HSBC cannot make balance transfer to RBS help please.

Deflated_2

Hi, after months of trying to get a HSBC credit card 0% interest until April 08 and finally being accepted we have come up against a brick wall when trying to transfer a payment to Royal Bank of Scotland from the HSBC Card.

My partner phoned HSBC this morning and asked them to make a transfer to his RBS Mastercard. We were told by the operator for HSBC that my partner's RBS account number is, "not on her list therefore she cannot do the payment transfer".

She also said "The only account numbers that can make transfer payments to the Royal Bank of Scotland begin with Account numbers 54 or 55".

Please could anyone explain this to me? Unfortuately, the operater for HSBC couldn't!

What is the list?

What can we do next?.

We are desperate to reduce the balance on our RBS Mastercard.

Thank you in Advance
Deflated.

ravenk

You are talking to a robot. Sorry it's not on the list. These people are not hired to think. They follow instructions to the letter. I had the same when I tried to xfer some money to my Amex card. They told me that American Express was part of the LLoyds TSB group ! Missed the news on that takeover.
I would ask to talk to a manager at the call centre and not someone who follows a computer screen , that even tells them when to take a Pee and eat :-)

tom188

I think you will find many people on this forum will find your sweeping generalisation extremely insulting. Many helpful contributors do in fact work in call centres.

Amex cards are issued by LTSB, alongside MBNA and American Express.

ravenk

I have my opinion on call centres and if you move from the script ...well thats it. Every time I have ever had problem , I have to be put on hold while they ask someone or escalate. I still stand by my statement. Don't be fobbed off ...ask for escalation on why you can't xfer money.
The more I read about credit card company in these forum , the more I think that these guys need more regulation. Yes read the small print. What a way to spend your weekend. Maybe if they were more honest and were not out to catch people out with legal loop holes in the small print...we would have more faith in them. Reminds me of the consumer affair tv shows ...with the door to door sales guys and thumb over the small print. Only these guys hide it with legal gibberish...

Deflated_2

Thank you for your response. I have contacted RBS who have said it is not their fault and that HSBC should be able to process the transfer. Royal Bank of Scotland advised that we ask HSBC to turn the credit transfer in cash and have it payed into our current bank account and then make a payment to them from our current account. Surely this is defeating the object though! We wanted to take advantage of the HSBC 0% interest rate. I'm wondering what the charges will be if we change credit into a cash transferral.

Basically one is blaming the other and we haven't made any progress with phone calls today. Apart from being put on hold and costing us more money. So we haven't saved a penny so far in fact we have wasted more time on the phone and still no progress. I think we will go to a branch of HSBC on Monday to see if they can sort it out.

I agree with you on the call centres - it does seem that the ones outside the UK are trained to respond with answers they have been given. One of the calls we made we could not even understand the person - there was a language barrier between us. How frustrating!!!

No wonder people give up!

I've also read somewhere that RBS don't like you clearing debts with them; obviously they want to keep you in bad debt to keep earning money off you.

rh41

ravenk wrote: »

You are talking to a robot. Sorry it's not on the list. These people are not hired to think. They follow instructions to the letter. I had the same when I tried to xfer some money to my Amex card. They told me that American Express was part of the LLoyds TSB group ! Missed the news on that takeover.
I would ask to talk to a manager at the call centre and not someone who follows a computer screen , that even tells them when to take a Pee and eat :-)

Just slightly insulting. Try being more respectfull. Is not that the company in question lay down rules and regulations and expect the call centre staff to follow them with no flexbility.

ravenk

I suggest that if you do not agree with the rules or morality of the company you work for then quit. Just think of those who have followed orders in the past without question and how history looks back on them.

Noz

lol, care to name an example you're thinking of?

ravenk

Of course the Bank wants you to stay in debt. They however must not kill the host. Like a parasite.

swayze

Deflated wrote: »

Thank you for your response. I have contacted RBS who have said it is not their fault and that HSBC should be able to process the transfer. Royal Bank of Scotland advised that we ask HSBC to turn the credit transfer in cash and have it payed into our current bank account and then make a payment to them from our current account. Surely this is defeating the object though! We wanted to take advantage of the HSBC 0% interest rate. I'm wondering what the charges will be if we change credit into a cash transferral.

Basically one is blaming the other and we haven't made any progress with phone calls today. Apart from being put on hold and costing us more money. So we haven't saved a penny so far in fact we have wasted more time on the phone and still no progress. I think we will go to a branch of HSBC on Monday to see if they can sort it out.

I agree with you on the call centres - it does seem that the ones outside the UK are trained to respond with answers they have been given. One of the calls we made we could not even understand the person - there was a language barrier between us. How frustrating!!!

No wonder people give up!

I've also read somewhere that RBS don't like you clearing debts with them; obviously they want to keep you in bad debt to keep earning money off you.

It sounds like your are stuck right in the middle which is an awful place to be. Really need someone to take control on either side. Overall it does sound that it is a problem HSBC need to sort out. ravenk maybe be right in that you have to go further with this query to a manager but I found his generalisation of all call centre staff very insulting.

ravenk

What would happen if you xfer say £2000 (just a example amount) to a card that has no debt. Then close the card account. Because you were £2000 in credit on the card when you closed the card, would you get a cheque for the balance ? Maybe then use this money to pay off another card.
Is this a valid option ?