HSBC man shouting at me - HELP

quickse

Had a phone call this morning from Alan at HSBC (0800 7831573) about my overdraft £1500 and why was I not paying anything into my account.

I switched accounts a few months ago because I got into financial strife after a run of bad luck and HSBC was charging me left right and centre. I am getting back on track and paying back what I can but am struggling. I have never defaulted on loans etc and have always paid back what I owe.

I am not well and a nervous wreck. This man was shouting at me asking why I thought it was OK to carry on spending on this account and not pay into it. I said that I havent used the account and was trying to pay it off and close it. He wouldnt let me speak or put me through to his supervisor. He was aggressive and lectured me for 15mins. He hung up after saying he was putting me through to his manager. I ended up in tears and was sick (wimp I know).

I know calls are recorded, can I ask for a copy of the tape??
I want to complain about him. He left me feeling suicidal and could push someone more fragile than myself over the edge. x

whitewing

Don't worry about getting a copy of the tape just yet. Write a quick letter (follow their complaints procedure if you can find it online) and drop it in the post today.

Are you paying any money in to that acct at all. Someone will be along to advise but it may be that if you paid as little as £1 a month in at least it would show you are not in denial.

You'll get help here.

DarkConvict

Collection departments can be extremely blunt but they can certainly be shouted back at. Do write to the complaints department over the behaviour of their staff member and state you will escatle the complaint further unless you get a satisfactory response, this is due to the affect it had on you.

Calls may be recorded so there is no guarantee to get the recording, you really need your own recording equipment to catch them. If what was said goes against the bank they iwll just state it is either missing, unavailable or was not a recorded call.

JustJewels

Dear quickse,

a) No company has the right to shout at you. Write to HSBC, and inform them only to contact you in writing.

b) You are not obliged to talk to anyone you don't want to, on your home phone! Say, now is not a good time, hang up, and screen your calls if you can

If they insist in ringing you, just say 'one moment I'll get him' and place the phone down on the side, go back in ten mins and see if they're still on the line. Repeat if necessary.

Johnny_Chaos

quickse wrote: »

I am not well and a nervous wreck. This man was shouting at me asking why I thought it was OK to carry on spending on this account and not pay into it. I said that I havent used the account and was trying to pay it off and close it. He wouldnt let me speak or put me through to his supervisor. He was aggressive and lectured me for 15mins. He hung up after saying he was putting me through to his manager. I ended up in tears and was sick (wimp I know).

I know calls are recorded, can I ask for a copy of the tape??
I want to complain about him. He left me feeling suicidal and could push someone more fragile than myself over the edge. x

Stories like this make me so angry.

What right does anyone - least of all a greedy institution like a bank - have to talk to people like that in their own home?

It's not against the law to hang up. I used to do it all the time when I was being pestered. I used to lead them a merry dance (putting them on hold, feigning a heart attack, singing) - to the point where I started to kinda love them phoning me!!!

Try not to let them get you down. Just remember that the person talking down to you on the phone is a human being with fears, problems and anxieties of their own. It's nothing personal - they just happen to work for a bank. If anything, these people deserve our sympathy. Talk about selling your soul to the devil for a handful of silver!

Chin up.

Johnny.

BILLIE

Hi Quickse - I agree with the other posters. Happened to me about 18 months ago and I just sat a wrote a letter explaining that the bank had my life in there hands, were awre of my situation and telephone calls like that were of no help or assistance. I always say that banks give you an umbrella when its not raining and take it away again when it is!!!! Easy for me to say, but don't stress about it and get out the pen and paper to vent your anger on. Billie xx

Mikeone

This kind of behaviour is unacceptable. I agree with the other posters that you should definitely make a thorough complaint. You should be able to request a copy of the tape -when I worked for a bank in the dim and distant past we used to supply them to customers who requested them.

scaredy_cat

if they the bank calls you again, don't confirm your details, just say that you will only correspond in writing and then put the phone down.

chuckley

I've also found that HSBC couldnt give a rats !!! when your in financial strife. they still add charges upon charges upon charges.

if they call again, tell them to put it in writing and hang up. they wont.

kittiej

I would be tempted to just scream very loudly down the phone, they're on commission anyway so don't get stressed.

If you're not up to screaming down the phone then just be really patient and wait until the agressor has got 'it' out of their system and calmly say " do you feel better now? Good because I am going to put the phone down"

There's only so much rubbish a person can spout until they run out of steam.

Hannah_10

This is disgusting, but sadly very common. They were doing it years ago (to me) and I see they are still doing it now (to you). It's a job opportunity for sadists frankly.

You have been given good advice by everyone I think.

Must say- Johnny I love your approach with the empathy and the humour, would love to be a bug on the line while you "die of a heart attack" for the fourth time this week!

Everyone else has pretty much told you the same as I'm gonna say quickse- stop them from talking to you. Personally I'd go for the letter saying that you have removed thier permission to phone you.

I would also write to the complaints department with a complaint as I really think you are unlikely to get a copy of the tape and that even if you manage it what can you do? This is what the debt-collection industry is about, psychological abuse, lies, intimidation, harrassment, corruption and illegal acts. Not that I ever would have believed that before I became indebted, but then like most people, before I became indebted I thought only scoundrels and crooks had unpaid debts so the public perception and the true reality fail to match twice over.

I cn't think of any other industry that gets away with treating human beings so sadistically badly. Not even nightclub bouncers, who lose thier licence pretty speedily if they get caught overstepping thier mark. The debt collection industry- in all it's many forms, is truly the lowest ebb of society.

We're all on your side here.