HSBC & Young people.

Robisere

(The young person is not me - I'm 71)
My 22 year old grandson is an Aspergers sufferer who has fought his way into a very good, well paid career and a very nice flat. He has been trying to get HSBC, his first and only bank, to recognise him as an adult and change his account to reflect that. Many times over the last 4 years, they have promised him an appointment, "we will get back to you" they say, then nothing. Today granddad took him to the bank and granddad read the riot act to the branch manager. I told him we were not leaving until he carried out the action that should have been made 4 years and more ago.

We sat down with this guy and he eventually changed the account, then tried to sell gson more financial products, including a pension. I pointed out that he already had a Workplace pension, which he should have noted from the account details onscreen that he had supposedly been looking at for the last 30 minutes.

All very irrelevant anyway, as gson has decided to switch banks once he has the new card and account up and running for a couple of months. For myself, I would never contemplate having an account with HSBC. The manager was one of those people that my old dad used to call "A stuffed shirt." Very supercilious and impressed with his own importance. It was noticeable that, during the 40 minutes or so that we were in the bank, not a single other customer came in.

meer53

Why would someone in an HSBC branch know about your Grandsons workplace pension ? My pension payments are taken from my salary, my bank would know nothing about this. Very few people visit branches these days, thats why most of them are closing, i don't think the fact that no-one came in was due to the way the manager acted towards you. IMO "reading the riot act" is counter productive when you're asking someone to do something for you. Quite the opposite in fact.

JuicyJesus

What exactly do you mean by having his account reflect that he's an adult?

Robisere

Meer 53: it is my understanding that the workplace pension shows up on his statements as a regular credit, with a code that the bank recognises. if that is untrue, I stand corrected. When I say "read the riot act" I mean that I was very firm with an organisation that IMO was taking advantage of a young person by ignoring his repeated requests for an appointment to sort out his finances. I was not abusive, loud or overbearing, merely firm and absolutely determined to achieve a result for my grandson. Have you never been firm with an organisation under those or similar circumstances?

JuicyJesus: the account was set up from a Junior ISA, that we gave to each of our 4 grandchildren. He used it to begin an account at 16, when he was still a Minor. At 18, he began work full time and made repeated requests to obtain an appointment at the bank in order to change this. All requests were answered with "We will get back to you." They never did, hence my grandson's request for me to go with him to the bank.

Both of you have missed the salient fact that my grandson suffers from Aspergers Syndrome. If you know anything at all about that condition, you will be aware of the reason why I went to the bank with him. If you know nothing about it, I suggest you either look it up or learn not to question facts when you are not aware of them.

takman

Robisere wrote: »

Meer 53: it is my understanding that the workplace pension shows up on his statements as a regular credit, with a code that the bank recognises. if that is untrue, I stand corrected. When I say "read the riot act" I mean that I was very firm with an organisation that IMO was taking advantage of a young person by ignoring his repeated requests for an appointment to sort out his finances. I was not abusive, loud or overbearing, merely firm and absolutely determined to achieve a result for my grandson. Have you never been firm with an organisation under those or similar circumstances?

JuicyJesus: the account was set up from a Junior ISA, that we gave to each of our 4 grandchildren. He used it to begin an account at 16, when he was still a Minor. At 18, he began work full time and made repeated requests to obtain an appointment at the bank in order to change this. All requests were answered with "We will get back to you." They never did, hence my grandson's request for me to go with him to the bank.

Both of you have missed the salient fact that my grandson suffers from Aspergers Syndrome. If you know anything at all about that condition, you will be aware of the reason why I went to the bank with him. If you know nothing about it, I suggest you either look it up or learn not to question facts when you are not aware of them.

Making appointments at the bank and speaking to the bank manager are very old fashioned ways of doing things. It would have been far easier to call the bank and change the account type to whatever it needed to be over the phone. This is much quicker and easier than having to go all the way to the bank at a specific time.

Personally I would have just told him to open a new account online and switch to them if you were having problems with them changing the account type.

I know someone with Aspergers and being dragged to the bank by their grandfather for an unnecessary appointment is not something he would enjoy. He much prefers to interact with technology and manage everything online.

norm_

Read the riot act? What on earth. :rotfl:

You are aware that HSBC is not the only high-street bank?

I suggest you exercise your consumer right to free choice instead of making a massive scene over nothing.

meer53

Just open another account ? It's not difficult.

A pension payment wouldn't be going into his bank account, it would be going to the pension provider, most workplace pensions are deducted from salaries. I don't feel the bank have taken advantage of your grandson, he hasn't lost out in any way, maybe they've tried to contact him and he's ignored them ? I think you're overreacting.

Everynamestaken

Unfortunately you are one of the reasons why banks wont stay open anyway.

Wanting to speak to a bank manager in a room about something trivial is old fashioned way of doing it, and as someone mentioned calling the contact centre is much easier.

You make these comments about the bank manager but mention before all this he was "read the riot act". There is so much crap someone should be prepared to take.

As someone else said, you can just go to another bank. You know they need to make money and therefore mention products to you? They are not a charity.

I think you are over reacting btw and feel there are much better way of approaching things.
a polite email to HSBC would have been more productive. Don't know if you would want to mention that you "read the riot act" to a manager 4 years after the event though.

henm2

Robisere wrote: »

Meer 53: the account was set up from a Junior ISA, that we gave to each of our 4 grandchildren. He used it to begin an account at 16, when he was still a Minor. At 18, he began work full time and made repeated requests to obtain an appointment at the bank in order to change this. All requests were answered with "We will get back to you." They never did, hence my grandson's request for me to go with him to the bank.

.

Does sound a bit of an overreaction. An appointment can easily be made in a branch or by telephone even by a third party on behalf of the account holder.

Westie983

Doesnt the Junior ISA, mature into a adult instant access ISA at 18 like other banks? Did this not happen? or were you then wanting to change the account to a non isa product...

Sounds like HSBC isn't the bank for your G/Son, find one that fits your criteria.

henm2

Some confusion here. HSBC have never offered Junior ISAs. Their ISAs are only available from the age of 16 upwards.