HSBC - Comendable Effort, But...

The Funktopus

The Funktopus

The Funktopus

Soldato
Joined
14 Aug 2008
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North Sea
So,

Just tried to join a DW Sports gym online using my HSBC debit card, and it wouldn't go through. Odd I thought, but it may be fault on their website, so I'll pop in and do it in person. About 10 minutes later, I get a call from HSBC's fraud department. Apparently they're blocking my card because they've detected possible fraud with someone trying to join a gym online (which was me FFS!), they then rattle off the last few transactions over the past week, all of which I recognise and can remember, yet they're still blocking my card. There was literally nothing I could say to convince this nincompoop on the other end of the phone that there was nothing untoward going on and to not block my card.

Still, I can get cash out from any HSBC branch using my Cheque book..... Oh wait, it's a Sunday, good thing I don't have any plans eh?. :rolleyes:

However, do you suppose I can use my HSBC Credit Card in the meantime and have justifiable claim to have any interest waived? I mean I appreciate them looking out for me with fraud and all, but this is just ridiculous. I passed all their security questions, and could vouch for making the transactions they asked about, but they blocked my card anyway! Seething right now. :mad:
 
Had this previously with Bank Of Scotland but card is always unblocked after you pass security and confirm transactions.

Id be calling them back, and intimate that you'll be moving banks in the morning if they don't get it sorted
 
They've done this to me before but when I was called and recognised everything they unlocked my spending straight away :D

Now because someone keeps tryin to login as me they won't unlock it :mad:
 
Phew, it's not like they wouldn't be able to stop someone fraudulently using a gym membership month after month.

Hurrah for HSBC, who needs Batman anyway?
 
Just rang them back. Nothing they can do, but on the brightside, I should have my new card by Thursday or Friday. Yay.

"Oh, and was there anything you were planning on using it for in the meantime?"
 
I have had this happens numerous times. Thank god I dont pay for 0845 numbers at evenings and weekends! They have done this to me about 4-5 times so far in the last year or so.

The first time was a deposit on the car and that was fair enough as it was a large amount and I am not in the habit of buying cars every week.

They also did it when Asda were supposed to deliver our shopping which wasn't very helpful at all.

The most recent one was when I collected a new card after my old one expired on Saturday (from a branch as my last card went missing in the post leaving me with no card for a week) which I activated by getting a statement and drawing £50. On the Sunday I went to use it in Argos and it was declined and locked the same as the OP`s.

24 hours before it was locked and on only the second use!
 
OP they actually "Killed" the card? They have not done that to me yet. They just put a "Block" on it which they can remove.

Also Cheque book? I havent had a Cheque book since I joined them at school and they were Midland!!!
 
I actually had this through Overclockers! Activated a new card and dropped £1700 on it the same day.
 
bitslice said:
Wow, you must have a lot of money :eek:


(just in a case anyone didn't read your post :))
Click to expand...

Took a long time to save that money. Well worth it though. Still need to save and get a graphics card!

But it *is* a lot of money, which just goes to show that the bank was on the ball. I would rather my transaction be stalled accidently than someone elses on my card be allowed.
 
I had my halifax account blocked twice when i tried to pay my rent and each time had to go into town and spend ~40 mins on the phone from within a branch to their fraud dept reeling off most of my personal information before they would reactivate it.
 
Clearly ask on your account that you want to ALWAYS be phoned before any blocking takes place. They won't guarantee this will always be possible but did the trick for me.

Ever since I have done this, no issues at all wherever I have been in the world (frequent travel in the past with work)

Alternatively:

Pixel said:
Switch banks.
Click to expand...
 
NatWest once nuked my debit card for suspicious activity:

They suddenly noticed my £6.99 Monthly payment to a US based MMORPG was highly suspect, of which payments had gone out unnoticed by them for over 10 Months previously. Crazy.
 
They all do this. Barclays did this to me a few times as well.

First time when I tried to buy an iMac online. It was my first iMac purchase and it was quite a lot.

There was another time when I bought a couple of eBooks from the iPad, it was these $0.99 cents books which converted to like 67p or something odd. I bought 2 of those and they triggered the fraud department.

Another time when I tried to use the card whilst in Hong Kong in a cash machine and forgot to tell my bank it was blocked straight away.

They were all fixed with 1 phone call though.
 
Don't you get an impression these days that some banks do everything in their power to send customers running away and have bad press? Like they wanted to fail?
 
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