HSBC 'The Friendly Bank' - I think not -Read this

ken_and_dot

I've had an HSBC current account for 5 years. Average balance until recently was £10,000 to £20,000 but as high as £80,000 at times. As I am now retired the account is no longer required. Over the past few months I have been slowly transferring D.D.'s to a Nat West account and have made use of the £1,500 agreed overdraft on the HSBC account. In the last six months the account has gone into unauthorised overdraft for very modest amounts (£200 to £300 maximum) and for usually no more than a few days. The account attracted unauthorised charges for these transgressions of £275 so I have claimed them back and am awaiting the results of their investigation. So far so good. But then the fun started.
For the past six weeks or so we have been inundated with unsolicited 'phone calls puporting to be from the HSBC wishing to speak with us, sometimes two or three times per day. The callers (off shore judging by the accent!!!) first required us to divulge private and personal details before they would speak with us any further. This we refused to divulge as we had no way of knowing whether it was the HSBC or some Nigerian gangster. Eventually we reported the calls to the Telephone Preference Service.
Today I have received three letters from the HSBC. The first, 'as we have not responded to any previous communication', DEMANDS that we repay the balance on our current account of £924 within seven days or the sky will fall in on us. There have been no previous communications unless it was the Nigerian gangster on the telephone. The second directed us to return the HSBC credit card as the service has been withdrawn 'due to the way you have been conducting our HSBC bank account' - the card has never been in arear.
The third letter was in response to our TPS complaint saying that these calls are fully in line with agreed protocols. However, they maintain that the calls were to notify us that a final demand had been issued in respect of our outstanding overdraft. As the calls have been coming in for weeks they clearly have not written to me until this past week. Even more significant they inform me that even though there is currently an 'illegal charges investigation' underway we must still conduct our account in accordance with its terms and conditions.
All my accounts are conducted in accordance with the terms and conditions. If unauthorised overdrafts of less than £300 for a matter of days are grounds for closing accounts and withdrawing credit card facilities then I am surprised they have any customers left at all.
Question - Do you think my claim for refund of illegal charges may have anything to do with this - Too bl***y right it has mate.

ken_and_dot

Lots still going in and out of the account and not able to monitor it on a daily basis due to other pressures. But that isn't the point of the post. The point, in my view, is the heavy handed and bullying tactics of HSBC to an account holder who in all other respects has conducted the account in an exemplary fashion. Minor unauthorised overdrafts are a way of life for the banks and do not warrant such a response. Their response is motivated by the claim for repayment of charges.

MPG_2

This does sound interesting. I myself have found other banks to be very unfriendly on the telephone; demanding all sorts of details without really verifying who they are and not understanding that you might want to be assured that they are not, as you say, a Nigerian gangster.

It sounds like an harrendous miscommunication. I would appeal to their better nature and recount the story, telling them you want a full investigation into this misunderstanding. Failing that, go to the financial ombuman.

Good luck

alison999

id go into your branch and explain the mannor of the calls. lots of places ask for you to veify your address & dob. but if they were asking for account numbers & password you were right not to tell them.