HSBC Graduate Account Poor Service

alixxon

Hello
I recently retuned from 5 weeks out backpacking around Australia. Before going I was advised to take my maestro Graduate card instead of taking travellers cheques as they were easier to use. So on the saturday before I went away I rang HSBC up to allert them to the fact that I would be out of the country and to make sure that my account would be ready available to use while I was out there. I was advised by the lady on the phone that I would be best off upgrading to a graduate plus account where I would need to pay 9.99 a month but would be able to use my card anywhere. This deal also included 30 days free travell insurance and as I planned to do a skydive while out in Australia i enquired as to if this would be covered and was assured that it would. Based on the advice i was given during the length of the phonecall i decided to take out the graduate plus account and to take out a cardguard account. However on the monday after ringing to enquire about insurance and the possibility of taking it out and paying for a few extra days in order to cover my 5 week stay i was told that the cover did not cover skydiving and that if i planned to undertake any such activity i would need to take out cover elsewhere.

While out in Australia in my second week there my card got declined in a number of large supermarket chains. I rang HSBC there and then to check that there wasn't a problem on my account only to get told by the lady on the phone that there must be a problem with regards to wear and tear on my chip and pin. If HSBC is aware that the card becomes damaged over time earily why give a card such a long expirey? I was then advised by HSBC to take large sums of money out from ATM's and to use that instead of relying on my card to pay for things. When I questioned the logic of me carrying around such large sums of money while away on holiday i was again advised that this would be the best way to conduct matters as my card was likely to be declined at many more shops. Also during this call i asked the representitive to check that my account hadn't been haulted due to fraud and was told that my account was fine bar the wear and tear on my card.

A week later while out having food with friends i tried to take money out at a local ATM my card was declined. Luckily in this instance and for the holiday in general i decided to take my mobile phone out to autralia with me. I called HSBC straight away to enquire as to the problem on my account once more. After being on hold for an age (while all the while my friends had to wait for me!) i was told that my account had been frozen as part of the fraud department as large sums of money had been taken out of my account on a daily basis! this was after i had rung them once before i departed to ensure that they were aware that i would be out of the country and after i had actually called them from canberra to enquire as to the problem on my account. 3 weeks into my holiday when i had been advised to withdraw large sums of money only now i was being questioned by the fraud department as to the use of my card abroad! After discussing these matters i requested that a note be made on my account to ring me on the day after my return to the uk to discuss my problems and complaints with the bank.

4 days later i recieved a text from my worried father who had just opened one of my letters and received a letter from HSBC instructing that my account be frozen if i did not contact a member of the fraud department to discuss the use of my card abroad. Knowing that i had disscussed this issue earlier in the week i once again rang HSBC to enquire as to the problem. I was put through to a particulary unhappy man who seemed equally unhappy to listen to the matter in hand and talked down to me for the whole of the conversation. Once again at the end of the call i asked for a note to be made on my account so that these matters could be discussed upon my return to the uk.

On the day i was supposed to receive a call from HSBC i received nothing, 2 days later i received a call while i was in work asking to discuss the problems i wanted to report to them. As i was in work i asked that they ring me at a later date so that i could gather everything that i wanted to discuss with them. it is now again 2 days later than the date i last gave them and i have received nothing from them once more.

Can anyone help me as to who i should address my complaints to, is it likely that if i ask them to pay the 9.99 for a whole year on the graduate plus account that this would be done? i have copies of my phone bill highlighting the dates i had to call them on during my stay in australia- is it advised that i send this in and ask that they pay these?

Sorry for the long post

Many thanks

olly300

Address for complaints are:
The Manager, Service Quality Team, HSBC Bank plc, Arlington Business Centre, Millshaw Park Lane, Leeds, LS11 0PP

telephone: 0800 881 155* (+44 1226 261 020) (textphone 18001 0800 028 3516)

e-mail: [EMAIL="servicequality@hsbc.com"]servicequality@hsbc.com[/EMAIL] or go on to hsbc's website (hsbc.co.uk) and look for contact hsbc, click on the link and scroll down to find the link to the online form.

I suggest you complain via email and duplicate it by complaining by snail mail from Australia. (Put in the email that the complaint has been sent by letter, and in the letter the complaint was sent by email.) i know there will be a time delay of days before the bank gets your snail mail but I find banks act better if I complain via snail mail as well. Also this is further proof you are where you say you are.

Whether you pay for an account or not you should get decent service, and you shouldn't pay to upgrade your account as most of the services that they normally offer are for people in the UK so in your case a waste of money. I suggest you demand your account is downgraded in the letters as they have demonstrated that the extra payments offer you know benefits. If they refuse to down grade it and continue to take the money when you come back to the UK, with a record of your email and your letter you can ask them to refund you or you will take them to the financial ombudsman.

I know a few people who had to fight to get their account downgraded as they realised they couldn't use the extra services whilst travelling or living aboard. They haven't upgraded their accounts once back in the UK.

gt94sss2

The HSBC complaints procedure is here

If you think you were 'misold' the Graduate Plus account, I think your chances would be higher if you asked to be downgraded to your old account (without penalty) and a refund of any monthly fees that you have paid to date, rather than expecting them to pay for you to have that account for a year.

You can also ask for compensation for the cost of trying to sort it out from Australia - just quote a figure for the cost of calls etc when you complain and see what they offer.

Regards
Sunil