HSBC Closed account!

underwurlde

First off, apologies. I know as I type this I am going to have to rant.

My (now) wife opened a HSBC account some 10 years ago.

In September of 2015 it then became a joint account with myself as a precursor to getting a mortgage with them.

Yesterday I tried to put some cash IN to this account and the card was withheld. Asking the cashier she informed me the account was CLOSED. Apparently I should have received a letter 2 months ago informing us of their intent to close our account. News to me. Anyway she kindly printed this letter off for me. NO reason whatsoever as to WHY.

Only use this account to buy food, shopping, rarely over-drawn and if so immediately topped up. Some overseas transactions, about 3-4 in total. No massive amounts in or out, standard day-to-day 'stuff'.

Anyway, cashier suggested I phone the number in the letter. I did this today (03457 404404) - FORTY FIVE minutes later, no answer - tried 3 times, no answer just some whining muzak.

Went into the account holding branch (Bournemouth) where more minimum wage teenagers inform me 'we don't know why, this is a head office decision'.

Fantastic customer service right there. Well done HSBC. Pat on the back boys. Way to go!

Shockingly bad 'service'. Try speaking face-to-face and all they tell me is 'computer says no'.

Now what? I WANT, nay DEMAND to know WHY. Simple question one would've thought. If they respond with 'data protection' I WILL going POSTAL on them.

Imbecilic b@sard banks should know better. They forget VERY quickly that it was the tax payer that bailed their greedy a$$es out not long ago.

Responses much appreciated people!

agrinnall

underwurlde wrote: »

They forget VERY quickly that it was the tax payer that bailed their greedy a$$es out not long ago.

No they didn't. HSBC injected their own capital into the UK operation and did not call on government funds. So when you are writing your complaint to them forget all about this or it'll just make you look stupid.

underwurlde

^ I said banks (in general)

But I take on board what you say, thank you

Any letter I write will always be polite in nature - that way I may even get a response.

cheers, A&S

ceredigion

underwurlde wrote: »

^ I said banks (in general)

But I take on board what you say, thank you

Any letter I write will always be polite in nature - that way I may even get a response.

cheers, A&S

The response (if you get one) will be. "It is commercially sensitive"

grumbler

Read the T&C. They have a right to close an account without any reason with a two-months' notice.

Don't waste your time and nerves. Just use this opportunity to move away from this paranoiacs asylum.

There are plenty of banks and BSs around that have more to offer.

underwurlde

Hmmm. I know I will be wasting my time. I know I will be fobbed off. This is now the commercial way of things today, to brick-wall customers and for this attitude to be hunky-dorey, a-OK. To hide behind 'customer safety', 'data protection', 'commercial sensitivity' blah blah blah.

However, I am not a man to just give up and I take sadistic pleasure in perusing such idiocy - maybe by being an idiot too, but an entirely different kind of idiot.

Any half decent banks still left out there? Ones that have yet to disappear behind min-wage teenagers sat behind computers pretending to offer 'customer service'.

Andy

djpailo

Its seemingly a common trend on these forums to read about random closures. You won't get the response you are looking for from them. Just take it on the chin and move on.

PS: I have a feeling it was the transactions abroad that caused it. What countries were they and did you inform the bank beforehand?

GingerBob_3

OP, you might like to take up this matter with your MP. Evidence on this board and elsewhere suggests that bank account closure of the type you describe is becoming a significant problem across the country. It seems HSBC are the worst offenders here.


In my view a bank account should now be regarded as one of life's essentials, in the same way that water and energy are (the suppliers of which cannot suddenly decide they no longer wish to do business with you). The issue needs raising with our legislators, so if you have the time and inclination to do so, I would urge you to contact your MP about it.

underwurlde

Yeah, I get that. Question I really want answering is will this in some way effect our credit rating & more importantly opening a new account for my wife as this was her ONLY bank account.

I find this whole issue outstandingly WEIRD.

Maybe it was the foreign transactions. Countries concerned (from memory) were:
Norway,
Sweden,
France.
Regular payments to Thailand (ongoing for as long as the account was opened).

Amounts? Never more than £150.00 ish. Of that order anyway.

International banking transfers using BACS & IBAN etc. No, bank was not informed beforehand. Never a mention that this was expected of us from HSBC (to inform them beforehand), only a letter from HSBC informing us that these transactions had taken place.

No point being honest anymore 'cause everyone is now a money laundering drugs baron funding ISIS.

Cheers, A&S

diamonds

Given the 2 months notice and informing you of such was not adhered to you can ask the bank to explain the reasons for the immediate closure, you cant hide behind Data Protection when you have breached your own contract

underwurlde

^ Apparently they did send me a letter, which was printed out for me when I was in the branch - no useful information in it whatsoever. However in my mind a letter falls short of the mark - in this modern world (for at least 100 years) we have these things called tele-phones. Or even e-mail. A letter is a faceless one-way communication without recourse.

HSBC's final insult was to give me a form entitled 'Listening to You' - that is the point at which I lost it. Listed in said form is the we-don't-answer-it telephone number I mentioned above. Are HSBC having some kind of laugh? It is quite clear to me that HSBC bank MUST be actively doing out of their way to pi$$ their customers off.

A letter to my MP? I'll look into that. And yes, I totally agreee, having a bank account is an essential element of life - espcially if our society goes the money-less route in the near future (God help us if that happens - resist that at ALL COSTS people).

Thanks again for all your great responses.

Andy & Sue.