labs’ website and mobile application to spread its awareness among its customers.
2. Grievance redressal mechanism
Complaint Channels:
Customer care number
Email ID
Website (‘Contact Us’)
Complaint Ticket:
The Customer will be given an acknowledgement/ticket number of his/her complaint to address the complaints raised by customer.
All customer complaints received through digital channels will be acknowledged through an email along with a need-based intimation to the Nodal Officer.
Complaint Tracking:
An automated system is used to digitally record the customer complaints received through multiple channels, which will also be accessible to the entire customer service department to monitor and update the status of each complaint.
Each of these complaints will be assigned a unique tracking number which will be shared with the Customer for future reference and monitoring purposes.
Complaint Resolution Timelines
For general complaints, resolution shall be done as per the timelines mentioned in the escalation matrix below under point 3 and Company has Internal Ombudsman process as per RBI Guidelines.
2. Liability in case of unauthorized/fraudulent transactions
Customers should register themselves for SMS and e-mail alerts, for electronic payment transactions. Customers are advised to keep their prepaid instruments and its credentials secure at all times and not share it with third parties. In case the Customers/card holder believes that the credentials have been compromised or resulted into misuse of the instrument, they can reach out to Pine Labs customer support with a request to block the card immediately/regenerate the credentials. Pine Labs shall take the request and block the card immediately subject to the Customer providing the card number. However, Pine Labs shall only reissue the card on successful submission of ownership of the card by the cardholder.
Customer liability in case of unauthorized electronic payment transactions through pine labs pvt ltd-ppi
Sr. No.
Particulars
Maximum Liability of Customer
(a)
Contributory fraud/negligence/deficiency on the part of Pine Labs (irrespective of whether or not
the transaction is reported by the Customer)
Zero
(b)
Third party breach where the deficiency lies neither with Pine Labs nor with the Customer but lies
elsewhere in the system, and the Customer notifies Pine Labs regarding the unauthorised payment
transaction. The per transaction customer liability in such cases will depend on the number of days
lapsed between the receipt of transaction communication by the customer from Pine Labs and the
reporting of unauthorised transaction by the customer to Pine Labs
i. Within three days#
Zero
ii. Within four to seven days#
ZeTransaction value or ₹10,000/- per transaction, whichever is lower
iii. Beyond seven days#
As per the discretion of Pine Labs, subject to investigation
(c)
In cases where the loss is due to negligence by a Customer, such as where he/she has shared the payment credentials, the customer will bear the entire loss until he/she reports the unauthorised transaction to Pine Labs. Any loss occurring after the reporting of the unauthorised transaction shall be borne by Pine Labs.
(d)
Pine Labs may also, at its discretion, decide to waive off any customer liability in case of unauthorised electronic payment transactions even in cases of customer negligence. #
# The number of days mentioned above shall be counted excluding the date of receiving the communication from Pine Labs.
# The number of days mentioned above shall be counted excluding the date of receiving the communication from Pine Labs.
3. Broad customer complaint mechanism with escalation matrix
Level 1.
Complaints Channel
Merchant PPIs issued by Pine Labs (Under the brand name of Qwikcilver)
Network PPIs issued by Pine Labs (Under the brand name of Pine Perks)
Estimated timelines at various levels of queries/escalations:
Acknowledgement of the complaint – for email and website, the acknowledgement is sent immediately.
First response to a Customer’s query/concern – within 48 working hours
Follow-up queries – 3 working days (Post 1st Response to customer)
Escalated cases – 7 working days (Post follow up queries TAT)
Customer grievances raised to Nodal officer – 15 working days.
Level 2
1. If the Customer’s issue is not resolved even after contacting various complaint resolution channels or if the customer is not satisfied with the response, he/she can reach out to the Customer Service Head.
Pine Labs Private Limited, Plot No. B2, 4th & 5th Floor, Building 6, Candor Tech Space, Sector 62, Noida-201309.
2. Email id: cs.head@pinelabs.com – In the event any additional time is needed to resolve a Customer’s complaint, Pine Perks will inform the customer the reasons for such delay and provide expected timelines for the resolution of the complaint.
3. If the complainant is entitled to any compensation as a result of resolving the complaint, the compensation will be paid to the complainant.
Level 3
NODAL OFFICER
If the Customer’s issue is not resolved even after contacting Customer Service Head or if the Customer is not satisfied with the response, he/she can reach out to Nodal Officer appointed by Pine Labs.
Any customer aggrieved by an act or omission by the Company may file a complaint free of cost with the Reserve Bank – Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, 2021 having jurisdiction on any of the grounds alleging deficiency in service. The salient feature of the Ombudsman scheme is available on the company website and can be requested from the Nodal Officer at the abovementioned address. The complaints under the Scheme can be filed online on https://cms.rbi.org.in. Complaints can also be filed through dedicated Email Id CRPC@rbi.org.in and physical form, including postal and hand-delivered complaints, addressed and sent to the Centralized Receipt and Processing Centre – Reserve Bank of India, 4th Floor, Sector 17, Chandigarh – 160017. For any guidance in filing of a complaint or any other support one can connect to toll-free number – 14448 (9:30 am to 5:15 pm).
