HSBC the bank with no banking services...

slinxy · 6 Sep 2007 at 07:55

Arrhg!!

Yesterday knowing that my HSBC credit card statement was on the way to me in the post, and with me moving jobs and being busy in days for the next few weeks until I moved jobs I thought I would make a special trip into town to pay off my credit card.

I went to my other bank and withdrew the money which took seconds as there was loads of members of staff working there and only an old lady a head of me.. now comes the nightmare...

I poped in to HSBC and looked for a credit card paying in slip so I can use the paying in machine rather than stand in line. I couldn't find any slips and all of there two customer service people had a queue of 5 people to help. So like most people I went to the cash counter.

After standing there for 15 mins for a queue of 3 people including myself! I was told by the bank cashier that I can not pay my credit card as they don't keep the credit card paying in slip in the banks anymore and I need to wait for my statement to come. WTF? was what I was thinking, I asked again why can't I pay my credit card off now? and again his response was that they don't have the slips anymore.. he suggested that I stand in line for customer services for them to show me how to use telephone banking!!!

My response to that was to tell him I made a special visit in to town during the day (when I should be at work in another city) to pay of my credit card and after waiting 15 mins in queue to pay it; your saying since your company can not be bothered to print and stock credit card slips, and your system does not have a system or you can't be bothered to enter my account details by hand. I have to wait for another 20 mins to be showen how to use telephone banking and speak to someone that I can not understand (no fault of their staff) and rack up my phone bill to say everything 4 times to them to payoff my credit card that I have the amount in cash now in my hand!?

His response "You need to use telephone banking"

As far as I'm aware; I have had nothing in the post saying I can't pay off my credit card at the branch and I paid of my credit card at the branch last month before the statement came.... I see thinking of closing all my accounts with HSBC as IMHO their branches are useless and their telephone banking services is a joke.

Tefal · 6 Sep 2007 at 08:07

HSBC are a pain, went to bank to set up my student account, and they gave me a bunch of forms to fill in and post off(where i would then get more forms and have to come back to the branch with ID) :/

Tried opening it on the phone get told to go to the branch :/

So thought id try it on the internet, filled out the bunch of forms online, then week later i get a HUGE amount of forms in the post(from the online thing) to fill in and then take to the damn branch.

Also found out opening it on the phone gets you told to go to your branch :/

Angilion · 6 Sep 2007 at 08:16

My advice to the OP is to move their credit card (taking advantage of the best transfer deal available) and write to HSBC complaints department explaining why.

That's easily done. Moving accounts would be more fuss, but if you do that then write to HSBC explaining why again.

Essentially, you are employing HSBC. You are paying them to handle your money. They are not just doing you a favour, much as banks usually act as if they are.

Clinkz · 6 Sep 2007 at 08:20

To the OP:

You are aware HSBC have an online banking facility which allows you to check balance/transfer money/pay off cards etc in less than 30 seconds? Why on earth you woudl want to go into a bank these days is beyond me.

photoshop · 6 Sep 2007 at 09:20

HSBC is a good bank.
I have a personal and a business account with them and do just about all my banking online. Never had any problems and their generous with the services they offer me

1337_KR3W · 6 Sep 2007 at 09:29

Had a ton of problems with HSBC. Due to their error had £175 of charges which made me miss a very important payment, and had about 5 phone calls a day from them about the charges, which they spoke to other people in my house about also.
Have a credit card that i payed off, and then they took a payment on the next month for no apparent reason, leaving it with a positive balance of about £20.

Been trying to sort out a new bank to go to, but I am trying to be very careful not to be stuck with another the same.

bcjames · 6 Sep 2007 at 09:45

HSBC are a total nightmare. I waited in line once as the only member of staff wandering around told me to. When I got to the front, the cashier told me I needed a form filled (all this info was on the piece of paper i initially handed her) in to put the money in, and rather than do it for me, which took all of 20 secs, told me they were on a stand in the middle. So then im to the back of the line again. About half an hour into my lunch, the money is finally in.

I hope other banks learn from HSBC that replacing people with machines is stupid. That coupled with unproffessional staff makes me really not like HSBC.

Vanilla · 6 Sep 2007 at 10:30

I think HSBC are great online and on the phone.

They do seem to be cutting back on branch staff. My local high street now has no cashier windows - the whole branch is mortgage and finance advisors and a simple customer services desk that can't do anything you would associate the normal windows with.

chimaera · 6 Sep 2007 at 10:41

I used to bank with HSBC and found the branch procedure very poor.

For example, i can pay in a cheque at Natwest by giving them just my debit card, HSBC made me fill out a paying in slip with all the details. Same with credit card, i pop it through the gap and they wire the payment from my current account and then print off a slip for me to sign, so quick and painless.

May have changed now but its the little things that put me off them and sent me towards Natwest, who i think are much better overall.

Vulcan · 6 Sep 2007 at 10:41

Never had a problem with HSBC, I use their online system too. Why go off in to town when you can do it from a nice leather chair, in seconds.

Yas786 · 6 Sep 2007 at 11:36

Clinkz said:
To the OP:

You are aware HSBC have an online banking facility which allows you to check balance/transfer money/pay off cards etc in less than 30 seconds? Why on earth you woudl want to go into a bank these days is beyond me.

Indeed, i dont even go into my bank anymore..i pay all my bills, mortgage and cc bills straight from the comfort of my own home. I dont think ive been into a HSBC branch for almost 2 yrs now..

Also no point in having a go at the cashier, hes only telling you what is correct. You can use their phone to pay your cc bill if you wish...done instantly as well.

Yas786 · 6 Sep 2007 at 11:38

bcjames said:
HSBC are a total nightmare. I waited in line once as the only member of staff wandering around told me to. When I got to the front, the cashier told me I needed a form filled (all this info was on the piece of paper i initially handed her) in to put the money in, and rather than do it for me, which took all of 20 secs, told me they were on a stand in the middle. So then im to the back of the line again. About half an hour into my lunch, the money is finally in.

I hope other banks learn from HSBC that replacing people with machines is stupid. That coupled with unproffessional staff makes me really not like HSBC.

Again you do realise that you can use the cash machines to pay money in right??. So you dont have to wait in the que to pay your money in.

panthro · 6 Sep 2007 at 11:38

photoshop said:
HSBC is a good bank.
I have a personal and a business account with them and do just about all my banking online. Never had any problems and their generous with the services they offer me

Same here. Never had a problem and they always offer me good service. Plus, being with them for 7 years, I get good rates on accounts and loans. Their online banking is very easy to use too.

bcjames · 6 Sep 2007 at 11:55

Spawn said:
Again you do realise that you can use the cash machines to pay money in right??. So you dont have to wait in the que to pay your money in.

I asked the staff member wandering around how to pay the money in and she told me to use the desk.

slinxy · 6 Sep 2007 at 12:06

The money was in another account with another bank, thats why I need to do it at the branch and not online or telephone banking with bangalore... as I thought it would be quicker than trying to get them to understand what your trying to do. I could not use a quick pay machine as there were no paying in slips.

I find my recent experiences with the bank very dispointing, they seem to try and make the branches pointless and they want you to do everything online or over the phone. Due to the hours I work or I must be the most unlucky person I seem to always get a call centre in bangalore and not getting anywhere.

stoofa · 6 Sep 2007 at 12:14

Tefal said:
HSBC are a pain, went to bank to set up my student account, and they gave me a bunch of forms to fill in and post off(where i would then get more forms and have to come back to the branch with ID) :/

Tried opening it on the phone get told to go to the branch :/

So thought id try it on the internet, filled out the bunch of forms online, then week later i get a HUGE amount of forms in the post(from the online thing) to fill in and then take to the damn branch.

Also found out opening it on the phone gets you told to go to your branch :/

Did you try and open a bank account anywhere else without the need to go into a branch and show ID and plenty of it?
Current UK money laundering laws require that you physically show forms of ID before a bank account can be opened.
Even if you already hold an existing account with a bank, opening a second usually requires you to go into the branch with ID.

Opening a bank account and having an account in your name allows you to do lots of other things, so it's no trivial matter.

Vulcan · 6 Sep 2007 at 12:26

slinxy said:
I find my recent experiences with the bank very dispointing, they seem to try and make the branches pointless and they want you to do everything online or over the phone. Due to the hours I work or I must be the most unlucky person I seem to always get a call centre in bangalore and not getting anywhere.

And what about the online option, you're posting on an online forum, you could quite easily use online banking.

Yas786 · 6 Sep 2007 at 12:29

bcjames said:
I asked the staff member wandering around how to pay the money in and she told me to use the desk.

Hmmm strange then, as most if not all branches now have cash machines that allow you to pay in money without having to que up in the line.

slinxy · 6 Sep 2007 at 12:40

Longbow said:
And what about the online option, you're posting on an online forum, you could quite easily use online banking.

Yes, I do 90% of my banking online, but theres certain tasks like trying to give them 5k!!! that I would rather do in person. Sorry I don't see why everybody needs to do they banking online when they hire staff to help customers at their branches and there a certain people who don't have computers and possibly no phone!? - like my other half's gran. What are they going to do when they close all the branches?

EDIT: I've sen't them an email now - 2 working days for their response

E1mo · 6 Sep 2007 at 12:42

Grrr...

Don't talk to me about bank charges. Currently having a nightmare with Chase in the US who put me into my overdraft due to a wire transfer fee they didn't mention they were going to charge for, paid it off the same day with cash, then they charged me an overdraft fee which has put me back into the red.

If they don't play ball I think I will have to pay another charge because the overdraft fee eat into my overdraft again! Ludicrous.