Can any Hsbc employee advise

withnell

Somerset wrote: »

Why would opening an account with Hsbc give them any info, sensitive or otherwise ? It has a minimum funding requirement of £500 which I will meet - it has no requirement to switch my 'standard banking' at least per the CS that I enquired of before applying.

What ''many months of information'' am I giving them ? And how am I giving it ?

Well all the transactions you will make on the account - I'm assuming you aren't just opening it for fun?

Somerset

withnell wrote: »

Well all the transactions you will make on the account - I'm assuming you aren't just opening it for fun?

I'm opening it primarily to get access to the monthly saver. The £50 I'll hopefully get from TCB is just a bonus. I'll fund it as per their requirements but per their t&c's, their is no requirement to use it as your main current account. So it was/will be a matter of - open it, and see how it goes. I'd never risk switching my 'main' bank until I'd got a 'feel' for how the replacement was working out.

Somerset

noah271007 wrote: »

I imagine the reason HSBC branch requested your previous 3 months bank statements must got to do with whether you are suitable for current advance account. The requirements is to pay in £500 a month to qualify and that's probably the only reason i can think of. If you are not so happy, why don't you go somewhere else.

They wanted one month's worth not three. I supplied the statements to be reviewed, I just wasn't happy with them demanding hard copies.

The account has already been approved by head office - sort code & account number supplied, so no 'approval' needed by branch. Just ID/Address verification required.

I'm never happy with conflicting information - just trying to clarify what is correct.

I'm not confident that what the branch said is true, this is why I am asking on this forum. If the branch is incorrect, why would I 'sulk' and pass up the opportunity to get access to the regular saver, which is the product I'm really after ?

Scousebird_2

There is no obligation to provide a bank statement to open the account. I used to work for HSBC and I never had to attach/see a statement as part of the account opening proceadure, unless the customer volunteered it, or used it as proof of address. What did you take to the branch when you 1st went (or did you apply online)?

Are you on the voters roll at home (only reason I ask is, if you are then generally ID and Address Verification is not usually asked, as you are verified electronically via experian records and the information you provide)

You Passport, if in date is perfectly valid and you address verification document-as long as it was standard 2008/09 Rates Bill and was not a final bill or reminder, the service centre would of accepted that and allowed the account to go ahead. These documents are scanned onto the system and the copies of the passport and bill taken in branch (and indeed the statement should you of provided it ) would of been destoyed after 28 days securely and shredded into a fine dust!

I am really unsure as to why they have insisted on a bank statement as that is not a mandatory audit requirement-all I can think of is the adviser may of wanted to see your outgoings (more as a sales tool than anything else).

The system does prompt to enter the amount of statements seen-however, the adviser you saw does not physically need to go into the system and amend the original application because this is all dealt with by head office when you apply direct-the adviser would not of benefited from this sales wise but may of been able to cross sell on the back of your query-thats all I can really say to be honest.

So in summary-you provided all the correct document from what you have explained as long as it doens't vary from my interpretation. The bank statement is not a mandatory audit requirement that the brach would be penalised for.

Somerset

Scousebird wrote: »

There is no obligation to provide a bank statement to open the account. I used to work for HSBC and I never had to attach/see a statement as part of the account opening proceadure, unless the customer volunteered it, or used it as proof of address. What did you take to the branch when you 1st went (or did you apply online)?

I applied online. I received a letter confirming acceptance of my application citing sort code & account number. It required that I supply ID/Address verification that I could post to head office or alternatively take into a branch. A branch seemed easiest.

Are you on the voters roll at home (only reason I ask is, if you are then generally ID and Address Verification is not usually asked, as you are verified electronically via experian records and the information you provide)

Yes, I am on the electoral roll, but don't mind submitting manually as well. It's not that big a deal.

You Passport, if in date is perfectly valid and you address verification document-as long as it was standard 2008/09 Rates Bill and was not a final bill or reminder, the service centre would of accepted that and allowed the account to go ahead. These documents are scanned onto the system and the copies of the passport and bill taken in branch (and indeed the statement should you of provided it ) would of been destoyed after 28 days securely and shredded into a fine dust!

I had my passport, which is current ( List 1 ) and current council tax bill 2008/2009 ( List 2 ). This was in accordance with their letter. The counter woman was happy with these, photocopied them, and returned the originals. She then said I had to see the 'advisor' in a private room, to complete the opening process ( he found my account on screen and had to do ??? whatever )

I am really unsure as to why they have insisted on a bank statement as that is not a mandatory audit requirement-all I can think of is the adviser may of wanted to see your outgoings (more as a sales tool than anything else).

I wondered that ! What the chap said was that it was a branch requirement. When I (on second visit) returned with statements, he insisted they had to take copies as an 'audit trail'. He refused to progress the account without the copy statements.

The system does prompt to enter the amount of statements seen-however, the adviser you saw does not physically need to go into the system and amend the original application because this is all dealt with by head office when you apply direct-the adviser would not of benefited from this sales wise but may of been able to cross sell on the back of your query-thats all I can really say to be honest.

I had already told the counter woman that I wanted to open a 'regular saver' but realised/assumed the current account had to be 'up and running' first.

So in summary-you provided all the correct document from what you have explained as long as it doens't vary from my interpretation. The bank statement is not a mandatory audit requirement that the brach would be penalised for.

I might try a different branch tomorrow as I'm on a business trip. As a fall-back, I think I'll bring the statements from the LTSB current account that has damn all going through it. If that's not acceptable, I'll just send the stuff through the post to Head Office.

Many Thanks.

Somerset

Went to a different Hsbc branch today.

The cashier read the letter, read the list of acceptable documents, examined my passport & council tax bill, smiled at me, photocopied them and returned them. She re-read the documentation and checked she had everything she needed. Job done.

No fuss, no drama, no 'advisor', no side-room and no LTSB statements required.

BASFORDLAD

Good:), just the idiot adviser

Rafter

Does sound like a cross sell fish to me. The HSBC advisor in the first branch might have been able to see that you have life, home or other insurance elsewhere or a credit card and then try to sell you the HSBC version.

Given his job, and a significant element of variable pay (Bonus) is probably based on selling this stuff you can't blame him.

Just a shame that banks don't pay their staff a reasonable wage and expect them to sell based on customer demand and good product design, rather than forcing product down peoples throats.

I'm not just blaming HSBC for this - they all do it!

R.

Scousebird_2

See-I know I was damn good at my job so I know EXACTLY why the adviser did it. I wasn't hitting my sales targets which is why I came out of the bank before I was pushed out. I was 100% for my audit and quality of my service. I did everything I could for my customers, sales or no sales, their basic needs were paramount and if a customer was on low income and I have a product to flog, I didn't sell it because it was unfair!

I know u would get it sorted. You should have you account details by no later than next friday. Should you wish to chase it up then call

0800 130 130 which is the new product team (and a freefone number)

Inactive

Scousebird wrote: »

See-I know I was damn good at my job so I know EXACTLY why the adviser did it. I wasn't hitting my sales targets which is why I came out of the bank before I was pushed out. I was 100% for my audit and quality of my service. I did everything I could for my customers, sales or no sales, their basic needs were paramount and if a customer was on low income and I have a product to flog, I didn't sell it because it was unfair!

)

A refreshing change from the " Bonus Culture " that has been indoctrinated in to many banking staff these days.


Good for you, well done.:T