HSBC online issue - the other side

jadedagent

You have every right too be angry, expect answers and complain about the online banking issue that's stopping you from logging on and checking your account and making payments. I understand that you need to do important things on your first day back from the Christmas holidays. I understand that payments need to be made to purchase supplies. I understand the banking issue is costing you time, effort and money.

But do you understand what it's like to be on the phones all day? To repeat yourself in every single call? Do you know what it's like to have customers screaming at you? Ranting, raving, threatening? Have you ever apologised for something that wasn't your fault until you were blue in the face? Have you ever apologised several times in one single phone call because a customer couldn't accept what you were telling them? Have you been sworn at for something that obviously isn't your fault?

Do you know what it's like to sit glued to your desk and phone all day, listening to abuse on the phone? Do you know what it's like to talk until your throat is raw? How it feels to see the centre manager strut through the place as though he owns it? As though he doesn't have a care in the world even when things are going to $hite all around him? Do you know what it's like to watch the majority of the team managers sit around having a gossip session with a take away while you're trying to deal with mess?

We don't get told anything. They tell us 'they are working on it' and we have to relay this to the customer. We were not given time scales nor the reason as to why this happened. We know as much as the customers knows which may be hard to believe but it's true. So the next time you're screaming at the poor person on the other end of the line, stop and think.

I would never treat another person in such a way even when I'm furious. Just so you know, the people who have the 'power' to decide anything are sitting on their !!!!!s not doing a damn thing. Meanwhile 'customer services' are stuck dealing with the angry people. As the people dealing with your complaints, we GET it. It's awful, it's unfair, it's a shoddy site. But we can't do anything about this for you. I have tried to forward this to management - nothing ever gets done.

I know it's our job role to answer queries but nowhere does it say we need to sit there and listen to verbal abuse.

I came so close to walking out today.

Next time, spare a thought for the people stuck in the middle.

whitesatin

I would never verbally abuse someone at the other end of a phone, it is obviously not their fault. However, much as I sympathise with you in this, I can identify with people (like me) becoming frustrated when they can't access details of their own money.

I know it can happen in any banking system but, as I have been thinking about changing bank anyway, after 30 years, this might be my opportunity. If I can get a bit of extra cash into the bargain.....

Sometimes it's the straw that breaks the camel's back.

ceredigion

:kisses3:
.........;

jadedagent

whitesatin wrote: »

I would never verbally abuse someone at the other end of a phone, it is obviously not their fault. However, much as I sympathise with you in this, I can identify with people (like me) becoming frustrated when they can't access details of their own money.

I know it can happen in any banking system but, as I have been thinking about changing bank anyway, after 30 years, this might be my opportunity. If I can get a bit of extra cash into the bargain.....

Sometimes it's the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Working there got me thinking that if I was a business customer, I certainly wouldn't bank with them. BIB is a joke. Must admit personal's a little better and in three years of banking with them, I have never had an issue with personal. I was able to log in today via the app with no issues. But I'm annoyed and could do without staring at their site when I'm doing my own banking and going into their branches when I'm not working, so I'll move as well.

jadedagent

ceredigion wrote: »

:kisses3:
.........;

Thankyou x

ChiefGrasscutter

Well I can see where the OP is coming from, unfortunately in my sad experience call centre staff seem to lie.

Phone line fails - I'm an engineer so I can deduce that it's a "single line dis" where one of the two wire coming in breaks;
Ring up BT: they deny there is a fault - errr no a LineOK test cannot possibly return a sound line when one wire is disconnected. It might though when their is a direct double break in both if it shorts out which was not the case here.
Call centre was lying.

Credit card company doing an across the board credit limit reduction - if you wanted to keep your old higher limit you had to ring up and request "no change".
I do and of course I record the call as, well I know call centres lie.
Well you can guess what - yup, the credit limit was reduced. Complain to be told we have no record of your call - and the speed of the resulting about face and apology when I submitted the transcript plus the BT record of the called number, time of the call, and its duration was amazing.
Call centre lied - again.

colsten

That's a bit harsh. They don't all lie. Although some do try, either deliberately or because they don't know any better.

Bottom line is that it's generally a rather thankless job as most of the time people call because they have an annoying problem, and they are in various stages of distress and/or anger. That problem then very often gets worse when the CS operative just follows a script that has little to do with the problem, and/or isn't empowered to do anything about it. The CS person needs to understand that they are "the company" when customers call, so if something is wrong with the company, they are facing the brunt of it.

Thrugelmir

ChiefGrasscutter wrote: »

Well I can see where the OP is coming from, unfortunately in my sad experience call centre staff seem to lie.

People have become ruder and far less patient to deal with. Personally I blame the 24/7 culture. Is life any better with it?

Froglet

jadedagent wrote: »

You have every right too be angry, expect answers and complain about the online banking issue that's stopping you from logging on and checking your account and making payments. I understand that you need to do important things on your first day back from the Christmas holidays. I understand that payments need to be made to purchase supplies. I understand the banking issue is costing you time, effort and money.

But do you understand what it's like to be on the phones all day? To repeat yourself in every single call? Do you know what it's like to have customers screaming at you? Ranting, raving, threatening? Have you ever apologised for something that wasn't your fault until you were blue in the face? Have you ever apologised several times in one single phone call because a customer couldn't accept what you were telling them? Have you been sworn at for something that obviously isn't your fault?

Do you know what it's like to sit glued to your desk and phone all day, listening to abuse on the phone? Do you know what it's like to talk until your throat is raw? How it feels to see the centre manager strut through the place as though he owns it? As though he doesn't have a care in the world even when things are going to $hite all around him? Do you know what it's like to watch the majority of the team managers sit around having a gossip session with a take away while you're trying to deal with mess?

We don't get told anything. They tell us 'they are working on it' and we have to relay this to the customer. We were not given time scales nor the reason as to why this happened. We know as much as the customers knows which may be hard to believe but it's true. So the next time you're screaming at the poor person on the other end of the line, stop and think.

I would never treat another person in such a way even when I'm furious. Just so you know, the people who have the 'power' to decide anything are sitting on their !!!!!s not doing a damn thing. Meanwhile 'customer services' are stuck dealing with the angry people. As the people dealing with your complaints, we GET it. It's awful, it's unfair, it's a shoddy site. But we can't do anything about this for you. I have tried to forward this to management - nothing ever gets done.

I know it's our job role to answer queries but nowhere does it say we need to sit there and listen to verbal abuse.

I came so close to walking out today.

Next time, spare a thought for the people stuck in the middle.

I can tell you have written this in absolute desperation,frustration,anger and despair at just how rude some people can be.You have my utter sympathy.I do hope it gets sorted soon,for everyone's sake but especially people like you who get the very worst of people's emotions.


Blaming you is just not right.I'm sure if you could have fixed it you would have done!!

gt94sss2

Look on the bright side - it was only a few hours (as I understand it) and many customers could bank via other means - the mobile app worked for me when I tried it.

HSBC are usually quite reliable and no bank guarantees 100% uptime (they can't)

You could have been in an RBS call centre a few years ago, when (from memory) their system went down for over a week

bumpercars99

It remains unresolved and no estimated ETA for a resolution is available. Hopefully it won't be too long now as I think the business banking is back up.

If you've never worked in a call centre, you can never understand how badly people can behave. People can be rude in shops etc in person but when it's over the phone, a lot of people seem to lose control or forget they're speaking to a real person.

Upset as you may be, it is not acceptable to blame the operator for starving your children or putting them out on the street. I've had death threats in the past. Although rationally you know people are just venting, hearing things like this never stops being upsetting.