HSBC - incomptent Gold Card?

gromituk

Is anyone else having trouble with HSBC, having obtained one of their 0%-for-9-months Gold Cards, as recommended on here?

Firstly, it took about six weeks for the card to arrive (admittedly over Christmas), and the first I knew my application had been accepted was when I received a form asking me for security details - nothing to tell me I was actually going to get a card.

When the card arrived, it said that the interest free period was 6 months, not 9. This worried me and I confirmed by phone that it was 9 (and the statement that later arrived backs this up).

I was then sent a letter telling me I had to set up the direct debit again because they had sent me "the wrong mandate".

More than a month after returning it, I received my second statement onto which they had slapped a £20 fine because they could not collect the minimum amount by direct debit. When I called them they withdrew that with bad grace and a lecture about it being my responsibility to make sure I made payments to them manually until I received a letter saying my direct debit had been set up. (I asked for a third mandate which I have returned.)

The statement said I had until 4th April to send them two months of minimum amounts, so I set up a bill payment facility from my current account and put in place an automatic payment to be made today.

Meanwhile I receive another (patronising) letter telling me I haven't yet made the payment. And to top it all it says that I can use Direct Debit, which can be set up over the telephone!

Oh and there have been several calls made to my home number during the day, which I presume are marketing. To the ones I have taken I have asked the person how I can be sure he's from HSBC when he starts asking me all sorts of questions to go through security. Twice now he has said he will send a letter instead.

Anyone else having trouble with HSBC?

roaming_rhino

Hi

We bank with First Direct ( the internet side of HSBC )and have no problems

I Find the HSBC branches a total annoyance . Very rarely is there any counter service , whenever I need to make a deposit , most machines which suck in your money one day and take 2-3 days to put into your account


I suspect they will be losing customers in thier droves . Most of thier call centres are now based in india which many people are not happy about

rerere

gromituk wrote:

Is anyone else having trouble with HSBC, having obtained one of their 0%-for-9-months Gold Cards, as recommended on here?

That's practically what I've been through - they are totally incompetent.
The DD originator number on the mandate was incorrect and they did not know why. But my bank managed to find the right one and set up the DD. Then they took money 1 month before it was due and refused to return it, so I had to reverse that DD with my bank. In the end I complained to their customer relations department (0800x number) and asked for £20 compensation for the price of phonecalls I had to make to rectify all this mess (which I got).

westernpromise

gromituk wrote:

Is anyone else having trouble with HSBC, having obtained one of their 0%-for-9-months Gold Cards, as recommended on here?

Yes, they're a shambles. I set up a regular payment to them from my Nationwide account. In this procedure, the NW website prompts you at every stage - name of bank, name of card, etc., and fills in the relevant details of sort code etc. I went through this with the HSBC statement in front of me to make sure it was all correct, paid - and got a call from HSBC 2 weeks later asking why I hadn't paid.

I pointed out that I had, but they insisted there was no sign of it and there'd be a £25 fine if I didn't pay by Switch over the phone. So I did, and on the next statement what do I find? Yes, the original payment has now turned up so I've paid twice!! It gets better - on the same statement was one £25 late payment fine and two refunds thereof! Maanwhile Nationwide have also refunded the £25, so I am actually £50 up on the deal. But what a shower!