My question is, if it's this easy, why isn't everyone e-banking?

"A cheque of mine was once credited to someone else offline. If this were online and someone got access to my account, I could be wiped out," says Chennai-based Prakash Rajagopalan. For him, security is the biggest concern. Gopal Sharma, a senior executive, also tried it once, never to return. The fifty-year-old was unnerved by the lack of a human interface. To make matters worse, a server glitch gave him access to someone else's account.

They aren't the only ones not using the free services banks like HDFC, Citibank, ICICI and HSBC now offer. Passbooks and telebankers are still preferred, despite the multiple firewalls, 128-bit encryption and digital certification promised online.

It's not easy to change mindsets either. 16-year-old entrepreneur Siddharth Puri Net banks, while his 50-year-old father, P K Puri, prefers trudging to the bank. "He knows the bank manager and watching the money show up in his passbook makes him happy," laughs Siddharth. "Besides, he manages to get help easily with complicated procedures like wire transfers, breaking fixed deposits, etc."

For banks, converting users has been an uphill task. Three years after having begun their Net banking initiative, HDFC bank now has six lakh registered users. "Awareness, connectivity, along with low PC penetration and security issues were the initial obstacles," says Ganesh Iyer, Product Manager, HDFC. Early converts have been executives and professionals between 25 and 40 with men outnumbering women. Most are tech savvy and have moved from ATM's and phone banking to Internet and mobile banking.

While all it takes is a PC, those without one have to bank from cyber cafes, leading to new worries like 'have I forgotten to log out' and 'did the guy next to me see my password?' Most users also admit being wary of third part transactions, e-trading and fund transfers. These services came with accounts by default earlier, but banks now insist that customers sign a declaration form to avoid frauds, making account holders edgy.

Then there's the pain of being locked out of an electronic account. Calcutta-based student Abhishekh Jain has done this often, thanks to complicated alphanumeric passwords. "Five wrong tries and my account was disabled. Now, I have to send a fax to Mumbai to get it operational."

Despite these problems, the lure of convenience has been too strong to resist for some. "I know how easy it is for data to be hacked into and most sites don't make customers feel secure about transactions," complains consultant Malay Nagda. However, with 24-hour Internet access at work, he enjoys banking late at night or while travelling. "I can access my account even in my ratty T-shirt and my bank manger will still think me respectable." He enjoys the ability to use data he can copy and print, which is not possible with phone banking. Statements are delivered to his inbox, and what he hopes will come in future is a step-by-step guide and 24-hour live chat.

Anu Gupta, a practicing lawyer, also wishes for a 24-hour help line because bank managers refuse to reply to her queries online. "Eventually nothing gets done till you speak to the manager in person. I wish they would start accepting forms by email, with digital signatures. For now, in order to reactivate my account, I have to download a form and snail mail it."

Users also complain that site interfaces are cumbersome and customer-unfriendly. "There has to be more attention paid to timeouts, friendly forms and design, or first-time users won't return," says Mahesh S, who was locked out of his account after a minute of inactivity.

He now uses his cellular phone to check accounts. Bankers, are you listening?