Update to my original post dated 03.01.20 re. my HSBC bank account being frozen over Xmas & NY

Fergus10

 After just over 3 weeks my bank account was ‘unfrozen’ with no verbal or written explanation provided. I waited for several months for some form of contact to be made & it never was. I then sent a 5-page email to HSBC to complain & sent a similar email to the Financial Ombudsmen. On the 07.05.20 I received a very unsatisfactory & unsympathetic response via email from a ‘Customer Advocate’ from HSBC regarding me ‘contacting again about the inhibit placed on your accounts’  & that ‘my colleague **** did reply to your previous complaint dated 24 December 2019 and you mention this in your letter’. That letter from ‘her colleague’ was dated 30.12.19 in response to my visiting the branch on the 24.12.19 to complain, but she forgot to mention the letter that I was told on the 23.12.19 was in the post to me that subsequently various members of HSBC kept telling me was on it’s way to me. Funny that this letter never arrived!!

She then elaborated by saying ‘I appreciate that you may not agree with our actions; however, I hope you will understand that these are a necessary part of the management and practices by which we operate our business. As such, we will not enter into any further communication relating to the reason we have taken this action’. She then proceeded to mention a ‘review’ of my bank account that had never been mentioned to me before telling me ‘this does form part of the terms and conditions of holding an account with us and as a bank we reserve the right to review any bank accounts that are held with us’. 

This ‘Customer Advocate’ from HSBC then provided completely inaccurate information about my calls to HSBC as though they were fact stating ‘I know the reason you kept calling was to gain access to your funds, however, there is no one in our front line who could have made this process happen any quicker. It was explained to you several times that the bank was completing a review’. I did not ring HSBC solely to access funds, but primarily find out what was going on with my bank account & why it being investigated which I think was perfectly understandable in the circumstances. It was NEVER explained to me at any point that the bank was completing a review. The word review was never used by anybody I spoke to at HSBC. I was just repeatedly told that ‘We are unable to process any transactions or requests as the bank is currently complying with its Statutory requires & the bank will be in touch in due course”.

 

This Customer Advocate then had the cheek to say ‘ I would be happy to offer you £150.00 for the service you received as it should have been made clear from the first call there is no timescales provided for an account review, and access would be returned once completed’ & ‘I know you remain unhappy and have since moved your account, we wouldn’t wish to put anyone in a stressful situation intentionally, however, we do have the right to complete this review’.

So after the stress & worry they put me through this is their poor excuse for a response. I fully intend to pursue this further with the financial ombudsman & I have no intentions of accepting the £150 off them, it’s an insult after what they put me through over Christmas & New Year.

Hasbeen

You updated your original thread yesterday morning.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6087092/hsbc-bank-account-has-been-frozen#latest

Which is receiving answers.

Why start a duplicate update thread today?

Fergus10

This isn't a duplicate thread, this is an update 5 months later & I wasn't sure if the comment I added onto the original thread would be seen. Maybe I missed something, is there a problem with me creating a new thread for this?

dr_adidas01

Fergus10 said:

This isn't a duplicate threat, this is an update 5 months later & I wasn't sure if the comment I added onto the original thread would be seen. Maybe I missed something, is there a problem with me creating a new thread for this?

You should always try and use your original thread to post any updates or new information you have been given.

Wheres_My_Cashback

Yarns and trolls and stories and Jackanory.

Fergus10

dr_adidas01 said:

Fergus10 said:

This isn't a duplicate threat, this is an update 5 months later & I wasn't sure if the comment I added onto the original thread would be seen. Maybe I missed something, is there a problem with me creating a new thread for this?

You should always try and use your original thread to post any updates or new information you have been given.

Ok, thank you.