HSBC switch offer - £120 - apply by 28/02/16

YorkshireBoy

If HSBC call you to find out if you have had a good experience so far with the application/switching process, be sure to let them know if you (truthfully) haven't! Gets an instant 25% boost to the incentive payment.

guesswho2000

DragonQ wrote: »

This offer seems pretty sneaky in retrospect. You have to start the switch process within 30 days of the account opening, which sounds like lots of leeway. In actuality, it was pretty tight. You have to wait for them to send you your account details (over a week for me), then start the switch process but you need to wait for them to send you a pack in the post and call you back a week later before the process can be considered "started". If I don't get that call back when they said I would, I'll likely miss the window and have to send an angry letter.

If it wasn't for the fact you don't need your telephone/online banking details to start the switch it probably wouldn't even be possible!

Agreed, we started the switch for my OH, applying on 29/30 of December - got a letter with the account details on 31/12.

Called last week because still no card and pin, and to try and start the switch in spite of this, to be told it'd be too late for the incentive. Well queue a massive complaint, and we now have it in writing that they'll honour the payment, but still a pretty poor show. That coupled with half hour waits every time you call and customer service staff who can't be bothered to wait on hold to put you through (clearly was the end of their shift), a truly awful experience.

This is in contrast to my own HSBC Advance account, though I've never had the misfortune to have to call them, and both our experience with First Direct (who I can honestly say have been 100% every time I've had to contact them).

Never mind, having received Clydesdales switch payment last week, we've run out of banks, so no rush.

ratechaser

YorkshireBoy wrote: »

If HSBC call you to find out if you have had a good experience so far with the application/switching process, be sure to let them know if you (truthfully) haven't! Gets an instant 25% boost to the incentive payment.

I wonder if that works if I were to go into the branch and tell them that it's been a shambles and that I've not heard anything for 3 weeks....

Which is what I'm planning to do tomorrow, armed with my passport, driving license and maybe a utility bill for good measure.

I was thinking of starting the discussion along the lines of 'of all the current account incentives I've applied for this month, yours has been the most inefficient'... And go from there. Can't fail, right?

DragonQ

I'm surprised at the number of complaints in this thread regarding call wait times. I called the direct number for switching and got through straight away at lunchtime on a weekday (peak time you'd have thought).

claire07

On checking the T&Cs I've realised it says "you must complete the switch within 30 days" of opening the account and as I have no idea the date they are using as account opening (only the letter dated 4 January to say it was open) I could be out of time due to their delays.

DragonQ

claire07 wrote: »

On checking the T&Cs I've realised it says "you must complete the switch within 30 days" of opening the account and as I have no idea the date they are using as account opening (only the letter dated 4 January to say it was open) I could be out of time due to their delays.

I was told that by "complete" they basically mean "start and confirm the switch process". I'm pretty sure once a switch is confirmed it can't be reversed anyway.

Tragen

guesswho2000 wrote: »

Agreed, we started the switch for my OH, applying on 29/30 of December - got a letter with the account details on 31/12.

Called last week because still no card and pin, and to try and start the switch in spite of this, to be told it'd be too late for the incentive. Well queue a massive complaint, and we now have it in writing that they'll honour the payment, but still a pretty poor show. That coupled with half hour waits every time you call and customer service staff who can't be bothered to wait on hold to put you through (clearly was the end of their shift), a truly awful experience.

This is in contrast to my own HSBC Advance account, though I've never had the misfortune to have to call them, and both our experience with First Direct (who I can honestly say have been 100% every time I've had to contact them).

Never mind, having received Clydesdales switch payment last week, we've run out of banks, so no rush.

Did you not apply to switch at the same time as applying for the account? It's just I did and set the switch account and date. I got my account details today. But by the sounds of it it may need manual intervention?

SuperAllyB

claire07 wrote: »

On checking the T&Cs I've realised it says "you must complete the switch within 30 days" of opening the account and as I have no idea the date they are using as account opening (only the letter dated 4 January to say it was open) I could be out of time due to their delays.

I think you might well be out of time, i also missed the "complete" and wasn't in a rush (just as well, as neither is their paperwork) but phoned last night. My account opening letter is dated 7 January. The agent who i spoke to is getting my papers sent out first class and I need to receive them and phone again by Thursday at the latest to qualify for the incentive, although he did say if i hadn't received them they may be able to find a workaround.

He also said that doing it in a branch was quicker (one visit rather than call then wait for mail then call again) but that doesn't suit me due to distance and work. Even that i suspect is too late for you now. I can't help wondering if the delays in posting stuff out are a deliberate attempt to reduce the number of incentives paid out.

Nationwide8

After finally managing to book an appt over the phone.. phoned at 9am on Sunday ( It took 3 calls,First one cut me off,Second put me on hold and didn't come back,Third eventually confirmed appt ) I visited a branch yesterday essentially to take in ID but in the hope I could open the account and possibly set up the switch.
The appt was an hour so maybe that worked in my favour but I saw a very nice highly efficient lady who opened my account,set up internet banking for me,gave me the key pad AND started the switch process.
I had to pay for travel in and out of town,lunch etc but hopefully worth it if the incentive is paid within 70days.

Cannot fault the particular branch and advisor service yesterday but my experience of their telephone service is that it's abysmal and for that reason I would never have a main account with HSBC.

pmjenkins

My wife and I applied for accounts on January 1st but we've only just received the cards (but no PINs). We’d received welcome letters with account numbers previously so we assumed everything was OK. However when we went into our branch on the 21st we learnt that our applications had stalled because HSBC were still waiting for our specimen signatures (not sure what went wrong). We provided signatures and on-line banking was sorted straight away.

Yesterday (25th) I requested a switch via telephone and was given a provisional switch date of Feb 5th i.e. too late to get the switch incentive. I explained that it was unreasonable to expect someone to switch before the new account was up and running and I’d had a chance to compare the on-line banking facilities with my existing bank. The advisor agreed and promised me £120 compensation.

I wasn’t convinced the compensation would be paid, not least because I have to wait for the switch paperwork and confirm the switch before Jan 28th. Instead we requested my wife’s switch in our branch where I explained to the advisor what I had been promised the night before. She looked up my switch request and copied the complaint details over to my wife’s request.

When I got home I checked both our HSBC accounts and lo behold the compensation was already there! (much sooner than the 70 days we might have had to wait for the switch incentive)

So anyone who feels they’ve missed the switch deadline as a result of HSBC delays should complain.