"CARD SRVS" Mystery Debits - please help!

Tom_Grant

Hi there,

I'd just like to start off by saying that I have read the various articles and threads pertaining to which charges can/cannot be claimed for, yet I am still utterly mystified by a series of direct debits which I discovered while going through all my backdated statements. I bank with HSBC.

The transaction type is DD - Direct Debit.

The 'details' column simply says "CARD SRVS - HSBC" which I take to mean that my money went to the bank itself (?)

The strange things about these debits are as follows:

They are not regular, either in the amounts which differ wildly, or the dates of payment. Here is a list of these mysterious debits:

20th Aug 2001: £342.60
19th Oct 2001: £13.47
19th Nov 2001: £157.91
18th Jan 2002: £91.90
18th Feb 2002: £335.47
19th Mar 2002: £3.46
21st Oct 2002: £13.14
18th Nov 2002: £3.26
22nd Apr 2003: £15.00

I cannot for the life of me work out what these debits are; I was a student at the time, with a student bank account, so these cannot be account service fees; essentially the problem I have is that I have no idea what "CARD SRVS - HSBC" is supposed to mean. Every other debit on my statements is linked to a short explanation of what it was, except for these.

I do know that they are not:

Regular debits
Rent or bill payments - I was living with my parents
Credit card payments - I did not have a credit card until summer 2003.
Standard bank charges - these are clearly marked

Additionally, the very first (and largest) one occured right in the middle of my three month working holiday in Israel; I had no DDs, no credit card, and did not use my account (which was well within its OD limit) AT ALL while in Israel.

I will be calling the bank to enquire about these debits but would appreciate any information or advice before I do so.

Thanks very much in advance,

Tom

golddigger_3

Hi Tom
Can you go to your online bank account and got to live chat? You might get an answer from one of the online people quicker than on the phone.
Im going to check my statements in a mo - see if I can work out what card services are

Tom_Grant

There is no online chat service for HSBC; you have to call them, unfortunately.

Thanks anyway.

Tom

pete-in-london

These might be charges levied for using your debit card in other bank's cash machines - I remember a friend used to get these charges when he was a student 10 years ago and didn't know about them because they total up the charges at the end of the month, and he only got statements occasionally.

Tom_Grant

Just bumping this - I will be calling the bank today (17th April) but would still appreciate any feedback.

Thanks

Tom

pete-in-london

Credit card payments by direct debit?