HSBC Poor Customer Service - Have I misinterpreted this?

joshp1993

HSBC state the following guarantee in their new customer welcome pack:

"Your HSBC Bank Debit Card and cheque book (if requested) will be delivered to your home address within five working days and your PIN within seven. In fact, we’re so sure of this, we’ll give you £10 if they’re delayed."

I am now on the 6th working day and have not received my debit card or PIN. I have rung customer services to advise them of this, only to be told that no such current account guarantee exists (she even checked with a manager who confirmed it). I had to then ask her to go on the website and direct her to this guarantee, when she then stated that as 7 working days have not passed that I am not entitled to the £10.

I repeatedly tried to say that the wording clearly states that the guarantee is for the card arriving in 5 working days and the PIN to arrive within 7 working days. Am I interpreting this incorrectly?

Katiehound

Well, I would wait until the post arrives on the seventh working day and if no show then not only phone but e-mail them.
(You will then have written proof! instead of trying to remember who you spoke to- and you can then cut & paste the guarantee.)

I note you say that you are now on the 7th working day- but of course that are doesn't include the weekend. I would be counting from the day you opened the account, M to F

I think you have interpreted correctly - not sure that I would agree with your title 'though as I suspect delivery also depends on the Post Office!!

joshp1993

Sorry - by 'now on the 6th working day' I mean that 6 working days have now passed, not including today or yesterday. I received this welcome pack with this guarantee in on Thursday 4th July.

I appreciate the point re postal service - it's more the poor customer service around the guarantee, don't offer it if you're going to try to get out of it by claiming the wording is vague!

Katiehound

Well, I'd see what tomorrow brings in the post.

As the Debit card didn't appear in the time frame then you just insist there is a time guarantee which was not fulfilled and you 'want to make a complaint.' Something then has to happen...
I would still e-mail as well

joshp1993

Thanks for the response and advice. My issue is more that the customer service representative insisted that this wording means that the guarantee is not broken if the card and pin both arrive within 7 working days.
She clarified with a manager who also said that the policy has always been 7 days - she said that the wording is meant to be interpreted as 'your card and pin will arrive within 5-7 working days and we'll pay you £10 if they're not both there within 7 days'.

Terry_Towelling

"Your HSBC Bank Debit Card and cheque book (if requested) will be delivered to your home address within five working days and your PIN within seven. In fact, we’re so sure of this, we’ll give you £10 if they’re delayed."

The keys to this guarantee are the words 'and' and 'they'.

These words suggest that only when both conditions are not met will you get £10. If they said they'd give you £10 if either was delayed, you'd have them on the hook already. If they miss the PIN deadline you will have them.

By the way, do you know what is the start date for the 5 and 7 day periods? Is it the date their welcome pack was sent or arrived, or of account opening, or when? It is a bit 'slippery' isn't it?

colsten

HSBC are daft to make such a promise as they are not in control of the postal service. However, they have made it, so you have a justified complaint, which I agree you should make in writing. https://www.hsbc.co.uk/help/feedback-and-complaints/

Although they do have some catch-all get-out-of-jail clause, and it may well be they haven't fully processed your application yet. HSBC current account application processing is known to be pretty dreadful.

Your new HSBC Advance Debit Card plus any cheque book requested will be delivered to your home address within five working days and your PIN within seven working days. In fact, we’re so sure of this, we’ll give you £10 if they’re delayed.*

*Certain features and benefits mentioned are subject to status and meeting HSBCs proof of UK address requirements.

joshp1993

I see your point about ‘they're’ but I still think it’s stating that that one comes within 5 days and one within 7.

I can only assume the 5 and 7 working days begin from the day I got the communication - I got a welcome email and letter both on the same day. I guess the whole thing and the wording is ambiguous really, not a quality you look for in a bank (even if you may expect it)!

It’s such an odd guarantee to offer and I can’t imagine many people ever try to claim it.

Terry_Towelling

I banked with HSBC once - briefly - I won't be banking with them again.

colsten

Terry_Towelling wrote: »

I banked with HSBC once - briefly - I won't be banking with them again.

They're brilliant for their 5% Regular Saver

joshp1993 wrote: »

It’s such an odd guarantee to offer and I can’t imagine many people ever try to claim it.

I agree, it's a really odd promise. They probably know that people have complained about not getting their cards / PINs / cheque books. When I opened an HSBC account several years ago, I *never* got any card and PIN, until I upgraded the account some time later to an Advance account. It didn't really matter much to me as I wasn't using the account in the beginning, anyway. The card & PIN for the Advance account arrived promptly.

Terry_Towelling

colsten wrote: »

They're brilliant for their 5% Regular Saver

The RS was my principle reason for opening the HSBC account. The account-opening process was messy - for which they gave me £50 compo (unsolicited by me). I tried repeatedly to open the RS account but nothing I did on the website would allow it to work. I transferred money in to meet the pay-in requirement and then transferred it back out again (as you do) but the money vanished into thin air.

HSBC insisted the cash had left them, and even game me a time of day when it happened. The receiving account insisted nothing had arrived. I made numerous costly phone calls (which got repaid) before finally someone at HSBC said their fraud department was holding my money. Quite why they never bothered to tell me this in all the days leading up to this, I have no idea. They released the money after very hurriedly telling me that HSBC is not liable for any losses I may have incurred as a result of their actions.

Fine. I'm not bothered about the transfer being 'held up', but I am bothered that they told me it had been processed correctly, leaving me to think I'd made a mistake and sent it to some random account. Account closed - cutting off my nose to spite my face? - maybe.