HSBC Student Account Issues.

Darren08

Hello all, I really need advice .

I'm 24 and have been in employment since I saw 16, being full time for the last 4 years or so. My credit file has never had a single default and is quite good.

I recently applied for a HSBC student account because they seemed the most competitive and the 2yrs after graduation whereby I still gained 0% interest on the overdraft was a nice idea.

I received the confirmation letter that I had applied for a student bank account and it asked that I took down my UCAS form and 2 pieces of ID.

When I did this the lady in the branch told me I'd applied for a pre student account not a student account (this comes with no credit facilities at all i.e. no overdraft and no credit card). I told her I did indeed apply for a student account and not a pre student account and had the letter and literature to show this. I also had to provide my UCAS details when applying. The lady said it wasn't a problem and that she could upgrade my account for me. After giving me lots more forms to fill out and some new bank details she told me that I'd been credit checked and accepted for the credit card but had flagged on her system that I'd declined it and since it was approved did I want it anyway. So I just said yes since they'd already checked me against my wishes...during the application I put down no for a credit card.

The lady said the branches no longer deal with amendments to student accounts and that I had to call up customer services to have my interest free overdraft added on because in branch they can only add chargeable ones.

During my meetings with HSBC (I went for advice before applying and then after to provide ID) they always said that an overdraft was definitely included and that the amount you're given is subject to a credit check. Even their letter does say subject to status it just says it's based on a credit check. They've credit checked me but not applied for the overdraft which they now say will be another credit check.

So I called customers services as instructed and they told me that I cannot have an overdraft because no application for one was put through and I have no account histroy or use for them to analyse and gather a figure for an overdraft and that I had to wait till September. After speaking to a manager they basically told me the branch had misinformed me and the website and botched the application. The manager at the call centre then put me through to the branch manager who said that in 24hrs from when the branch had upgraded my account from a pre to student account, it would give them an indicative figure for an overdraft without a credit check that he'd then just add on.

He then called me back 24hrs later and told me it still showed 0 and I basically had to use the account and then wait months for it to update with an offer.

I told them this is unacceptable and he fobbed me off again saying he had contacts in various departments he could check with to see what he could do. He then mentioned my application said I'd put down a salary of £5000. Strange because I'd entered £14,600.

I'm really scared that HSBC have screwed up my credit rating. They said they credit checked me for the pre student account and then again for the credit card (which I declined in the application). This seems somewhat fraudulent, they appear to be using my details and doing whatever they like with them.

My credit rating before this was good and I should have 0 problems getting a student account and interest free overdraft, but with all of these recent credit checks, if I apply again I'll probably get declined for credit check spam.

Any ideas of what I can do? Are HSBC breaking the law by credit checking me for accounts I never asked for and credit cards I'd declined and then fabricating details from the application that I most definitely hadn't provided? I haven't even used the accounts of got the cards yet and they're already severely stressing me out.

Apologies for any typos, I've not got my glasses on :P.

Lokolo

Ok I don't think they're breaking the law by doing a credit check...

However, it seems the people you are dealing with in HSBC are being pompus.

If you want an overdraft without a credit check you will have to build up internal rating with the bank. This will take months, which is what the manager has explained to you. The 0 that keeps coming up is because you have only just joined and not used card a lot, not deposited money year after year etc. So atm you don't have any loyalty with the bank.

Next. Ok so they've been doing credit checks which then have been resulted in anything. Have you looked at your credit file to see if these are on there? If they are and have affected it, go into branch and ask them to be removed because they shouldn't have been done for the credit card. The original one would need to be done though, credit checks are done on opening accounts as the norm.

Also, 9 months ago, I went into branch and updated my student overdraft, so unless they've changed it since then you can do it in branch!
But you can also apply online for an overdraft...

The salary thing of £5,000 could be just because of the pomus woman, she could have missed a 1 before the £5000... thats no problem, easily changed.

hebangsthedrums

be careful with the overdraft, what they say you will get and what you actually do get are two completely different things.....

Darren08

Thanks for your tips .

Ok so on the 25th the bank manager called me and had said that he will use his ''contacts'' the see if he could get an interest free overdraft added on without the need for a credit check because it was their muck up that they'd not processed the application correctly initially. He said he'd call me on 26th the give me further info on what could be do. We were both in agreement, twice, that he would take no action at all without speaking with me because I didn't want yet another credit check done due to their incompetancies. So 26th came, he called me whilst I was on a train with no signal so my phone never rang, I only found out at 5pm when I got suspicious and did 1471, he never even had the decency to leave a voicemail.

So I called Cust Serv to see if they could get through to the branch, which they couldn't. I asked the lady what happened to my account recently.

She said that on 25th June an overdraft application had been put through, which she said was credit check based. Exactly what I'd said numerous times I did not want to happen AGAIN, and that the bank manager agreed he wouldn't do without consulting me.

Surely this is fraud or something, they're taking my personal details, amending them (the type of account I wanted, the salary I input etc) and doing what they want with them without consulting me against my decisions.

I'm going to speak with the FSA on Monday I think, try and type a complaint letter and then also speak to him to get the credit checks removed, they can eat their account.

To add, yesterday I received the debit card and credit card, just proving that they'd already credit checked me for the card before I even went into the branch, which I'd declined, as the card then arrived 2 days later. Shocking.

Darren08

Ok it's now the 11th July and I'm still no further forward.

I've had call backs promised almost every day for the following day with an update and I have not been called. I've had to call HSBC every day on my 30 minute lunch break and go through the problem again, each time being told they'll get in touch with the team/person responsible. They've even said they will escalate it as a complaint and I've even spoken to a manager. Yet still no removal of credit checks, still no correction of the bank account.

I'm started to get really angry now, I'm supposed to be going to Uni in Sep and I want everything in place and ready before hand. HSBC seem to be so incompetant and uninterested in fixing the issue.

Is anyone familiar with an address I can write to, for someone who will take action, perhaps the CEO's/Directors Officer?

Many thanks.

Lokolo

I don't understand why you don't just go into a branch and speak to someone there.....

1. Going straight to the CEO or FSA is a waste of time
2. Have you written a formal complaint? Doubt it.

You can't go on about you're going to contact the highest of highest if you haven't even written a formal complaint yet.

You keep complaining about the phones. Banks and call centres never mix in most cases, I'm pretty sure you should have learnt that after the 2nd or 3rd time calling them....

First things first. WRITE A FORMAL COMPLAINT.

http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/popups/how-to-complain

Darren08

Thanks for the link.

Given that I work full time I can't find the time to go into branch, and even if I could, I wouldn't because tbh it's the branch themselves that have caused most of the problems and I trust them less than anyone working in HSBC. Given my working schedule over the past few weeks, I've had little choice but to call them.

Aye a formal complaint is what I was looking for, in some businesses these go straight to the Directors Office or a similar department, that's all I was asking . Now that I have a few days to myself I fully intend to write them a nice letter.

Darren08

Hi everyone, just an update with the situation, I also could use some advice on what I can do .

I started complaining over the telephone around mid June about the numerous issues.

I then gained access to my credit file which showed three checks.

- 15th June logged as ''current account''
- 18th June logged as ''current account''
- 15th July logged as ''current account''

I submitted a written complaint on 12/7/09.

To date I've had one letter, saying they were passing my complaint back to the Branch Manager, the same manager who caused a lot of the problems in the first place. So I called their Quality Control people back and said I didn't want that to happen. They then passed it to the area manager who called me and said she'd have me a written response by last Friday, this never happened.

One of the credit checks, the one dated 15th June miraculously disappeared. The credit check for the overdraft was put through as the third check and apparently declined, no doubt due to the numerous checks going through within a short space of time. So the first check was only removed after the overdrafts separate check was rejected. Shouldn't the student overdraft app have gone through with the initial account app?

Anyway now I have a student account, with no overdraft or credit facilities, a credit card I never wanted but was checked for anyway, I've been complaining for over a month, my written complaint was received 16 days ago and still I've heard nothing. When I call HSBC they keep saying it's been investigated and keep making a point of saying they have 8 weeks to look into it. I keep trying to plead to them that I want my finances sorted out before I leave for Uni in September but they say they have 8 weeks as though it's their twisted intention to deliberately make me wait.

So now I'm wondering what can I do? Am I seriously powerless to do anything but wait 8 weeks? The Ombudsman won't take it. Do I have to just wait? Seems unfair that I cannot get credit anywhere else because of HSBC's !!!! ups and I have to wait two full months or more to be able to even apply elsewhere. I feel like I'm being held ransom.

I'm at my wits end, any advice (constructive) would be appreciated.

Darren08

Hi everyone, just an update with the situation, I also could use some advice on what I can do .

I started complaining over the telephone around mid June about the numerous issues.

I then gained access to my credit file which showed three checks.

- 15th June logged as ''current account''
- 18th June logged as ''current account''
- 15th July logged as ''current account''

I submitted a written complaint on 12/7/09.

To date I've had one letter, saying they were passing my complaint back to the Branch Manager, the same manager who caused a lot of the problems in the first place. So I called their Quality Control people back and said I didn't want that to happen. They then passed it to the area manager who called me and said she'd have me a written response by last Friday, this never happened.

One of the credit checks, the one dated 15th June miraculously disappeared. The credit check for the overdraft was put through as the third check and apparently declined, no doubt due to the numerous checks going through within a short space of time. So the first check was only removed after the overdrafts separate check was rejected. Shouldn't the student overdraft app have gone through with the initial account app?

Anyway now I have a student account, with no overdraft or credit facilities, a credit card I never wanted but was checked for anyway, I've been complaining for over a month, my written complaint was received 16 days ago and still I've heard nothing. When I call HSBC they keep saying it's been investigated and keep making a point of saying they have 8 weeks to look into it. I keep trying to plead to them that I want my finances sorted out before I leave for Uni in September but they say they have 8 weeks as though it's their twisted intention to deliberately make me wait.

So now I'm wondering what can I do? Am I seriously powerless to do anything but wait 8 weeks? The Ombudsman won't take it. Do I have to just wait? Seems unfair that I cannot get credit anywhere else because of HSBC's !!!! ups and I have to wait two full months or more to be able to even apply elsewhere. I feel like I'm being held ransom.

I'm at my wits end, any advice (constructive) would be appreciated.

EDIT/UPDATE: I just got a call from the area manager, she apologised and said the letter was delayed because her responses needed proof reading and checking by her managers and authorized to be sent out, which it wasn't because she'd missed something, so she now has it back and has amended it. She says she will send them it to approve today and I should have it this week. I asked her what the plan was, what was happening with the account and she said she can't say because her response hadn't been approved. SO again I just have to apparently sit back waiting and worrying for 1-2 weeks for a letter to come that may/not help me.

Lokolo

In all honesty, I am starting to see why they did it.

It been 2 weeks. you have 6 weeks for them to sort it.

Be patient !!!!!!! You're not their only customer.

Glad they're actually doing something about it though.

Darren08

Hmm thanks...it's actually been 6 weeks as of the 30/7/09 since I started complaining, and 16 days since I put it in writing.

How are they doing something? The area manager won't even tell me what she's doing or what direction my complaints going in either way because she needs her response to be actually approved.

I may not be there only customer but why defend them? After almost 6 weeks of nothing but hassel through no fault of my own, why should I be patient? I can't even ditch them and go elsewhere because they've destroyed my chances of getting credit.

Thanks for your support :-/.