HSBC Advance account waiting 1 Month. Compensation?

SalarySlave

Hi
1 month ago I called to open the HSBC advance account in an effort to the the 6% reg saver and the save with us offer on their ISA. Took 1 hour on the phone.

I was accepted and within a week received the welcome pack which said I would receive my card with 5 days or I would get £10 compensation.
I have been travelling for 2 weeks with business. When I get back still no card. So I called exactly 23 days after opening the account on the phone. 30 mins later the lady tells me there was a delay and I should have everything with 5 working days.
So 7 days later (today) I call again another hour on the phone as they cannot find my account. They now say there is a problem but they do not know what. The have escalated it to some sort of Navy Seals of banking team to sort this out.

I have no doubt they will get it sorted eventually, but I want to ask for compensation for my inconvenience, My question is how much do you think I am entitled to/how much should I ask for?
Thanks

cifpower

How much do you think you are entitled to?

grumbler

Banks can close accounts without any reason and they don't like customers complaining too much, especially unreasonably, not to mention demanding compensation.

So, as you account wasn't even opened yet, you decide...

SalarySlave

grumbler wrote: »

Banks can close accounts without any reason and they don't like customers complaining too much, especially unreasonably, not to mention demanding compensation.

So, as you account wasn't even opened yet, you decide...

Well I haven't actually complained yet, I have just enquired as to why my account has not been opened yet. Therefore I would rule out your point about me behaving unreasonably. Do you think that 1 month to open an account is reasonable?

Archi_Bald

SalarySlave wrote: »

Do you think that 1 month to open an account is reasonable?

It may be they aren't keen on your custom?

SalarySlave

Archi_Bald wrote: »

It may be they aren't keen on your custom?

This is always possible. I would be happy enough if they told me this as it would be an answer and it would also be and end to the situation. But when they tell me that something went wrong, and they are not sure what, then this cause everything to be dragged out. Using up my time and their resources.

grumbler

SalarySlave wrote: »

Well I haven't actually complained yet, I have just enquired as to why my account has not been opened yet. Therefore I would rule out your point about me behaving unreasonably.

It was a general statement.

Do you think that 1 month to open an account is reasonable?

No.
IMO, gentle complaining is reasonable in this case - unlike demanding compensation.

eskbanker

SalarySlave wrote: »

the welcome pack which said I would receive my card with 5 days or I would get £10 compensation

If they explicitly stated that a delay triggers a specific sum then claiming under the terms of their offer doesn't seem unreasonable, and if you've demonstrably incurred verifiable out-of-pocket expenses such as long phone calls then seeking a contribution towards those would also seem appropriate. If you approach it sensibly they may also offer a goodwill gesture for your trouble but going in all guns blazing may run the risks highlighted above....

piker1957

SalarySlave don't expect to get any more than the £10 stated in their T&Cs. Even when they messed up opening our account big time - after much pressure they eventually admitted it was the fault of their staff we only got the £10 and another copy of the T&Cs. They didn't even apologise and refused to pay for our phone calls; fuel and parking costs incurred in having to take all documents into the bank a second time, let alone our time which they said didn't have any value. The Branch Manager told me if I didn't like their response I could find Lloyds 100 yards down the road. So I took his advice and now have a Club Lloyds account that pays interest and has linked 4% regular saving accounts. I've missed out on the ISA bonus but frankly anyone who took so little interest in admitting and sorting out a problem didn't deserve my business.

Westie983

when my card failed to arrive within the 7 days specified, I rang up and got it sent to my local branch and the advisor on the phone credited my account with £10 as per their T&C in the welcome pack... I think they have had a lot of people opening advanced accounts due to the save together scheme...

I would ask them why the account has taken this long to open as it sounds like they have yet to activate the account...

masonic

I was in a very similar position. I was told over the phone that my ID was verified electronically, my account was opened and I just had to wait for my welcome pack, card and account information to be sent out and I'd be able to activate online banking etc.

Two weeks later, having received the welcome pack and nothing else, I phoned up and complained, citing the account opening guarantee and it turned out the application was completed incorrectly, I should have been told to go into a branch with ID (as is the case for all new HSBC customers) and should not have received the welcome pack as the account wasn't fully opened.

The person handling the complaint commented that they could not understand how the colleague opening the account for me had progressed the application to the point of issuing the welcome pack and gave me £50 for the inconvenience of the blunder. Within 24 hours I'd attended an appointment in branch and was up and running. A few days later I received not one but 2 debit cards (probably a side effect of the mistakes during the application).

As soon as my account was open, I logged in online and opened their loyalty ISA for the save together. This was opened as LOY ISA BANK (the one you get if you don't have an Advance/Premier account, and which doesn't qualify for save together), so I later had to complain about that too. I've just in the last few days received a letter telling me that has been sorted out and that my opening deposit (made in April) will qualify for the save together payment this month.

So, I concur, it seems like they are struggling with volumes at the moment and making more mistakes as a consequence.