Problem with Power of Attorney and HSBC

dhj

Anybody come across this before? Because of the dreadful customer service of another bank, my elderly mother has opened an HSBC current account. My mother and my sister live 200 miles from where I live and, because my mother is hard of hearing and has difficuly getting about, we have used an Enduring Power of Attorney (documented and signed before 2007) to set everything up. As I live so far away I have asked to be set up to use the account on the Internet but have been told, (at the moment as they are still investigating), that I don't have the proper power of attorney for an Internet account. They are asking for a suitably stamped Lasting Power of Attorney which I pointed out I don't need because my mother is perfectly rational, just not really able to deal with her finances. It just seems odd that an enduring poa is acceptable to set the account up but not sufficent for Internet access.
Anybody had any similar problems?

tagq2

LPAs have replaced EPAs. An LPA for (Property and) Financial Affairs may be appropriate if someone is "not really able to deal with their finances". But EPAs signed before October 2007 should remain valid - I don't see how they're not "proper". Perhaps they don't know that an EPA isn't just a plain old power of attorney.

le_loup

HSBC allow me to use an EPA for Internet activities.

Errata

Has the EPA been registered? If it has the problem is HSBC not knowing its arze from its elbow. Push hard and escalate until you speak to someone who understands.

dhj

Hi, no it hasn't been registered as there is no legal requirement for it to be until/unless my mother becomes mentally incapable.

le_loup

dhj wrote: »

Hi, no it hasn't been registered as there is no legal requirement for it to be until/unless my mother becomes mentally incapable.

Quite correct.

Biggles

It's the usual story of bank staff not understanding PoAs. As Errata says, you just need to keep pushing and escalating. It may be worthwhile ringing head office; there should be a department with people who do understand.

alanq

Isn't it a case of the difference between what a PoA authorises a bank to do and what services a bank itself, for whatever reason , chooses to offer? There are some financial institutions that will not permit any kind of PoA to be used for online services.

e.g. Santander
"Can attorneys access an account online? At present, we do not offer a facility for attorneys to access accounts online. Attorneys can access the holder’s account via telephone or by visiting a Santander branch."
http://www.santander.co.uk/csgs/Satellite?appID=abbey.internet.Abbeycom&cid=1237891002092&leng=en_GB&pagename=Abbeycom%2FPage%2FWC_ACOM_TemplateA1

AnneSu

I am an appointed Deputy (same as Power of Attorney) for my elderly aunt with Alzeimers who lives 65 miles away so I need on line services. I presented all the required documents which were accepted by the bank in December to open an online account. After a few weeks I still hadn't got a cheque book or debit card. I then found out this was because they had opened a business receivers account. They insisted I couldn't have a debit card but could have a cheque book with this sort of account. After lots of hassle to call centres my local branch business manager finally issued a debit card so at least I could begin to settle her debts with utility companies. Then I tried to pay for her weekly on line shopping from Tesco - refused as you can't have verified with Visa on a receivers account. Tried to buy shopping in person at Sainsbury - card not recognised at checkout. When I call HSBC they say its Supermarkets' problem to sort it, Tesco of course say the opposite and HSBC should tell verified by Visa to sort it. HSBC say they have nothing to do with verified by Visa, it's a separate company. How can one operate in the 21st century without being able to buy and pay for goods and services on the internet? There are nearly a million people who have Power of Attorney. The first bank who offers a proper service with no restrictions will make a lot of money, where is this bank?

zfrl

I have similar problems with Lloyds. Every time I phone up they lose the documents which I know they have & tell me I cannot do anything! Every visit or call is a painful experience!

AnneSu

At last success. After losing my cool and threatening a formal complaint someone at the HSBC call centre got the relevant senior person at headquarters to call me back. They found a way to get my debit card recognised and gave me the relevant phone number for the help desk at verified by Visa who took me through the process on line. So from presenting HSBC with the Court of Protection papers to having a fully operational service has taken three months. I have suggested that HSBC write a guide on Power of Attorney for their staff and customers and post it on their website as it does seem to take ages to get the correct response from the correct person. It's an important staff training and marketing issue. It would be brief - applicant present the named correct documentation, HSBC branch issue the correct account (first time) and sign up your customer for branch, telephone and internet banking when they apply for their account rather than wait for them to do so at each stage when they encounter a problem and finally by pass the verified by Visa rule on business accounts for Deputies and people with Power of Attorney - simples!